MLB Player News

Bell went 1-for-3 with a triple and two RBI against the Marlins on Friday.

The extra-base hit was his first in eight games. Bell is slashing just .217/.321/.435 in June (56 plate appearances). He was bound to cool off following a torrid May and his strikeout rate has increased from 19 percent to 25 percent in June. Despite his recent regression, Bell leads the major leagues with 25 doubles, 63 RBI and 172 total bases.

Rizzo went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Dodgers.

The first baseman's 18th home run of the year opened the scoring against Dodgers starter Rich Hill. Rizzo is up to 44 runs and 49 RBI while hitting .280/.391/.556 across 243 at-bats this season.

Beaty went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 5-3 win over the Cubs.

In his first game back from a hip flexor injury, Beaty made a big impact with a game-tying homer in the second inning. The rookie infielder is hitting .304 with nine RBI and six runs scored in 18 games this season.

Blandino (knee) was activated from the injured list and optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Friday.

Blandino had been on the injured list since the beginning of the season after undergoing surgery to repair his ACL and MCL in July of 2018, but he appears to have finally returned to health. He'll remain in the minors for now, though a promotion could be in his future if he can get up to speed.

Votto (back) will bat second and play first base Friday against Texas.

Votto left Wednesday's game against Cleveland with back stiffness but said that he was "totally fine" following the game, so it's little surprise to see him back in action following Thursday's scheduled off day. The first baseman owns an excellent .397/.429/.569 slash line over his last 14 games.

Walker is not starting Friday against the Nationals.

Walker will sit for the second time in the last four games, and he has just a single hit in his last five contests. Kevin Cron will get the nod at first base.

France went 1-for-4 with a solo home run for Triple-A El Paso on Thursday.

France left the yard for a third straight game for the Chihuahuas with a sixth-inning solo blast. He was optioned on June 6 after Fernando Tatis Jr. was activated from the injured list, leaving him without a spot on the infield, but he's been lighting it up in Triple-A all season, as he's now sporting a ridiculous .426/.504/.901 slash line with 12 homers and 38 RBI. However, that didn't translate much during his time with the big club, as he slashed just .235/.290/.357 in 98 at-bats before he was sent back down.

Beaty (hip flexor) has been activated from the 10-day injured list, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

The Dodgers activated Beaty after the minimum amount of time, as Corey Seager heads to the 10-day IL with a hamstring injury in a corresponding move. Beaty was 12-for-42 with seven RBI in 17 games before the injury.

Hiura is 9-for-29 (.310) with two home runs, two doubles and seven RBI in seven games since being optioned to Triple-A San Antonio.

Hiura hit the ball well with San Antonio (1.106 OPS) prior to making his big-league debut May 14, hit the ball well for the Brewers (.864 OPS) over his 17 games with the big club, and has continued hitting the ball well since returning to the Triple-A level (.941 OPS). The Brewers have not indicated when they plan to call him up again, but that day may not be too far down the road -- and he figures to hit the ball well again whenever it comes.

Votto says he is "totally fine" after exiting Wednesday's game with back stiffness, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Votto missed two games in late April with the same injury, but hopefully with Thursday's off day, he will be able to get back into the lineup for the weekend series against the Rangers. Derek Dietrich would likely get a start at first base if Votto needs to miss a game.