MLB Player News

Santana went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Blue Jays.

Santana clubbed a solo homer over the fence in right field in the first inning, and he drove in a run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly. Despite a .221 batting average in 2018, Santana has recorded 44 extra-base hits, 73 RBI and a .758 OPS through 129 games.

Votto (lower leg) took batting practice, fielded groundballs, and ran Sunday with the hope of being activated ahead of Tuesday's game against the Brewers, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Some thought that Votto could return Sunday, but with the team's day off Monday, the Reds will instead keep him on the disabled list a bit longer. An activation Tuesday is by no means a sure thing, as the Reds would likely rather have Votto 100 percent before returning given the team's lowly standing in the NL Central division. However, seeing how much the star first baseman increased his activity Sunday, an activation Tuesday seems well within the realm of possibility.

Bell is not in the lineup for Sunday's game at Milwaukee, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic Pittsburgh reports.

Bell went 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout Saturday but returns to the bench for the series finale. Francisco Cervelli draws the start at first base with Elias Diaz taking over catching duties.

Votto (lower leg) is not in the lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Cubs.

Votto could still technically be activated prior to first pitch, but that seems unlikely after the Reds discussed Friday the uncertainty of his immediate availability. The team's scheduled off day Monday also provides an additional incentive to delay a return. The Reds have no reason to risk rushing back their star first baseman entering the final stages of a lost season.

Flores is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Flores heads to the bench for the series finale as the Nationals send right-hander Jefry Rodriguez to the mound. Jay Bruce will bat fifth and start at first base Sunday.

Hoskins went 1-for-4 with three RBI in Saturday's 8-6 loss to the Blue Jays.

A third-inning sac fly and a two-run single in the fifth helped put the Phillies up 5-0, but Nick Pivetta and the bullpen couldn't make the lead stick. Hoskins is hitting only .200 (20-for-80) in August, but he's still been somewhat productive with four homers and 10 RBI in 22 games.

Cooper re-injured his wrist during his rehab assignment and could be shut down for the year, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Cooper is heading back to Miami to be examined. He had seemed on track to potentially return before the end of the month, but it now appears likely that he'll be lucky to return before the end of the season.

Votto isn't guaranteed to return from the DL on Sunday when first eligible, Matthew Martell of MLB.com reports. "That's going to be his and the trainer's call," Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman said of Votto. "Pretty significant injury he got there from the hit-by-pitch. It hit a nerve there that really has stifled him."

A later comment from Riggleman makes it seem less likely that Votto will come back Sunday. "This thing has really hung on there," Riggleman said. "He's still not right. If we were going to try to activate him today -- if he was due today -- I wouldn't be comfortable doing it. But I'm getting more and more encouraged from him and the trainers."

Bell is not in the lineup against the Brewers on Friday.

Bell will receive a breather following 14 straight starts, during which he's hit just .224/.345/.388 with a pair of home runs and five RBI. In his absence, Francisco Cervelli will set up at first base while Elias Diaz handles the catching duties.

Smith was sent down to Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.

Smith will shuttle back to the minors in order to make room for Jay Bruce (hip) on the active roster. With rosters set to expand to 40 players at the beginning of September, look for Smith to rejoin the big-league club in the near future.