MLB Player News

Votto is out of the lineup for Sunday's outing against the Dodgers, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Votto went 2-for-3 with a run and RBI on Saturday, but will give way to Ivan De Jesus at first base Sunday. Votto, who's hitting .409/.517/.727 with two home runs over the last seven games, will likely return to the lineup Monday for the Reds' series finale against Los Angeles.

Bell will make his first big league start at first base Sunday against the Marlins, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

As a mid-game replacement Saturday, he popped out to center field and played two innings of defense at first base. Following a four-game dalliance with Pittsburgh just prior to the All-Star break, Bell hit .211/.312/.275 in 125 Triple-A plate appearances. With David Freese set to serve as the Bucs' primary third baseman while Jung-Ho Kang (shoulder) recovers, Bell's main competition at first base figures to be John Jaso and Sean Rodriguez. A strong performance Sunday could net him addtional playing time in the coming week.

Bell was recalled by the Pirates on Saturday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Bill Brink reports.

Jung Ho Kang was placed on the DL with a shoulder injury Saturday, so David Freese figures to play primarily at third base in the short term, opening up some at-bats for Bell at first base. The Pirates clearly don't love Bell's defense at first base, as his bat is big league ready and John Jaso has been awful offensively over the last few months. Nonetheless, it would seem they will have to give him a chance there at some point, and Kang's injury opens up an opportunity. In shallower non-keeper leagues, he may not be the best add, as he won't play every day, but in deeper formats he could offer enough with his bat to be useful if he's only starting four or five day per week.

Howard will sit out Saturday's matchup with the Cardinals.

He'll be replaced by Tommy Joseph at first base. It simply appears to be a routine day off for the Howard, who is slashing just .197/.252/.448 on the season.

Votto went 2-for-3 with a home run, four RBI, two runs, and a walk in a 9-2 victory over the Dodgers on Friday.

He started things off in the first inning by smacking his 20th homer of the season, a 408-foot shot to center that plated Billy Hamilton and Ivan De Jesus. He then drove in his fourth run of the day with a bases-loaded walk in the fourth inning. Votto's amazing resurgence, which has primarily unfolded in the second half, has seen him slash .413/.549/.627 in July and .417/.500/.650 to date in August, raising his season average a whopping 49 points since July 1.

Carter went 2-for-4 with his 28th home run of the season in a 7-6 loss to Seattle on Friday.

The fifth-inning shot to center -- the first of three Milwaukee home runs -- was the longest ever recorded at Safeco Field (465 feet). The powerful first baseman leads the league in strikeouts and holds a pedestrian .221/.315/.483 line.

Cabrera (knee) was activated from the disabled list and is starting at shortstop Friday against the Giants, Marc Carig of Newsday reports.

Cabrera will return to action Friday after going down with a knee injury July 31. He'll look to get his hitting back on track, as his batting average had fallen to .255 after the All-Star break.

Major League Baseball cleared Howard of any wrongdoing in connection to a December report by Al Jazeera that claimed he received performance-enhancing drugs, Cash Kruth of MLB.com reports.

The Al Jazeera report claimed Howard and other professional athletes used the performance-enhancing substance Delta 2. Howard has filed a lawsuit against Al Jazeera because of their defamatory claims.

Cabrera (knee) is expected to be activated from the 15-day DL on Friday, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

The Mets plan on activating both Cabrera and Yoenis Cespedis on Friday. It is currently unclear who will be optioned to make room for both players. Cabrera last played July 31 against the Rockies. He's slashing just .255/.308/.410 on the season.

Cabrera (knee) will not be activated Thursday but he will rejoin the team for its series in San Francisco, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

The expectation as of Wednesday was that Cabrera would be activated for the start of the Mets series in the Bay Area, but the club will wait at least one extra day to make the roster move. Given that Cabrera is traveling Thursday and will meet up with the team, it's a possibility that the veteran infielder could be back in the lineup as soon as Friday.