MLB Player News

Votto is in the midst of an 0-for-16 slump entering Thursday's game. He's been pulling the ball more frequently than usual - 47.7 percent of the time, as opposed to 37.1 percent last year.

He's had a lot of hard hit grounders to the right side of the infield, but contends that his low BABIP (.220) is *not* bad luck. "That's not bad luck. That's me hitting the ball at people," said Votto. "I'm supposed to hit balls where nobody is. That's me working on my swing, trying to get to a certain destination, and I'm not there yet. But I'm working daily. Rome wasn't built in a day. My swing is a fine piece of machinery. Everybody wants to rush the Ferrari, but it comes out every four to six years. It takes time."

Carter went 2-for-5 with a double, a homer and three RBI against the Twins on Wednesday.

After hitting .199 with the Astros last season, expectations were low for Carter in Milwaukee, but he's surprised everyone with a .261 average and .970 OPS in the early going. Both those numbers would easily be career highs if he could maintain them, but it's more likely that his average will fall off into the .220-.230 range while he continues serving as a strong source of power numbers.

Rizzo went 2-for-4 with a home run and RBI-single in the loss against the Cardinals on Wednesday.

After a strong start to the year, Rizzo has gone cold at the plate, so it was good to see him get multiple hits Wednesday. Coming into the game, Rizzo was 2-for-31 (.065) in the last 10 contests. Fortunately, he does have four home runs and 13 RBI.

Rizzo went 0-for-3 with a walk against the Cardinals on Tuesday. In his last 11 games, he is 3-for-38 with just two RBI.

Rizzo cost plenty on draft day this year, and though he's driven in 11, nine of those RBI came in the first three days of the season and his slash line is down to .163/.339/.388. It's possible you could pry him away from a nervous owner at a slight discount, but most savvy owners will continue to hold him and expect him to come around.

Blandino missed the first week of the season for Double-A Pensacola with a thigh injury suffered in the World Baseball Classic, but has returned to action.

So far Blandino has struggled, going 1-for-16 in his first four games. This level is a step up for Blandino and a big one at that, moving from an offense-heavy league in the Cal League to a more pitcher-friendly one in the Southern League.

Goldschmidt is back in the lineup Monday against the Giants.

Goldschmidt was given the day off Sunday as the Diamondbacks finished out a series against the Padres, but he's back at first base as usual Monday. The slugger will bat third against Giants starter Jake Peavy.

Joseph went 1-for-4 with a run scored against Triple-A Rochester on Sunday.

Joseph missed three months of the 2015 season due to a concussion and could not seem to find any sort of groove when he did step foot on the diamond. The 24-year-old batted .193/.220/.301 in 45 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley last season and was not invited to spring training for the first time since 2010. Joseph also struggled during his other stint in Triple-A, batting .209 in 67 at-bats during the 2013 season. Joseph is 6-for-19 through six games this year with Lehigh Valley. It's highly unlikely that Joseph will be called up to the majors until he proves he can handle Triple-A pitching for a period of time.

Cabrera went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI in Sunday's win over the Indians.

After failing to cross the plate through the first seven games of the season, Cabrera's now scored three runs in the last four contests, adding some actual production to his solid .308/.357/.359 slash line. As long as he keeps hitting second for the Mets, though, the counting stats should come.

Freeman went 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI in Sunday's 6-5 extra-inning win over the Marlins.

It's his first multi-hit game of the season, leaving Freeman with a weak slash line of .167/.348/.278. Better days will be ahead for the Braves' slugger, but the ragged lineup around him could limit his RBI chances even when he heats up.

Goldschmidt is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres, according to Jody Jackson of Fox Sports Arizona.

Goldschmidt went just 2-for-19 at the plate over his last five games, so manager Chip Hale decided to give him his first day off of the season Sunday. Phil Gosselin will get the start at first base in Goldschmidt's place.