MLB Player News

Votto went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's 6-2 win over the Mets.

The veteran continues to mash, homering for the seventh straight game by taking Drew Smith deep in the sixth inning. Votto is now one game short of tying the major-league record held by three players -- a club most recently joined in 1993 by Ken Griffey Jr. On the season, Votto is slashing .278/.374/.563 with 21 home runs and 59 RBI through 75 contests.

Cabrera started at third base and went 2-for-3 with three walks and two RBI in Friday's 6-5 extra-inning win over the Dodgers.

Cabrera was a prime candidate to be traded, but the 36-year-old infielder remained with Arizona past Friday's trade deadline. Manager Torey Lovullo managed Cabrera's starting assignments earlier in the season, never letting him start more than two consecutive games, but Cabrera has started four straight and appeared in all five games since coming off the injured list. After the Diamondbacks traded Eduardo Escobar to the Brewers, Cabrera could be a regular at third base. The Escobar trade coupled with Josh Rojas' finger injury presents opportunities for the veteran.

Mountcastle went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-3 win over the Tigers.

He took Tarik Skubal deep in the fourth inning, one of three O's homers off the young southpaw. Mountcastle is up to 17 home runs on the year, but he's stumbled to a rough .182/.224/.432 slash line in 12 games since the All-Star break.

Diaz went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double and two total runs scored in Friday's 7-3 win over Boston.

The third baseman recorded his second straight three-hit effort. He opened the scoring with his seventh homer of the year in the first inning, setting the tone for Tampa Bay. Diaz doesn't add much pop -- he has matching on-base and slugging percentages at .373 as more of a contact hitter. The 29-year-old has added 37 RBI and 45 runs scored through 365 plate appearances as a near-everyday presence in the lineup.

Rizzo went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two total runs scored in Friday's 3-1 win over Miami.

The first baseman opened the scoring for his new team with a sixth-inning blast. Rizzo has gone 10-for-25 (.400) with four home runs, six RBI and eight runs scored during a seven-game hitting streak. He batted cleanup in his Yankees debut, which could be a strong indication of his placement in the lineup going forward. For the year, he has a .252/.350/.457 slash line with 15 long balls, 41 RBI, 43 runs scored and four stolen bases.

Cron (groin) is starting Friday's game against the Padres, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Cron was out of the lineup in each of the last two games due to groin discomfort. He'll start at first base and bat third.

Wade (lower leg) remains out of the lineup Friday against the Astros, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Wade will be excluded from the lineup for a third consecutive game as he continues to deal with a bruised right lower leg that he sustained Tuesday. He's appeared as a pinch hitter in each of the last two games, but Darin Ruf will start at first base and bat fourth.

Ellis' contract was selected by the Diamondbacks on Friday, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic reports.

The 25-year-old doesn't have any noteworthy tool beyond his plus raw power, but he's performed well at the Triple-A level this season, hitting .286/.396/.554 with 13 homers in 65 games for Reno. He's primarily played third base, with the occasional start at first and second.

Hiura was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Friday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Hiura didn't have an everyday role in the time since his latest call-up in late June and didn't look great at the plate, striking out 39.4 percent of the time while slashing a passable but unexciting .230/.324/.443. The acquisition of Eduardo Escobar means his role was expected to shrink still further down the stretch, so he'll head to the minors in search of regular at-bats. He has very little to prove at the Triple-A level, however, hitting .347/.434/.691 there in 77 career games.

Diaz went 3-for-5 with an RBI single, a double and two runs in a win over the Yankees on Thursday, snapping an 0-for-17 skid.

Diaz put together a 4-for-5 effort against Cleveland on July 22 before hitting his mini-slump, and Thursday's strong production was reminiscent of that game. The 29-year-old has given his season a nice boost in July, as he'll enter Friday night's series opener against the Red Sox with a .304/.371/.554 slash line that includes three doubles, one triple, three home runs and nine RBI across 62 plate appearances covering 17 games.