MLB Player News

Tellez isn't in the lineup Tuesday against Atlanta.

Tellez has served as the Blue Jays' primary designated hitter to begin the season and is currently riding a four-game hit streak. However, Lourdes Gurriel will shift to designated hitter Tuesday with Anthony Alford taking over in left field and batting ninth.

Diaz, who's slashing .167/.359/.167 through his first 39 plate appearances of 2020, has seen a drop in several key batted-ball metrics thus far this season, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

The entire Rays offense has scuffled of late, scoring a total of 14 runs during a just-concluded five-game road trip. However, Toribio points out Diaz is one of the poorest performers at present, and the reasons for his struggles seem to at least partly lie in a lack of authority when making contact. The 28-year-old, who broke out for a career-best 14 home runs in 79 games last season, has an average exit velocity of 82.1 mph, a sharp drop from a figure of 91.7 mph in 2019. Diaz's hard-contact rate has also tumbled from 42.4 percent to 36.0 percent year over year, all factors which certainly seem to be playing a role in an unusually low .200 BABIP. Diaz has yet to log an extra-base hit after lacing 35 last season, but perhaps his 3-for-8 tally over the last two games is a sign a resurgence is imminent.

Olson went 1-for-3 with an RBI single, three walks and a run in a win over the Mariners on Monday.

As his line implies, Olson was a constant thorn in the side of Mariners pitching all night. The productive outing was an especially welcome sight for the slugger, for whom things had steadily gone downhill following a game-winning grand slam on Opening Night. Olson had come into Monday's game mired in an 0-for-14 slump that encompassed the previous four games, and even factoring in his production during Monday's rout, the 26-year-old's average and slugging percentage sit at an anemic .152 and .242, respectively.

Abreu went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Monday's 6-4 win over the Brewers.

With the White Sox down 4-2 in the seventh, Abreu took Corbin Burnes deep to tie the score. The veteran slugger hasn't been fazed by the unusual circumstances of the 2020 season, hitting .295 through his first 10 games with two homers and seven RBI.

Votto went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run homer in Monday's 3-2 win over Cleveland.

Votto choked up on the bat and muscled a Zach Plesac pitch into the right-field seats of Great American Ball Park for his third home run of the season. The 36-year-old reported symptoms over the weekend but tested negative for COVID-19, leading to a quick turnaround from the IL. He's walked six times and struck out only once this season.

Wade was optioned by the Twins on Monday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Wade made the team's Opening Day roster but played a very insignificant role in the early going, appearing in just a single game as a defensive replacement and failing to receive a plate appearance. The Twins will add an extra reliever, Caleb Thielbar, in a corresponding move.

Votto (illness) was activated by the Reds and is in the lineup Monday against Cleveland, batting second.

Votto was away from the team as a precautionary measure in recent games, but he was officially activated by the Reds after testing negative for COVID-19. The 36-year-old will replace Christian Colon in the starting nine in the series opener against Cleveland. Aristides Aquino was optioned to the team's alternate training site in a corresponding move.

Voit is not starting Monday against the Phillies.

Voit sits for just the second time this season. He's hit a modest .240 through his first seven games but has already homered three times, so there's no reason his playing time should dip too much in the near future. Mike Ford will get the start at first base in his absence.

Votto (illness) will remain out of the lineup for Monday's game against Cleveland.

Votto tested negative for COVID-19 and is able to rejoin his teammates, but he won't be back in the lineup just yet. He's yet to be activated from the COVID-19 injured list, though that move could still happen in time for him to fill a bench role. Christian Colon starts at first base in his absence.

Votto tested negative for COVID-19 on Monday and could be activated from the injured list as soon as Monday night's game against Cleveland, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Votto self-reported coronavirus-like symptoms and landed on the COVID-19 injured list Sunday, but players are eligible to be activated from that list quite quickly if they never test positive for the virus. It turns out that the first baseman was dealing with an ordinary illness, and while there's no guarantee he returns right away, his absence shouldn't last too much longer.