MLB Player News

Votto (back) could return from the injured list when first eligible Sunday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Votto landed on the IL over the weekend with a lower-back strain, but it sounds like his stay on the shelf could be a brief one. Prior to suffering the injury, the veteran first baseman compiled a .262/.353/.410 slash line with 12 home runs and four stolen bases in 113 games.

Cron is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

Cron will be on the bench for the second day in a row while Miguel Sano checks in for him at first base. Since returning from the 10-day injured list Aug. 3, Cron has slashed a pedestrian .236/.311/.364 across 16 games. His lackluster production of late along with the recent return of designated hitter Nelson Cruz from the IL could begin to cost Cron more work.

Abreu went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in a loss to Minnesota on Tuesday.

Abreu drilled a 377-foot blast to right field in the third inning, his second homer in as many days and fourth in his last six games. He also committed a costly error on a dropped throw in the fifth inning that led to four unearned runs. The 32-year-old is enjoying another productive season at the plate, slashing .273/.313/.496 with 28 homers and 94 RBI in 536 plate appearances.

Olson went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, two runs and a walk to help the Athletics to a 6-2 victory over the Yankees on Tuesday.

Olson is red hot, as this marked his seventh multi-hit effort in his last nine games -- a stretch that has seen him crank four more long balls to give him 26 on the season. The recent tear has the 25-year-old's slash line up to a healthy .267/.348/.545 across 389 plate appearances.

Freeman went 3-for-4 with two home runs, three runs scored and four RBI in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Marlins.

Freeman drove in four runs for the third time this season, bringing his season total to 102 RBI, which leads the National League. The 29-year-old has a .318/.408/.697 slash line with eight home runs and 20 RBI through only 18 games in August.

Rizzo went 3-for-3 with a walk, two solo home runs and three runs scored in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Giants.

Rizzo hit his 24th home run of the season in the first inning off San Francisco starter Tyler Beede, then launched No. 25 against Beede again two innings later. The 30-year-old first baseman has now reached the 25-home-run plateau in each of the last six seasons as he continues to produce at an elite level for the Cubs.

Naylor went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Tuesday against the Reds.

Naylor took Sonny Gray deep in the sixth inning to record his seventh home run of the season. He has taken over the majority of playing time in left field over Wil Myers, starting each of the team's last five games. Naylor has hit well in that span, smacking three extra-base hits, driving in three and scoring three runs. He's seen his slash line improve to .253/.322/.442 across 171 plate appearances this season.

Voit (abdomen) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Friday and could be activated for the Yankees' next homestand, which starts Aug. 30 versus the Athletics, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

Voit is likely to join Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the rehab stint as he makes his way back from a sports hernia. The Yankees are beginning a nine-game, west-coast road trip Tuesday, and it seems unlikely the 28-year-old will make the cross-country trek.

Guerrero (knee) is starting at third base and batting third Tuesday night against the Dodgers, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Guerrero will rejoin the starting nine after missing just one contest with knee inflammation. He was able to take groundballs prior to Tuesday's matchup and evidently checked out OK. Guerrero is batting .229 with five extra-base hits and five RBI over his last 10 games.

Calhoun isn't in the starting lineup for Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Rangers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Calhoun drew a pair of walks in Game 1, but he'll get the rest of the day off following a 5-1 victory. Brian Goodwin draws the start in right field and is set to bat sixth in Calhoun's place.