MLB Player News

Votto (hamstring) is starting at first base and batting second Friday against the Nationals.

Votto missed the last three games with a tight right hamstring, but is good to go following Thursday's scheduled off day. The 35-year-old is riding a six-game hit streak in which he is slashing .444/.448/.519 with two doubles and two RBI.

Goldschmidt, who went 2-for-4 in a win over the Phillies on Thursday, operated out of the No. 3 spot in the lineup for the first time this season, Paul Casella of MLB.com reports.

Manager Mike Shildt opted to flip-flop Goldschmidt and usual No. 3 hitter Paul DeJong in the order for the series finale in an attempt to find an offensive spark. Shildt was also looking to set Goldschmidt up with more RBI opportunities, considering he'd entered Thursday having logged only 43 plate appearances with runners in scoring position all season. Although those didn't immediately present themselves Thursday, Goldschmidt could continue seeing time in the No. 3 slot that he logged 724 starts in during his eight seasons with the Diamondbacks.

Calhoun went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs batted in and two runs scored in a victory over Seattle on Thursday.

Calhoun hit a bomb to center off Mariners starter Yusei Kikuchi in the second inning and later drove home the final run of the game with an RBI single in the ninth. The two-hit night raised Calhoun's average to .310 in May after he struggled with a .174 average in April. For the season, the 31-year-old is slashing .245/.335/.495 with 11 homers and 31 runs batted in.

Abreu went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer plus another RBI and run scored in Thursday's win over the Indians.

Abreu launched a long ball to left field off reliever Dan Otero in the seventh inning to score Leury Garcia and boost Chicago's lead to 7-3. Although his average isn't quite what it used to be, Abreu's been a reliable source of power this season. Overall, he's batting .255/.304/.523 with 15 homers, 49 RBI and 28 runs scored.

Walker went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and two runs in the Diamondbacks' 11-10 defeat to the Rockies on Thursday.

Walker had been in a 3-for-37 slump coming into the game, but he broke out with a multi-hit day in this contest that included his ninth homer of the season. He got off to a red-hot start to the season, but thanks to the recent skid, his batting average is down to .247 through 194 at-bats, so hopefully this was a sign he's ready to get back on track.

Diaz (hand) took swings on the field Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

While Diaz reported feeling better, he's apparently still dealing with some discomfort in his injured hand. The third baseman will take some more swings Friday, at which point the Rays will determine if he's ready to begin a minor-league rehab assignment.

Shaw was promoted to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday.

Shaw spend most of the 2018 campaign with Sacramento, hitting .259/.308/.505 with 24 homers and 65 RBI in 101 games for the River Cats. He opened the 2019 season back at Double-A Richmond, where he hit .288/.368/.500 with seven homers and 24 RBI in 45 games before earning a promotion back to Triple-A. Should he continue to succeed at the highest level of the minors, Shaw could get another shot with the big-league club sometime this summer; he struggled in his first taste of the majors last season, hitting .185/.274/.278 in 22 games.

Olson went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run, a walk and two runs overall in an extra-innings loss to the Angels.

Olson's 380-foot shot to right in the eighth knotted the game at 7-7 at the time and served as his second homer in as many games. The slugging infielder has made up for some lost time due to a stint on the injured list with a hand injury by racking up five multi-hit efforts, 10 extra-base hits (three doubles, seven home runs) and 12 RBI over his first 21 games back in action.

Abreu went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 8-7 win over Kansas City.

Abreu, who smacked his 14th homer in a five-run second inning, is up to 46 RBI, one behind Minnesota's Eddie Rosario, who leads the AL in RBI. After dipping below 100 RBI for the first time in his MLB career in 2018, Abreu is back to being an RBI machine.

Smith went 3-for-5 with a home run and another two runs scored in Wednesday's 9-8 loss at Dodger Stadium.

Smith joined Amed Rosario in going deep off Julio Urias in the seventh inning to increase New York's lead to 8-3, but ultimately a ninth-inning rally by the Dodgers erased any chance for a win. The 23-year-old continues to compile an impressive campaign, batting .370/.469/.556 with two homers, 17 runs scored and seven RBI in just 54 plate appearances.