MLB Player News

Cron is not starting Wednesday against the Orioles.

Cron has been splitting time with Ji-Man Choi as the Rays' designated hitter, with the pair now alternating starts for eight straight games. Choi will get the call Wednesday.

Alonso went 4-for-5 with a home run, a double and four RBI in Triple-A Las Vegas' 9-6 win over Iowa on Tuesday.

Alonso went deep for the third time in four games and notched his third career four-hit performance after singling in his final at-bat of the afternoon. After hitting just .165 through his first 26 games in the Pacific Coast League, Alonso has adjusted impressively since late July. In his subsequent 17 contests, the first baseman has supplied a 1.170 OPS while homering six times and driving in 24 runs.

Kirilloff is hitting .368/.394/.540 with three home runs and two steals in 40 games (175 plate appearances) since his promotion to High-A Fort Myers.

His .419 BABIP at High-A is unsustainable, but even if we regress his batting average 50 or 60 points, he's still off to a very impressive start in the Florida State League. The main thing any Kirilloff detractor would point to is his 4.0 percent walk rate, but it's hard to expect a player who's sporting a 165 wRC+ while striking out just 15.4 percent of the time to be more patient. He has a chance to enter this offseason as a top-20 prospect for dynasty leagues and should open his age-21 season at Double-A.

Bell (oblique) was activated from the 10-day disabled list as expected Wednesday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic Pittsburgh reports.

Bell will wind up missing just over the minimum with an oblique strain. Prior to the injury, he had hit a solid .329 with an .868 OPS over his last 25 games. Jose Osuna was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move.

Hiura is 4-for-23 with six strikeouts and one walk over his last six games for Double-A Biloxi.

His batting average has dipped from .302 to .286 over this mini slump, but while his .778 OPS may not meet the expectations of his dynasty-league owners, he has still been 21 percent better (121 wRC+) than the average Southern League hitter. Hiura figures to finish out the season with the Shuckers, receive an invite to big-league spring training, and then get assigned to Triple-A at the outset of the 2019 season. Milwaukee's acquisition of Jonathan Schoop, who is under team control through the 2019 season, at this year's trade deadline will allow the Brewers to hold Hiura down next season until he forces their hand.

Votto (knee) is expected to be in the lineup Friday against Arizona, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Votto aggravated a knee injury during Monday's game and was withheld from the starting lineup Tuesday and Wednesday. He will receive additional rest during the club's scheduled off day Thursday before likely returning to the fold for Friday's series opener. Brandon Dixon is set to make another start at first base in Votto's place Wednesday.

Dixon will start at first base and bat seventh Wednesday against the Mets.

Dixon will enter the starting nine for the fifth time in seven games with everyday first baseman Joey Votto still battling a sore knee. The Reds don't believe Votto's injury is anything worrisome and could bring their star back in the lineup as soon as Friday's series opener against the Diamondbacks, which would result in Dixon fading back into a utility role.

Votto (knee) is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Mets.

The Reds will hold Votto out for the second straight day with the sore right knee, though there hasn't been any indication from the team that its franchise player's condition has worsened since he first suffered the injury Monday. He'll benefit from a scheduled off day Thursday and could rejoin the lineup for Friday's series opener against the Diamondbacks. Brandon Dixon, meanwhile, will start at first base for the third time in four games with Votto on the bench.

Cabrera went 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBI in Tuesday's win over the Diamondbacks.

Cabrera delivered a two-run double in the eighth inning to provide some much-needed insurance, putting the visitors ahead 4-0 in the eventual 5-2 win. The 32-year-old is hitting just .243 since being traded to the Phillies, but he's hit safely in four straight and driven in six over that span, and is now slashing .333/.429/.722 to open August.

Abreu went 1-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Tuesday's extra-innings loss to the Yankees.

Abreu recorded a sacrifice fly in the third inning and later hit a game-tying two-run homer -- his 20th of the year -- in the 10th inning off Zach Britton. This marks five consecutive years that Abreu has hit at least 20 home runs, but he's got some work to do still to reach the 100-RBI threshold as he has for four straight seasons.