MLB Player News

Calhoun is out of Friday's starting lineup against the Astros.

Calhoun will get a breather to start the second half of the season as Dallas Keuchel toes the rubber for the opposition. Jabari Blash is slated to take over in right field and bat ninth.

Votto is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Pirates, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Votto has started all but three games prior to Friday this season, but the Reds could simply be looking to give the veteran first baseman an additional day of rest after participating in the All-Star Game on Tuesday. Adam Duvall gets the nod at first base for Cincinnati, as Votto should return to the lineup Saturday against the Pirates.

Cabrera (hand) will start at second base and bat third in the lineup against the Yankees on Friday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Cabrera won't be forced to miss any additional time after suffering a right hand injury during Sunday's game versus Washington. Across 92 games in the first half, Cabrera hit .281/.334/.490 with 17 home runs and 52 RBI.

Cron is not in the lineup Friday against the Marlins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Cron entered the All-Star break with a solid .256/.327/.479 line and a career-high 19 homers. He'll sit Friday, with Ji-Man Choi acting as the Rays' designated hitter.

Smith was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.

Smith was out of the lineup for the Mets' final four games prior to the All-Star break, so it's unsurprising to see him return to the 51s with Yoenis Cespedes (hip) returning from the disabled list. The 23-year-old has a .260/.343/.370 slash line with only two home runs in 56 games for Las Vegas this season.

Bell went 7-for-15 and reached base 12 times in 20 at-bats in the five-game series against Milwaukee leading up to the All-Star break.

Although the first baseman hit 26 homers in 2017, that power has evaporated this year. He's belted only five home runs in 326 at-bats in 2018. Bell never hit more than 14 homers in parts of five minor-league seasons, but with a 6-foot-4, 235-pound frame, it was thought that the 25-year-old might produce numbers similar to 2017. He's slashed .317/.417/.455 in 120 plate appearances since moving out of the cleanup spot, giving hope he can continue raising a disappointing .738 OPS.

Rizzo went 2-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 9-6 win over the Cardinals.

Rizzo batted leadoff Thursday, which is something the Cubs have experimented with a little bit the last two seasons. The slugging first baseman is batting just .249 with a .759 OPS, so maybe the lineup shuffle will get him going. Still, Rizzo is best suited to hit in the middle of the order, and the Cubs will likely move him back there at some point in the near future.

Diaz will be called up to the majors on Friday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Diaz appeared in 49 games for Cleveland last season, hitting a mediocre .263/.352/.327. He's hit .284/.415/.375 for Triple-A Columbus so far this year, though he has just two homers in 81 games. He'll likely fill a utility role in his time in the big leagues.

Guerrero (knee) was reinstated from the disabled list Tuesday and sent to High-A Dunedin.

Guerrero had been rehabbing at the rookie-league level. He's no longer technically on a rehab assignment, though his time with Dunedin will effectively still be short, as he'd been dominating at Double-A New Hampshire and was expected to head to Triple-A once healthy. Expect to see him promoted back to his former level or Triple-A Buffalo in the near future.

Hiura struck out in both of his plate appearances in Sunday's Futures Game.

Hiura went down swinging in the second inning against the Athletics' top pitching prospect, Jesus Luzardo, and was put away on four pitches from the Twins' Lewis Thorpe in the fourth inning. Though he didn't make much of an impression Sunday, the weekend wasn't a total wash for Hiura, who delivered his first four-hit game for Double-A Biloxi on Saturday.