MLB Player News

Bell went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, one RBI and two runs scored Sunday against the Brewers.

Bell drove a relatively meaningless pitch from Jorge Lopez over the center field wall, with the Pirates already up 7-0 at the time. However, the shot was much-needed, as it was only Bell's ninth extra-base hit of the season. The result has been just a .346 slugging percentage, and if he hopes to match his .466 slugging percentage from last season, he'll have to start lifting the ball in the air more.

Calhoun is out of the lineup Sunday against the Mariners, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

It wasn't a surprise that the lefty-hitting Calhoun sat out Saturday with a southpaw (Marco Gonzales) starting for Seattle, but the outfielder's absence Sunday versus a right-hander (Felix Hernandez) is more significant. While it's too early to declare that Calhoun has lost out on a full-time gig in right field, he certainly has less job security than he did to begin the season after slashing .167/.195/.211 while striking out in 28 percent of his 118 plate appearances to date. Jabari Blash or Chris Young could eat into Calhoun's playing time if either catches fire at the plate.

Gurriel is out of the lineup Sunday against the Diamondbacks, Jody Jackson of FOX Sports Arizona reports.

The Astros have one fewer lineup spot available than usual during the interleague series in Arizona, so Gurriel will be squeezed out of the starting nine for the day as Marwin Gonzalez picks up the start at first base. There should be room in the lineup for both Gurriel and Gonzalez beginning Monday, when the Astros kick off a three-game set in Oakland.

Votto went 2-for-4 with a double in Saturday's 6-0 loss to the Marlins.

Cincinnati only managed four hits on the day, and Votto accounted for the team's only extra-base hit. The 34-year-old has slowed down again after his homer barrage at the end of April, hitting only .217 (5-for-23) over his last seven games, but with doubles in back-to-back contests, he may be getting into another groove.

Hoskins went 1-for-3 with two walks and a two-run homer in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Nationals.

It's his fifth homer of the season but first since April 21, ending an 11-game streak without one. Hoskins is now slashing .286/.437/.514 on the season, but his line is also fueled by an unsustainably high BABIP that was at .391 coming into Saturday.

Stassi (undisclosed) was reinstated from the temporary inactive list for Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, Brandon Warne of The Athletic Minnesota reports.

Stassi was placed on the inactive list Tuesday for an undisclosed reason but returns with the Twins purchasing the contract of catcher Bobby Wilson.

Rizzo went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in Saturday's loss to the Cardinals.

Rizzo seems to be breaking out of his early-season slump, as he now has hits in four straight games, with three home runs and four RBI during the spurt. He's still hitting just .187 with a .594 OPS, but expect both of those numbers to climb rapidly.

Calhoun is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Mariners.

Left-hander Marco Gonzales will take the mound for the Mariners, sending Calhoun to the bench. The 30-year-old has only five hits in 58 at-bats and has struck out 20 times over his last 16 games.

Olson went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo homer in a win over the Orioles on Friday.

Olson capped off a first-inning onslaught against Orioles starter Andrew Cashner with a 429-foot shot that immediately followed a three-run blast off the bat of Khris Davis. It was the slugger's first home run since April 16, a drought the likes of which wasn't seen during his explosive long-ball tear in 2017. Despite being off last season's torrid home-run pace, Olson's line sits at a solid .264/.352/.418 over 125 plate appearances.

Diaz is sidelined with a minor ankle injury at Triple-A Columbus, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Cleveland manager Terry Francona remarked on Diaz's status prior to the club's game Saturday but didn't specify the exact nature of his injury besides deeming it as minor. Diaz hasn't played since April 30 due to this issue. Expect the third baseman to return to action at some point next week.