MLB Player News

Votto went 0-for-2 with three walks and a run scored in Tuesday's win over the Cubs.

Votto has now reached base twice in 20 straight games, tying Barry Bonds and Pete Rose for the second-longest such streak of the modern era. Ted Williams holds the record with 21. The 33-year-old is also just six homers off his career-high mark of 37 -- he recently told Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer that his power surge is the result of a changing strike zone and more inside pitches.

Hoskins went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's loss to the Padres.

Since beginning his big-league career 0-for-12, Hoskins has gone 4-for-9 with three homers and four RBI. Hoskins has hit cleanup in five straight games, and with his combination of power, patience and contact, he's looking like a potential fantasy difference maker down the stretch.

Cron is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Nationals.

Cron normally starts over Luis Valbuena at first base against left-handed pitching, but even with southpaw Gio Gonzalez on the hill for the Nationals, both Cron and Valbuena will find themselves on the bench Tuesday. With no DH spot available in Washington, Albert Pujols will instead pick up a rare start at first base.

Hiura will make his first professional start at second base Tuesday for Low-A Wisconsin. He broke the news on his personal Twitter account.

While he did not need Tommy John surgery on his injured elbow, the Brewers had only deployed Hiura as a designated hitter prior to this news, allowing his elbow time to heal. However, he can now take the field without any restrictions on his arm. This only reinforces the notion that Hiura's elbow injury, which may have caused him to slip a little in this year's draft, will not cost him any developmental time. He is hitting .344/.384/.489 in 99 plate appearances since getting promoted to the Midwest League, and is clearly one of the top dynasty-league targets from the 2017 draft class.

Hoskins went 2-for-4 with his first two major-league home runs in Monday's 7-4 loss to the Padres.

Hoskins got off to a slow start after his promotion from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, going hitless in his first three games, but he now has hits in back-to-back starts. Manager Pete Mackanin told Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer that he has been pleasantly surprised with Hoskins' work in left field thus far, but that he hasn't been tested range-wise yet. Hoskins will continue to see most of his playing time in left field until Aaron Altherr (hamstring) returns from the disabled list next month.

Rizzo went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and five RBI during Monday's win over Cincinnati, and he also was scored with his 10th game as a second baseman.

Rizzo snapped an 11-game homer drought with Monday's bomb, and he had just a single RBI during that slump. The slow stretches haven't lasted long for Rizzo over the past few seasons, and with a .262/.384/.505 slash line, 27 homers, 76 RBI and 67 runs for the year, they've also been few and far between in 2017. It's also worth reiterating that Rizzo might've earned eligibility at second base in some fantasy leagues, and his owners should check if he now qualifies.

Olson went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and two runs in Sunday's 9-3 win over the Orioles.

The 23-year-old has gone deep in three straight contests, a span in which he's driven in all five of his runs for the month. Olson has already raised his season average an impressive 15 points since being recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Aug. 8, and he also boasts a .385 wOBA and 53.8 percent hard contact rate since his return.

O'Hearn was demoted to Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Monday, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

O'Hearn has held his own at Triple-A Omaha this season -- slashing .252/.325/.450 with 18 homers in 114 games -- but with Paulo Orlando, Frank Schwindel and Hunter Dozier all in need of at-bats with Omaha at the moment, the Royals' prospect will drop down a level to assure he continues to see playing time of his own. The 24-year-old will likely be back with the Storm Chasers when another spot opens up on the roster.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's 7-2 loss to the Cubs.

Goldschmidt has been a thorn in the Cubs' side during six matchups this season, contributing five home runs and driving in nine runs to go with four walks. He owns a career-best 1.031 OPS on the campaign and is trending toward a third straight 20-20 campaign, assuming he can record four more steals over the final month and a half of the season.

Cron batted cleanup and went 1-for-5 with his ninth home run of the season in Sunday's 4-2 win over Seattle.

Cron has been on fire of late, homering in three of his last five starts. The slugger's hot stretch extends further than his recent power binge, as he has slashed a healthy .348/.392/.667 since rejoining the majors July 7. The 27-year-old has been seeing regular playing time since Yunel Escobar (oblique) went on the disabled list, and he may have played himself into a regular role once the Halos' third baseman returns to action at the expense of the struggling Luis Valbuena.