MLB Player News

Bell went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Thursday's win over the Tigers.

It was his first home run of August and 20th of the year. The pop has been surprising for a player who was better known for his hit tool as a prospect and managed only three homers in 45 games last season. This level of power may not be sustainable, but there is room for growth with the batting average, and improvement there would help offset any power decline.

Olson is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Orioles, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Olson will head to the bench for a breather as the Orioles send out southpaw Wade Miley. Ryon Healy will take over for him at first base for the contest, though the 23-year-old is expected to start most games at first base against righty pitchers.

Votto went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, three walks and two runs scored in Thursday's win over the Padres.

He continues to hit and get on base at an elite clip -- Votto has hit safely in 15 straight games, with 16 walks over that stretch -- and he's hitting for more power than ever before in his age-33 season. Votto's 1.051 OPS is the best in baseball.

Smith will be called up by the Mets prior to Friday's game against the Phillies, MLB.com's Anthony DiComo reports.

Smith has been knocking on the door of his major-league debut for quite some time now, and with Lucas Duda and Jay Bruce on other clubs, the No. 2 prospect in New York's system will finally get his opportunity. In 114 games with Triple-A Las Vegas this season, Smith is hitting .330/.386/.519 with an OPS of .905. Additionally, he's swatted 16 home runs and plated 76 runners while providing a viable glove at first base. He will be plugged into the lineup for Friday's contest upon his arrival, and is likely to maintain an everyday role with the Mets throughout the rest of the season.

Cabrera is not in Thursday's lineup against the Phillies.

Cabrera will remain on the bench for the second straight game after starting the previous seven contests. In his place, Neil Walker draws the start at third, batting second. Since the All-Star break, Cabrera is hitting .277/.324/.383 with one home run and 10 RBI.

Hoskins was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Hoskins has deserved a promotion for a couple months now, but the Phillies have been reluctant to pull the plug on Tommy Joseph at first base. To that end, Hoskins has played his last three games in left field for the Iron Pigs, and figures to see the bulk of his starts there in Philadelphia, while spelling Joseph at first base roughly once a week. Hoskins has done everything in his power to silence doubters this season, putting up better numbers despite moving from the hitter-friendly park at Double-A Reading to a more neutral environment at Lehigh Valley. He upped his ISO from .285 to .297 and significantly improved his strikeout rate, down from 21.2 percent to 15.8 percent, while also slightly improving his walk rate to 13.5 percent. While scouts are somewhat concerned about his ability to hit offspeed pitches, it's possible that Hoskins goes on a quick tear if he gets fastballs early in the count in his first tour of the National League. He is worth picking up in standard leagues and should have already been rostered in deeper mixers and NL-only leagues. The 24-year-old will make his major-league debut Thursday in left field, batting seventh in the order.

Bell will start at first base and bat cleanup in Thursday's matinee against the Tigers.

He had two of Pittsburgh's three hits Wednesday and also reached base with a walk. Bell hasn't started two of the last four games with opponents starting southpaws, as he's slashing .228/.301/.457 in 92 at-bats against left-handed pitching. Overall, he carries an .803 OPS through 113 games and has seen nearly the same number of pitches (4.05 per plate appearance) as he did last season (4.06) -- both impressive numbers. Bell has never faced Thursday's righty starter Drew VerHagen, who's allowed a career slash line of .306/.410/.459 to left-handed hitters.

Hoskins will join the Phillies prior to Thursday's game against the Mets, MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports.

The top prospect has been tearing it up at the Triple-A level this season with Lehigh Valley, hitting .284/.385/.581 with 29 home runs, 91 RBI and a .966 OPS. During Wednesday's game against Norfolk, Hoskins went 3-for-5 with one home run, five RBI and two runs, and should get an opportunity immediately with the big-league club during this weekend's series. Although the 24-year-old is typically stationed at first base, he may be in line to receive some time in left field while Aaron Altherr is on the DL with a hamstring injury. This will mark Hoskins' big-league debut after he spent the last three years moving up through the minor-league system.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Dodgers.

Goldschmidt's 443-foot blast to center field -- his 26th of the season -- temporarily tied things up in the fourth inning, but the Diamondbacks had little success mustering further rallies on the night against the Dodgers starter Alex Wood and relievers Josh Fields and Kenley Jansen. Though the All-Star first baseman has cooled down a bit with four consecutive 1-for-4 showings, he's still been able to take his production to greater heights since the All-Star break, submitting a 1.129 OPS while driving in 23 runs in 24 games.

Cooper went 4-for-5 with two RBI in Wednesday's win over the Blue Jays.

Cooper was a late addition to the lineup after Clint Frazier was scratched with an oblique injury, but he delivered with his second multi-hit, two-RBI game in as many days. Chase Headley figures to keep seeing the large majority of first base action, but if Cooper continues to hit at this rate he could force himself into the lineup for a few starts per week.