MLB Player News

Olson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 12-5 loss to the Orioles.

The rookie's 419-foot shot to right center in the second was his second in as many nights. Olson has hit safely in four of the five games he's played in since being recalled from Triple-A Nashville last Tuesday, but he still sports a lackluster .209 average and .303 OBP through 76 plate appearances.

Abreu went 3-for-4 with two solo home runs in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Royals.

Abreu had gone 10 straight games without a home run or RBI before he launched his 20th and 21st homers of the season Saturday. He became the first member of the White Sox to begin his major-league career with four straight 20-homer seasons. Things are looking up for Abreu and the White Sox, who welcomed the return of Avisail Garcia last week. Garcia gives Abreu proper protection in the lineup.

Gurriel is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rangers.

Marwin Gonzalez will step in at first base. A day off at the end of July seemed to do Gurriel well, as he's hitting .370 with five extra-base hits in 11 games since. The Astros figure to continue giving him a rest every couple weeks or so as they look to keep him fresh for the stretch run.

Gittens has a .283/.377/.473 slash line through 58 games with High-A Tampa.

The first base prospect missed over a month due to an undisclosed injury, but has been back in action since the end of July. Though the 23-year-old is having a solid season at the plate, he has yet to advance beyond High-A and thus figures to serve more as organizational depth at first than anything else.

Cron went 2-for-3 with his eighth home run of the season -- and second in as many days -- in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Mariners.

It has been a season marred with injuries and inconsistent playing time, but the 27-year-old appears to have finally found his groove in the month of August, batting .414 (12-for-29) with three homers over eight games. Yunel Escobar's (hamstring) placement on the disabled list has opened up a couple weeks of everyday playing time for Cron, and with the way he is locked in at the plate right now, he makes a solid short-term pickup for any fantasy owner in need of some pop.

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.

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.

Cron went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Orioles.

He's taking advantage of the regular playing time he's been getting lately while Luis Valbuena mans third base, and Cron is now hitting .385 (10-for-26) in seven August games with two homers and eight RBI. With regular third baseman Yunel Escobar (oblique) potentially sidelined until the end of the month, Cron will get a chance to stake his claim to the starting first-base job on a full-time basis.

Cron went 2-for-3 with two RBI against the Orioles on Tuesday.

He's offered a reliable bat -- although in non-everyday playing time -- since being called back up from Triple-A in July. Over 53 at-bats in that span, Cron has hit .302/.351/.566 with four homers and 13 RBI. The solid run has lifted his season average to .240, but the 27-year-old still possesses only middling upside in the fantasy realm.

Olson was recalled from Triple-A Nashville ahead of Tuesday's series opener against the Mariners.

As expected, Olson will rejoin the big club following the departure of Yonder Alonso. The 23-year-old, who was slashing .272/.367/.568 with 23 homers for Nashville this season, is expected to take over as the primary first baseman against right-handed pitchers moving forward. He had some trouble in his earlier stint with the A's, hitting just .196 with 22 strikeouts in 51 at-bats, but he may be worth a look in AL-only or deeper mixed leagues for those in need of a power boost.