MLB Player News

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (wrist) will not be ready to come off the 15-day disabled list when eligible Friday, manager Fredi Gonzalez told reporters Tuesday.

"[Freeman] plays every single day, he's frustrated," Gonzalez said, per MLB.com. "He wants to get back on the field, but he understands this might take a little more time."

Gonzalez said Freeman's wrist is not improving and the team is trying some other therapy to help with the recovery.

The Braves are still hopeful Freeman will return before the All-Star break.

It seems that Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt states his case for being the finest hitter in the sport every time he swings the bat.

Goldschmidt simply continues to rake. His latest show of force is a 10-game hitting streak in which his batting average has actually fallen from .357 to .352. He has one home run and 10 RBI during that stretch.

He ranks second in the National League in average, fifth in home runs (20) and third in RBI (64).

Reds first baseman Joey Votto heads into Monday's game against the Twins having gone hitless in his last three games (0 for 11). 

He is in the lineup to face Twins starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey, who Votto has a favorable history against. Votto is batting .357 (5 for 14) with one double, three home runs, five RBI, one walk and three strikeouts in his career against the right-hander.

Despite his recent three-game hitless streak, Votto has done well in June. He has a .286/.414/.527/.942 slash line in 25 games this month. He also has one triple, five doubles, five home runs, 12 RBI, 16 runs, 20 walks and 21 strikeouts in that span.

For many players in baseball, what Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is experiencing lately would be considered a typical stretch. For Rizzo, it's a slump.

Rizzo has been mashing for so long that his 4-for-17 run over the last five games comes as a surprise. He is 1-for-13 aside from a three-hit effort Thursday and has not homered since June 21.

That might not seem like a drought, but it is for Rizzo considering he clobbered seven in May and six over the first three weeks of June.

His .413 on-base percentage is at its lowest point since the opener.

Mets manager Terry Collins said last week that it was a possibility shortstop Wilmer Flores would move to second base upon Daniel Murphy's return from the disabled list.

Murphy is getting closer to a return, but Collins apparently couldn't wait any longer to get a glimpse of Flores at second base, as the 23-year-old infielder made his first start this season at second base Sunday against the Reds.

"This kid played fine at shortstop," Collins said, per NJ.com. "Made a couple of errors that cost us a couple of runs at times. But I looked through the league and he caught the baseball. He can play second base. He showed us that last September. And look in September, we played pretty good with Wilmer Flores playing second, with Dan at third and Ruben (Tejada) at shortstop.

"With Dan coming back, we certainly don't know what the time frame is with David (Wright) and I think this is going to be our best infield that we're going to run out there on a nightly basis."

Phillies outfielder Ben Revere and first baseman Ryan Howard are not in the lineup of the second game of Sunday's doubleheader against the Nationals. 

In Game 1, Revere went 0 for 4 and Howard went 0 for 3 with a walk. Howard's performance saw him strike out three times. Playing first base for the Phillies in Game 2 will be Darin Ruf and manning center field will be Odubel Herrera. 

The Marlins will start Jeff Baker at first base in Saturday's game, in place of Justin Bour.

Bour has started 30 games at first this season, but Baker has gotten the call three times in the last four games. 

Baker will be starting his twelfth game at first base this year. He'll bat fifth in the lineup.  

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard will not be in the lineup against the Nationals on Saturday.

Howard will sit out because left-handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez will take the mound for the Nationals. This season, Howard is hitting a pedestrian .138 with eight hits in 58 at-bats against left-handed pitchers.

Mets manager Terry Collins acknowledged Thursday that shortstop Wilmer Flores could move to second base once Daniel Murphy returns from the disabled list, as Ruben Tejada -- who has been playing second and third base with Murphy and David Wright on the disabled list -- would take over at shortstop.

Flores seems just fine with moving to second base.

"I don't mind," Flores told NJ Advance Media. "As long as I'm in the lineup. That's all that matters.

"I feel good in both positions. I feel like I can play. I'll just play anywhere they want me to."

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt extended his hit streak to six games, despite the Rockies' willingness to walk him on Thursday.

Goldschmidt picked up two walks -- giving him 59 on the season -- but managed to go 1 for 2 with a RBI.

Over his last six games, Goldschmidt is hitting .316 with six hits, a home run and six RBI.