MLB Player News

Santana went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Friday's loss to the Nationals.

The homer, Santana's 14th of the season, was a two-out shot off Tim Collins. Santana's batting average is still just .225 -- the lowest of his career -- though much of that can be attributed to a frustrating run of luck early in the season. Since May 1, the first baseman has hit .264 with 12 home runs. The veteran has been a strong all-around offensive asset this season outside of that poor batted-ball luck. He's on pace for 28 home runs, the second-highest total of his career, while his 17.8 percent walk rate (third in the league behind Mike Trout and Bryce Harper) and 13.4 percent strikeout rate are both career bests.

Walker was called up from Triple-A Reno on Friday.

Walker has played in 17 games with the Diamondbacks this season, going 3-for-17 with two RBI and 10 strikeouts during his brief opportunities at the big-league level. He will supply a little extra depth all around the field but don't expect him to make much of an impact. Jimmie Sherfy was optioned to Reno in a corresponding move.

Smith is not in the lineup against the Marlins on Friday.

Smith will remain on the bench for a second straight game as Jose Bautista draws another start in the outfield during the first contest of the Mets' mini road trip. Over 14 games in June, Smith has hit .233 with a .685 OPS while striking out 16 times.

Hoskins went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and a double Thursday against the Nationals.

Hoskins put the Phillies up 4-1 with his home run in the seventh inning, his 13th of the season. Entering June, Hoskins was slugging a disappointing .415, but his 12 extra-base hits in June have brought that up to .496. While that's still well off pace from his .618 mark in his rookie campaign, Hoskins has showcased his pop of late.

Rizzo went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a run scored and three RBI in Thursday's 11-5 win over the Dodgers.

It was Rizzo's first multi-hit performance since June 15 and his first three RBI game since May 28. The lefty slugger brought his season average up to .243 with 53 RBI and 23 extra-base hits.

Goldschmidt went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI in Thursday's win against the Marlins.

Thursday marked Goldschmidt's first multi-hit effort since June 17 -- a span of eight games. Goldschmidt collected two hits and an RBI in the first two innings before rounding things off with a double in the fifth. He has clearly cooled off since his major power surge earlier in the month, but Thursday's strong outing is a positive development regardless.

Hoskins went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Yankees.

His second-inning shot off Luis Cessa gave Zach Eflin and Seranthony Dominguez all the offense they would need in a combined four-hit shutout. Hoskins now has 12 home runs on the year, half of which have come in the last 17 games to go along with a .303 batting average (20-for-66) and 18 RBI over that stretch.

Flores went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Pirates.

Flores hit a one-out homer in the sixth inning to put the Mets ahead by three, but the bullpen couldn't make it hold up in the eventual 5-3 loss. The 26-year-old is working on a six-game hitting streak and has now reached base safely in all 13 games back to his return from the disabled list.

Cabrera went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Wednesday's loss to the Pirates.

Cabrera smacked his 18th double of the season in the first inning, then later brought home a run on his third-inning single. The 32-year-old is hitting just .242 in June, but he's been turning things around of late; over the past four games, he's 8-for-17 (.471) with two walks, a home run, a double and three RBI.

Rizzo is out of Wednesday's lineup against the Dodgers, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

He is hitting .188/.289/.377 with four home runs in 69 at-bats over his last 20 games. Ian Happ will get the start at first base and hit eighth against lefty Alex Wood while David Bote gets a rare start at the hot corner, hitting seventh.