MLB Player News
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Paul Goldschmidt 1B | NYY
Diamondbacks' Paul Goldschmidt: Homers Thursday
Goldschmidt went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Thursday against the Mets.
Goldschmidt struck out three times but those struggles were erased by his 13th home run of the season. The homer was notable because it was only his third of the season at home, and he entered Thursday's game slugging just .280 at Chase Field in 118 at-bats. He now has five home runs in his past 10 games, though four of them came at Coors Field.
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Wilmer Flores 1B | SF
Mets' Wilmer Flores: Lined up for return in near future
Flores' (back) return is "imminent" in the words of manager Mickey Callaway, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.
Flores was 3-for-6 in two rehab games for High-A St. Lucie heading into Thursday night, during which he started out 3-for-5 with a home run, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. The infielder looks set to rejoin the Mets sometime in the next few days. He'll probably assume a starting role at first base, at least against left-handed pitching to spell lefty batter Dominic Smith. Oddly enough, Flores is batting .299/.368/.507 against righties and an inept .174/.250/.239 against southpaws in 2018, but his career numbers suggest those reverse platoon splits will correct themselves soon enough.
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Rhys Hoskins 1B | CLE
Phillies' Rhys Hoskins: Homers during three-hit day
Hoskins went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a double and two runs scored Thursday in the Phillies' win over the Rockies.
He wasted no time making a statement, sending the first pitch he saw from German Marquez over the left field fence for his eight blast of the year and second since returning from a disabled list stint caused by a fractured jaw. Hoskins' .244 batting average and 27.4 percent strikeout rate (including Thursday action) have hindered his output so far, but his .369 OBP stands more clearly in line with his plate skills, and he should improve the .446 slugging percentage as the season moves along.
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Pete Alonso 1B | BAL
Mets' Peter Alonso: Promoted to Triple-A
Alonso was promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday,
Alonso's promotion to Triple-A coincides with Dominic Smith's promotion to the majors following the release of Adrian Gonzalez. The well-regarded prospect had little left to prove with Double-A Binghamton, slashing a combined .314/.427/.575 with 17 homers over the past two seasons (75 games) with the Rumble Ponies. If Alonso is able to continue mashing in his first taste of Triple-A, he could make his way to the majors sometime during the second half of 2018, especially if Smith is struggling.
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Keston Hiura 2B | LAD
Brewers' Keston Hiura: Three-hit performance for Double-A squad
Hiura went 3-for-4 with a home run, double and a walk Wednesday for Double-A Biloxi in its 6-5 win over Mississippi.
Since earning a promotion from the Carolina League at the end of May, Hiura has continued to demonstrate a polished hit tool through his first 12 games with Biloxi. Though his .378/.440/.578 slash line in the Southern League has been propped up by a .432 BABIP, Hiura's quick bat and line-drive tendencies should naturally result in him maintaining gaudy batting averages throughout his time in the minors. Hiura's long-term outlook is somewhat muddled by concerns about his defense at second base, but if he continues to dazzle at the plate in the high minors, the Brewers should be able to find room for him in the lineup somewhere.
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Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Braves' Freddie Freeman: Knocks another homer Wednesday
Freeman went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and a second RBI in Wednesday's win over the Mets.
Freeman drove in both runs in Wednesday's 2-0 win, putting the Braves up 1-0 in the fourth inning with his RBI single before extending the team's lead in the eighth frame with his 14th homer of the season -- and third in as many games. The 28-year-old is now leading all National League first basemen with 14 homers, 48 RBI and a .344/.435/.590 slash line through 67 games.
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Justin Bour 1B | SF
Marlins' Justin Bour: Doubles and drives in two
Bour went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI in Wednesday's win over the Giants.
Bour came through with a couple of game-tying hits, evening the score in the sixth and then again in the eighth with a double. The RBI were his 28th and 29th, but the 30-year-old hasn't been quite the run producer he was expected to be. He's left the yard just once over the last 26 games, and his resulting .811 OPS sits well below last year's .902 mark.
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Luke Voit 1B | NYM
Cardinals' Luke Voit: Joining Cardinals over weekend
Voit will be recalled from Triple-A Memphis prior to Friday's series opener against the Cubs, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Jose Martinez will be away from the team attending the birth of his child, so Voit will join the Cardinals to offer additional depth at first base in his absence. The 27-year-old is 2-for-4 with a homer, a walk and three RBI in five appearances for the big club this year. Seeing as Martinez is expected to rejoin the Cardinals early next week, Voit's time in the majors will likely be short lived.
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Paul Goldschmidt 1B | NYY
Diamondbacks' Paul Goldschmidt: Sixth multi-hit effort in seven games
Goldschmidt went 2-for-5 with two walks and two runs Tuesday in the Diamondbacks' 13-8 win over the Pirates.
With six multi-hit outings in his past seven starts, Goldschmidt's batting average has climbed 48 points to a palatable .258. That's still well below his marks from each of the past six seasons, but the recent form he has shown at the plate offers optimism that more positive regression in the category could be coming for the first baseman. With several of the Arizona bats around him in the order also heating up, Goldschmidt has also collected 11 RBI and has scored 11 times over that seven-game stretch.
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Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Braves' Freddie Freeman: Swats 13th homer Tuesday
Freeman went 1-for-2 with two walks, a solo home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's win over the Mets.
The 28-year-old just won't slow down at the plate. Since the beginning of May, Freeman's put together a .360/.433/.593 slash line, and four of his 13 homers on the year have come in the last six games.