MLB Player News

Freeman had stitches removed from his back Saturday, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Freeman had undergone a procedure 11 days ago to remove a mole from an area just below his neck. The stitches, Freeman said, were not a factor in a recent slump that saw him go 2-for-27 with 15 strikeouts in the seven games since the All-Star break.

Votto went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer, two walks and two runs Friday against the Diamondbacks.

Votto launched his 17th bomb of the season in the first inning to give the Reds a 3-2 lead in a home victory. He's now left the yard in three of his last four games to raise his slugging percentage to .483.

Flores will play first base and hit fourth for the Mets on Friday.

Flores has homered in each of his last two games, allowing manager Terry Collins to slot him into the cleanup spot on Friday. Flores will hit behind Jose Reyes, Curtis Granderson and Yoenis Cespedes as they take on Adam Conley and the Marlins. On the season, Flores is hitting .333/.390/.704 with six home runs and 13 RBI in 54 at-bats against left-handed pitching. Flores makes for a great play on Friday.

Freeman went 0-for-4 Thursday night with two strikeouts.

The 0-for-4 performance adds to a rough last seven games for Freeman, who has gone 2-for-27 with 15 strikeouts in that span. The 26-year-old is hitting .270/.356/.496 on the year.

Howard went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Thursday's loss to Miami.

Howard's fourth-inning blast, his 14th of the season, gave him 30 RBI on the year. It's no secret that the veteran has been putting on a sad campaign to watch in 2016, but he has improved - albeit in small increments - of late. Across the board, Howard's slash line of .160/.219/.376 is higher than it's been since mid-May. Despite the improvement, it is still a hard pill to swallow outside of the deepest leagues.

Rizzo hit his 23rd and 24th home runs of the season Wednesday off Bartolo Colon in the Cubs' win over the Mets.

Rizzo easily shook off Tuesday's golden sombrero performance, coming back with a fury against the Mets. Overall, Rizzo has been quite hot of late, hitting .345/.436/.726 in his last 30 games. Both of Wednesday's homers travelled more than 435 feet, a testament to Rizzo's incredible power. He now has 71 RBI on the season, tied for most in the NL with Nolan Arenado. Rizzo continues to prove he's one of the league's premier hitters.

Cabrera is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Cubs.

He, along with several other Mets regulars, will get the day game off after Tuesday's night game. Jose Reyes will slide over to shortstop with Wilmer Flores getting the start at third base.

Rizzo struck out four times Tuesday night for the first time in his career.

Considering how well Rizzo has been hitting of late, he was bound to have a clunker eventually. For the year he's hitting .290 with 22 home runs and 68 RBI in 90 games.

Joseph went 2-for-3 with a home run, a single and a walk in Tuesday's loss against the Marlins

Joseph continues his recent hot streak with his fourth home run in his past 7 games. He's batting .476 over that span, raising his average to .264 on the season after entering July hitting .223. The 25-year-old first baseman seems to have figured things out, and should continue to see lots of at-bats in the middle of the lineup for a young Phillies team.

Votto hit his 15th home run as part of a 2-for-3 game with a walk, three RBI and two runs in Monday's win over Atlanta.

Votto entered the evening hitting .346/.478/.596 with three home runs and a brilliant 14:13 BB:K in his past 15 games, and he stayed hot with a show of his power and plate discipline. However, Votto's power numbers are still somewhat underwhelming -- he's on pace for 26 home runs, and his .463 slugging percentage would be his worst mark in a single season with 100 or more games played.