MLB Player News

Howard is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Royals.

Tommy Joseph will take over at first base Saturday while Howard draws the day off against a left-hander in Danny Duffy. Howard is batting a mere .105 against southpaws this season. He could draw back into the lineup when the Phillies face righty Yordano Ventura on Sunday, but Howard is no longer a bankable everyday option at first base.

Cabrera went 2-for-4 with a pair of homers and three RBI in Friday's 10-2 victory over the Cubs.

The 30-year-old touched up Jason Hammel twice, getting to him in both the second and fifth innings. Cabrera has hit safely in eight of the last 10 games, while homering four times over that span. Friday's production was particularly encouraging considering the shortstop slumped at the plate in June, tallying only a .228 average and .297 OBP for the month.

Votto went 3-for-6 with a double and run in Friday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Nationals.

The 32-year-old continues to climb out of the considerable hole he'd dug himself in the early part of the season, tallying his second straight multi-hit effort and third in the last five games. Votto finished June with a stellar .319/.466/.549 line, and has raised his average 40 points since the beginning of last month.

Joseph is not in Friday's lineup against the Royals, Stephen Gross of the Morning Call reports.

Joseph has started four of the past five games, but will be out for Friday's contest as Ryan Howard takes over first base. He has been cooling off recently with a rough last couple weeks of June, and has seen his season totals come down to .223/.235/.446 with eight home runs and 15 RBI. Joseph will likely be back in the lineup for Saturday's game.

Bour went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer, two walks and two runs Thursday at the Braves.

Bour's 15th bomb of the year gave the Marlins a 3-0 lead in the third inning of a game they'd go on to lose. He's now blasted four homers in his last six games, and he's slashing .269/.347/.534 on the year.

Votto went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run, his 14th of the year, in Thursday's 13-4 loss to the Nationals.

The first baseman was the only bright spot in the lopsided loss. Votto is doing the best he can with a lackluster supporting cast around him. Over his last four game, the veteran is 5-for-15 (.333) with three home runs, four RBI and four runs.

Rizzo went 1-for-5 with a three-run, inside-the-park home run Wednesday against the Reds.

The first baseman drove a deep fly ball to left-center field, but did not run full speed out of the box as it looked like the ball would be caught. A near collision left Reds' outfielder Billy Hamilton injured on the ground, and Rizzo realized the ball dropped and took off full speed to come around and score. Rizzo topped out at 18.6 mph once he hit full stride and it took him 17.5 seconds to round the bases, according to Statcast. The home run was Rizzo's 19th of the season and his first career inside-the-park homer.

Flores is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals, Adam Rubin of ESPN.com reports.

After starting five consecutive games, Flores will take the night off in favor of left-handed hitting Kelly Johnson as manager Terry Collins look to get the best possible matchups against Max Scherzer. It is likely that Flores returns to the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.

Bour is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

With the left-handed Daniel Norris taking the mound for Detroit, Justin Bour will be replaced by Chris Johnson at first base. Bour figures to get back in the mix Thursday with Julio Teheran scheduled to start for the Braves.

Flores went 2-for-4 with two RBI in Monday's 11-4 loss to the Nationals.

Flores' playing time could be on the decline in the near future with the team's acquisition of infielder Jose Reyes, but he provided a strong reminder of his value with this performance. Still, the 24-year-old's .248/.315/.372 line could use some work.