MLB Player News

Freeman went 1-for-3 with a solo homer and a walk Saturday against the Diamondbacks.

Freeman's fourth homer of the season came in the first inning to give the Braves a lead in a game they'd go on to lose. He's now hit safely in five straight games while collecting four extra-base hits during that span to move his slash line to .275/.378/.451.

Bour (finger) is back in the lineup Saturday, hitting fifth against the Phillies.

He made a pinch-hit appearance Friday after missing two games and is now back to regular duty at first base. Bour has been a little streaky so far this season, but the overall production has been there, and he should continue to hit directly behind Giancarlo Stanton for the Marlins.

Freeman went 2-for-4 in a 7-2 loss to the Diamondbacks on Friday.

The 26-year-old slugger is starting to resemble the proficient hitter he'd proven to be to this point his career, with Friday's effort boosting his average to a .273 figure that's his highest since Opening Day. Freeman has now reached safely in 10 straight and is slashing .333/.400/.500 over his first 18 at-bats in May.

Carter went 2-for-4 in a 5-1 loss to the Reds on Friday.

The veteran slugger stayed hot despite his team's overall struggles, hitting safely for the fifth time in the last six games. Carter has also seen a power explosion this month, blasting half of his 10 homers on the season in the first six contests of May. He's slashing .283/.345/.687 this season.

Votto went 1-for-2 with a solo homer, two walks and two runs scored in Friday's 5-1 victory over the Brewers.

Although he's still significantly underperforming when compared to his lofty standards, Votto continues to claw his way back to respectability. One of more encouraging signs has been his patience at the plate, as he's now drawn five free passes over the last two games. He's also reached safely in 14 straight contests and has upped his average from .172 to .230 over that span.

Rizzo was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and a solo home run in Chicago's win over the Nationals on Friday afternoon.

It's taken him a while to build his average up to it's current .257 level after a slow start, but he's getting on base at a .409 pace, while the power and RBI numbers have not faltered. He now has 10 home runs and 28 RBI despite the rather pedestrian batting average, and that's what his fantasy owners were really looking for when they drafted him.

Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale said Goldschmidt is being too selective at the plate, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Goldschmidt (a career .297 hitter) is hitting just .232 so far this season, and Hale said he thinks the slugger's selectivity is contributing. "I think he just has to be a little more aggressive in the zone," Hale said. "It seems like every time you look up, he's hitting with two strikes." In fact, Goldschmidt has reached two strikes in 60 percent of his plate appearances this year, up from his career rate of 53 percent. He does have a league-high 28 walks so far and a strong .421 on-base percentage, however.

Howard is out of the lineup again Friday against the Marlins, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

With another left-handed pitcher in Wei-Yin Chen scheduled to pitch Friday, Howard will once again take a seat on the bench. Darin Ruf will fill in for him at first base as usual.

Bour (finger) remains out of the lineup Friday against the Phillies, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

Bour was targeting a Friday return after he was cleared of serious injury by a hand specialist, but it seems the Marlins want to give him a little extra time to rest his dislocated pinky finger. That being said, he could return to the lineup sometime over the weekend. Chris Johnson will slot in at first base in his stead.

Carter went 1-for-4 with his 10th homer of the year Thursday against the reds.

He's joined a small crowd at the top of the NL homer list, with only Colorado's Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story sitting on more long balls. Five of Carter's have come in the last five games, and he's certainly capable of hitting them in bunches. More impressively, though, he's been able to cut his strikeout rate and is hitting a more-than-respectable .274 -- a dramatic improvement that looks like it may well actually be sustainable to some degree.