MLB Player News

Bour (finger) was cleared of serious injury during Wednesday's visit with a hand specialist and is targeting a Friday return to the Marlins' lineup, MLB.com reports.

X-rays came back negative on Bour's dislocated left pinkie which he injured diving into second base on Tuesday. All signs point to the slugger avoiding any time on the disabled list and Bour has expressed his hope to return to the lineup Friday. After struggling for much of April, Bour has picked up his game in the past week and sports a solid .276/.341/.461 slash line through 76 at-bats this season.

Bour (finger) is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Diamondbacks, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Bour suffered the injury Tuesday and this will be his second consecutive missed game. The 27-year-old has had a productive start to 2016, hitting .276/.341/.461 with three home runs and 12 RBI through 23 games, and should be back in the lineup soon.

Howard is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cardinals, CSN Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury reports.

With the Cardinals starting left-handed Jaime Garcia on the mound, Darin Ruf will man first base for the Phillies. Howard has only logged 12 at-bats against southpaws this season, tallying two hits (including a home run) and two RBI.

Joseph is hitting .344/.358/.672 with five home runs in 64 at-bats for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Joseph fell off the prospect map due to a series of concussions that forced him to miss significant amounts of time and ultimately required him to move from behind the plate to first base. If he keeps producing there will be an opportunity for him in the majors once the Phillies decide to move on from Ryan Howard. Howard is in the last year of his deal, but the Phillies could decide to cut him at some point if his struggles continue.

Howard went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer and two strikeouts against the Cardinals on Wednesday.

Well, aside from the .333 batting average, that's Howard in a nutshell -- of his 87 at-bats this season, a whopping 41 have ended in either a homer (seven) or a strikeout (34). He's homered in consecutive games, but he's also posted five straight multi-strikeout games as part of a streak of 12 straight games with a whiff. Those fantasy owners willing to hold their noses and play Howard for the homers should know full well what they're getting into by now.

Rizzo went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and three runs in the 6-2 victory over the Pirates on Wednesday afternoon.

The Cubs first baseman had an extremely slow start to the season, but he has three straight multi-hit games. Rizzo has also reached safely in 11 of his last 12 games. Despite the poor batting average, Rizzo has been on base and hitting home runs all season long. He has nine home runs, a .467 on-base percentage and 1.159 OPS in 96 at-bats this season.

Bour (finger) is out of Wednesday's lineup against the Diamondbacks, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Bour dislocated his left pinky finger in Tuesday's contest and it appears that it hasn't healed enough to get him back into the lineup for Wednesday's matchup. He'll remain day-to-day with his next opportunity to return coming Thursday for the series finale against Arizona. Derek Dietrich will fill in for him at first base Wednesday.

Shaw is absolutely crushing the ball of late, slashing .487/.565/1.179 over his past 10 games.

The Giants' 2015 first-round pick has picked up where he left off last season, now against better competition in High-A ball. With a 9:19 BB:K rate, his plate discipline is not bad for a power hitter. His season line now sits at a gaudy .372/.439/.663.

Rizzo went 2-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run in Tuesday's win against the Pirates.

Although his batting average is down, the 26-year-old first baseman is demonstrating growth in a majority of offensive categories. Through 91 at-bats, Rizzo is walking more, striking out less, making more contact and hitting for more power than he ever has. The only thing holding him back is a .206 BABIP, which should eventually work its way back near his career .284 average.

Howard hit his a solo home run, his sixth, in Tuesday's win over the Cardinals.

The home run accounted for the only run of the game. Howard has been hitting for solid power this year, as his .226 isolated power would be his best since 2011, but he is striking out more than ever (34 percent) and will struggle to even reach the Mendoza Line if he can't make more contact.