MLB Player News

France went 2-for-5 with two home runs in his second game at second base for Triple-A El Paso, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

This is the second straight game that France has homered twice. The 24-year-old is hitting .383/.449/.750 with six homers and 19 RBI in 14 games for El Paso and is getting reps at second base as well as third. France was in contention to be the big-league starter at third base before the offseason signing of Manny Machado. If France shows he can handle second base, he may be able to find major-league playing time with Ian Kinsler and Luis Urias struggling at the plate to begin the year.

Cronenworth is hitting .467 with four strikeouts, two walks and five steals through 45 at-bats with Triple-A Durham.

The 25-year-old infielder has primarily played shortstop, but has also seen time at third base and second base in the early going. The Rays have so many young, talented infielders that it will be tricky for any prospect to break into the mix without a slew of injuries, but Cronenworth, a seventh-round pick in 2015, is doing his best to force the issue.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a solo home run in a win over the Orioles on Wednesday.

Diaz continued to torment Orioles pitching in the big win, following up a 1-for-2 tally Tuesday that also included a walk with some impressive hard contact Wednesday. The round tripper was Diaz's first extra-base hit since April 7, when he also launched a solo homer, that one against the Giants.

The Tigers recalled Dixon from Triple-A Toledo prior to Thursday's game against the White Sox.

Dixon received the promotion to the big leagues after the Tigers placed outfielder Christin Stewart (quadriceps) on the 10-day injured list. The Tigers likely brought Dixon up mostly for his ability to play three infield positions and both corner-infield spots, as he certainly didn't earn a callup due to his performance at the plate. In 11 games at Toledo this season, Dixon slashed .174/.174/.239 while striking out in 34.7 percent of his plate appearances.

Guerrero went 2-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored for Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday.

The blast actually left the ballpark completely, landing in a parking lot beyond the left-field bleachers of Pawtucket's McCoy Stadium with an exit velocity of 107 mph, according to Jessica Camerato of MLB.com. Guerrero is slashing .412/.500/.824 through 20 plate appearances for Buffalo with a double, two homers and a 3:0 BB:K, and at least at the plate he clearly has nothing left to learn in the minors.

Votto popped out to the first baseman for the first time ever in a regular-season game in Wednesday's loss to the Dodgers, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

The launch angle revolution has gone too far! Joking aside, this is the first time in 6,829 career plate appearances that Votto has popped out to first base.

Cabrera was pulled from Wednesday's game against the Angels for precautionary reasons, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Cabrera appeared to tweak his hand on a dive back to first base earlier in the game, but the team labeled his exited as precautionary and didn't officially designate an injury. The 33-year-old will now have Thursday's scheduled off day to rest up before hopefully returning to action Friday against the Astros.

Santana is dealing with hamstring tightness, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

This explains why Santana is absent from the Indians' starting lineup for the first time all season. Manager Terry Francona downplayed the severity of the issue, suggesting the team simply wanted to give Santana two days of rest with Thursday's off-day. Jake Bauers is starting at first base in place of Santana, with Greg Allen starting in right field.

Santana is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Mariners.

Santana will hit the bench for what appears to be a routine day off Wednesday after starting the first 17 games of the season for the Indians, slashing .389/.515/.537 with a homer, 11 RBI and a 14:9 BB:K in those appearances. Jake Bauers will cover first base in this one, allowing Greg Allen to pick up a start in right field.

Flores is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Braves.

Flores has started five of the last six games for Arizona, going 4-for-17 (.235) with a 1:2 BB:K in those contests. He'll grab a seat on the bench Wednesday, with Ketel Marte starting at the keystone and Jarrod Dyson entering the lineup in center field.