MLB Player News

Goldschmidt went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Thursday against the Mets.

Goldschmidt struck out three times but those struggles were erased by his 13th home run of the season. The homer was notable because it was only his third of the season at home, and he entered Thursday's game slugging just .280 at Chase Field in 118 at-bats. He now has five home runs in his past 10 games, though four of them came at Coors Field.

Flores' (back) return is "imminent" in the words of manager Mickey Callaway, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Flores was 3-for-6 in two rehab games for High-A St. Lucie heading into Thursday night, during which he started out 3-for-5 with a home run, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. The infielder looks set to rejoin the Mets sometime in the next few days. He'll probably assume a starting role at first base, at least against left-handed pitching to spell lefty batter Dominic Smith. Oddly enough, Flores is batting .299/.368/.507 against righties and an inept .174/.250/.239 against southpaws in 2018, but his career numbers suggest those reverse platoon splits will correct themselves soon enough.

Olson went 1-for-4 with a two-run blast in Thursday's 7-3 loss against Houston.

The 24-year-old has 34 RBI and a .242/.324/.460 slash line alongside his 14 long balls. Olson had 24 homers and 45 RBI in just 59 games last season, but he should surpass both of those totals in 2018. He's also still striking out at a pretty high rate, with 78 punchouts in 248 at-bats.

Abreu went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Indians.

Abreu's first-inning shot would be the only offense that Chicago could muster up on the day. The 31-year-old is having another strong season at the plate, belting 11 homers with 40 RBI and a .288/.346/.515 slash line through 66 games this season.

Hoskins went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a double and two runs scored Thursday in the Phillies' win over the Rockies.

He wasted no time making a statement, sending the first pitch he saw from German Marquez over the left field fence for his eight blast of the year and second since returning from a disabled list stint caused by a fractured jaw. Hoskins' .244 batting average and 27.4 percent strikeout rate (including Thursday action) have hindered his output so far, but his .369 OBP stands more clearly in line with his plate skills, and he should improve the .446 slugging percentage as the season moves along.

Alonso was promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday,

Alonso's promotion to Triple-A coincides with Dominic Smith's promotion to the majors following the release of Adrian Gonzalez. The well-regarded prospect had little left to prove with Double-A Binghamton, slashing a combined .314/.427/.575 with 17 homers over the past two seasons (75 games) with the Rumble Ponies. If Alonso is able to continue mashing in his first taste of Triple-A, he could make his way to the majors sometime during the second half of 2018, especially if Smith is struggling.

Hiura went 3-for-4 with a home run, double and a walk Wednesday for Double-A Biloxi in its 6-5 win over Mississippi.

Since earning a promotion from the Carolina League at the end of May, Hiura has continued to demonstrate a polished hit tool through his first 12 games with Biloxi. Though his .378/.440/.578 slash line in the Southern League has been propped up by a .432 BABIP, Hiura's quick bat and line-drive tendencies should naturally result in him maintaining gaudy batting averages throughout his time in the minors. Hiura's long-term outlook is somewhat muddled by concerns about his defense at second base, but if he continues to dazzle at the plate in the high minors, the Brewers should be able to find room for him in the lineup somewhere.

Gurriel went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 13-5 win over the Athletics.

Gurriel was hitless in the first eight at-bats of Houston's road trip, but has multiple knocks in each of the four games since, going 11-for-19 with a home run and six RBI. That stretch has raised his season average to .304, tying him for fourth among first baseman, but he still lags in the more traditional categories associated with corner infielders. Among his peers at first base with at least 200 plate appearances, he ranks 20th in slugging (.406), 21st in RBI (27) and 24th in home runs (two).

Freeman went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and a second RBI in Wednesday's win over the Mets.

Freeman drove in both runs in Wednesday's 2-0 win, putting the Braves up 1-0 in the fourth inning with his RBI single before extending the team's lead in the eighth frame with his 14th homer of the season -- and third in as many games. The 28-year-old is now leading all National League first basemen with 14 homers, 48 RBI and a .344/.435/.590 slash line through 67 games.

Bour went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI in Wednesday's win over the Giants.

Bour came through with a couple of game-tying hits, evening the score in the sixth and then again in the eighth with a double. The RBI were his 28th and 29th, but the 30-year-old hasn't been quite the run producer he was expected to be. He's left the yard just once over the last 26 games, and his resulting .811 OPS sits well below last year's .902 mark.