MLB Player News

Freeman went 5-for-5 with a two-run home run Thursday against the Marlins.

Freeman only had one extra-base hit Thursday, but made it count by blasting his sixth home run of the season. He remains one of the most complete hitters in the league, ranking top 10 in the National League in batting average, runs and RBI while hitting .326/.424/.558.

Cron went 2-for-4 with a run in a loss to the Braves on Wednesday.

Cron continues to serve as one of the Rays' steadiest sources of offense, as factoring in Wednesday's production, he's now reached base safely in 15 straight games. The 28-year-old has compiled 12 extra-base hits (five doubles, seven home runs) overall, and his current .201 ISO represents a career high.

Santana went 3-for-5 with a double and five RBI in Wednesday's win over the Giants.

Santana is finally starting to break out of his season-long slump, as he had a four-RBI game earlier in the week and is hitting 9-for-26 (.346) with three homers and 12 RBI amidst a six-game hitting streak. The 32-year-old has just a .189 BABIP, suggesting he's been suffering from a stroke of bad luck, so once that number starts to creep up the rest of his game should follow along with it, which seems to already be happening.

Gurriel went 1-for-4 with two RBI in Wednesday's win over the Athletics.

Gurriel was also caught stealing in this one in what was his first attempt of the season. After a slow start in April, the 33-year-old is now riding an 11 game hitting streak -- with extra-base hits in five of those -- and has upped his slash line to .284/.324/.411.

Rizzo went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a home run, two runs scored and five RBI in Wednesday's 13-4 win over the Marlins.

Despite a .210/.282/.371 slash line on the season, Rizzo has been able to stay productive with 13 runs and 19 RBI in 25 games. He's hitting .355 (11-for-31) over his last seven contests with four of his five homers on the season, though, and the first baseman's batting average should climb quickly now that he's busted out of his slump.

Hiura started at second base for High-A Carolina on Tuesday for the first time this season.

Hiura was limited to DH duty only for the first month of the season after dealing with a sore elbow this spring and a shoulder injury in April, but it appears the Brewers are now comfortable with him seeing some action in the field. Hiura went 0-for-3 Tuesday, but he was on fire heading into that contest, hitting .440 (22-for-50) over his previous 11 games.

Hoskins is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Giants, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The off day is just Hoskins' second of the season and his first in nearly a month. The young slugger is on a bit of a cold streak, hitting just .128/.261/.256 with a 34.8 percent strikeout rate over his last 10 games. Despite the slump, he's hitting an impressive .274/.423/.487, with a 19.5 percent walk rate that ranks third in the league among qualified hitters. Nick Williams will start in left field in his absence.

Calhoun is out of the lineup for the fourth straight game Wednesday in Colorado.

Calhoun sat against a righty for the first time this season Sunday and did so again Tuesday. Wednesday's benching is an expected one, as he's sat against nearly every lefty so far this year. Still, it's the third straight start for Jabari Blash, and Calhoun is hitting just .165/.193/.209 on the season, so it's possible a changing of the guard is taking place. The Angels currently project to face righties in their next several games, so it should become more clear within a few days whether this switch is a permanent one.

Bell went 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI in Tuesday's win over the White Sox.

Playing in an American League park, Bell served as the DH on Tuesday and also reached via a walk and scored a pair of runs in the win. The 25-year-old has just two home runs on the year and his .366 slugging percentage is a full 100 points below last year's mark. Hitting in the heart of the order should provide Bell with his run-producing opportunities, but he'll also need to start leaving the yard more frequently to start paying more dividends for fantasy owners.

Bour went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run and a pair of walks in Tuesday's loss to the Cubs.

Bour's shot got the Marlins on the board in the first inning, and they'd add another run in the opening frame before ultimately losing 4-3. The 29-year-old is hitting just .190 in May with seven strikeouts in as many games, but he does have three homers in the month to give him seven on the year, which puts him on pace to top last year's career-high 25.