MLB Player News

Goldschmidt went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, two runs and two RBI to help the Diamondbacks to a 7-3 win over the Mets on Friday.

Pretty much no one is as hot as Goldschmidt these days, as the veteran first baseman has broken out of his early season slump in resounding fashion by posting a mind-boggling .456/.530/.965 slash line with six home runs over his 57 June at-bats. His .894 OPS on the season is inching much closer to his career mark of .928, and Goldschmidt is putting whatever lingering concerns may have existed regarding his slow start firmly to rest with his red-hot hitting.

Flores (back) was activated from the 10-day disabled list Friday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Flores has been out since late May due to lower-back soreness but was able to successfully navigate three minor-league outings on a rehab assignment over the past week, signaling that he is back to full health. Though it's expected Flores will see a decent amount of playing time with Adrian Gonzalez off the roster and Yoenis Cespedes (hip) on the DL, he isn't in the starting nine for Friday's game in Arizona.

Cron is out of the lineup against the Yankees on Friday, Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reports.

Cron will get a breather following five straight starts, including a rough four-strikeout showing during Thursday's series opener. Look for him to return to the starting nine Saturday.

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.