MLB Player News
-
Josh Bell DH | MIN
Pirates' Josh Bell: Could come off bench Sunday
General manager Neal Huntington said Bell is available to pinch-hit Sunday against the Phillies.
Speaking on his weekly radio show Sunday, Huntington said the team is looking to give the first baseman a rest, pairing Sunday with Monday's off-day. Bell had played in every inning of Pittsburgh's first 21 games before coming out of the sixth inning of Saturday's contest as part of a double switch.
-
Yuli Gurriel DH | SD
Astros' Yulieski Gurriel: Gets day off Sunday
Gurriel is out of the lineup Sunday against the White Sox.
Gurriel has shown no ill effects since returning April 13 from the hand injury that sidelined him at the beginning of the season, batting .273 with five extra-base hits in 33 at-bats. It looks like manager A.J. Hinch is simply giving Gurriel a day off for maintenance purposes in the final game of the Astros' road trip. Marwin Gonzalez will fill in for Gurriel at first base and bat sixth.
-
Josh Bell DH | MIN
Pirates' Josh Bell: Takes seat Sunday
Bell is not in the lineup Sunday against the Phillies.
Bell got off to a strong start this season but has now collected just two hits in his last 23 at-bats, bringing his season average down to a .244 mark. He'll get the day off to hopefully reset, with David Freese manning first base in his stead.
-
Paul Goldschmidt 1B | NYY
Diamondbacks' Paul Goldschmidt: Two more extra-base hits Saturday
Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with a triple, double, run and an RBI in the Diamondbacks' 6-2 victory over the Padres on Saturday.
With two more strikeouts Saturday, Goldschmidt's rate is up to 28.7 percent for the season, which is 6.5 points above his career rate. While the poor contact is a little worrisome, Goldschmidt hasn't seen his offensive profile take a major turn for the worse, as his .402 on-base percentage and .557 slugging percentage are roughly in line with his marks from last season.
-
Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Braves' Freddie Freeman: Drives in two Saturday
Freeman went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Mets.
The extra-base hits were his first in eight games, but despite his recent lack of power Freeman still sports a solid .296/.446/.493 slash line on the season with two homers and 15 RBI in 20 games. With the Braves offense as a whole proving to be surprisingly dangerous so far, the first baseman should continue to see plenty of RBI opportunities as he looks to produce triple digits in the category for the first time since 2013.
-
Asdrubal Cabrera 1B | CIN
Mets' Asdrubal Cabrera: Drives in two Saturday
Cabrera went 2-for-4 with two RBI in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Braves.
His bases-loaded single in the top of the eighth inning brought home the first runs of the game. Cabrera is now 11-for-25 (.440) over his last six games with a homer, four runs and seven RBI, boosting his slash line on the season to .354/.391/.608.
-
C.J. Cron 1B | BOS
Rays' C.J. Cron: Goes yard twice Saturday
Cron went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in Saturday's 10-1 win over the Twins.
With Denard Span currently seeing more action in the outfield due to Kevin Kiermaier's thumb injury, Cron has had the DH spot mostly to himself and he's responded by going 8-for-21 (.381) over the last five games with three homers and six RBI. The 28-year-old has pushed his slash line up to .264/.316/.472 on the season, numbers right in line with his career averages, and with regular playing time in his sights for the foreseeable future, Cron's capable of providing fantasy value even in shallow formats.
-
Rhys Hoskins 1B | CLE
Phillies' Rhys Hoskins: Cracks three-run shot Saturday
Hoskins went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer and a walk Saturday against the Pirates.
The young slugger was the first batter to face Pirates reliever Michael Feliz, and he promptly met him with a three-run shot to left field. Hoskins is now hitting .328 with an absurd 1.127 OPS and a surprising three stolen bases.
-
Kole Calhoun 1B | CLE
Angels' Kole Calhoun: Sits vs. lefty Saturday
Calhoun is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Giants.
Left-hander Derek Holland will take the mound for the Giants, and the Angels will again turn to Chris Young in right field. Calhoun is likely to return to Sunday's lineup, with right-hander Johnny Cueto currently slated to pitch for San Francisco.
-
Matt Olson 1B | ATL
Athletics' Matt Olson: Stays hot with pair of hits Friday
Olson went 2-for-4 with an RBI single in a loss to the Red Sox on Friday.
He helped the Athletics get off to a good start with a first-inning single that plated Jed Lowrie, one of three runs that would come home for Oakland during the frame. Olson has been wielding a hot bat over the last four games, going 8-for-19 with two doubles, one home run, five RBI, two walks and three runs over that span.