MLB Player News

Freeman went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI in Tuesday's 4-0 win over the Mariners.

He's now put together a tidy 11-game hitting streak, batting .404 (19-for-47) over that stretch, but Freeman's only got one homer and five RBI during the streak despite all those hits. His 1.047 OPS on the year remains elite, however, and his counting stat production should pick up again soon enough.

Santana (back spasms) is out of Tuesday's lineup against the Red Sox, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

He tried to play through back spasms Monday, but exited early and will get this game off as well as he tries to get right. Jason Kipnis is starting at DH while Jose Ramirez slides over to second base and Giovanny Urshela gets the not at the hot corner. Consider Santana day-to-day.

Diaz was recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday.

Carlos Santana is currently dealing with back spasms, so Diaz could see the occasional start in the short term, but he is likely up primarily to offer depth off the bench. Diaz has one of the best approaches in the minors, but has never been able to offer enough power to realistically profile as an everyday player at a corner spot. Still, that approach and his excellent hit tool might be enough for him to get some looks over the final six weeks. He has a .350/.454/.460 slash line with five home runs in 85 games at Triple-A this year and recently turned 26.

Smith is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

Smith is hitting just .158 (6-for-38) since being recalled from Triple-A, so he'll get the day off to clear his head after starting 11 of the last 12 games. Wilmer Flores will slide over to first base in his stead, pushing Asdrubal Cabrera over to third base while Gavin Cecchini starts at the keystone.

Goldschmidt went 0-for-5 in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Mets in 10 innings.

After opening August with hits in 15 of his first 17 games, during which he compiled 1.186 OPS, Goldschmidt has gone 0-for-11 over his last three contests. It's the longest hitless streak of the season for the MVP candidate, but since he's only struck out twice during that stretch, it appears Goldschmidt is still seeing the ball well. With three games to go in the series against a porous Mets pitching staff, it should be a matter of time before the hits trickle in again for Goldschmidt.

Rizzo was named National League Player of the Week on Monday after going 12-for 28 with two home runs and 13 RBI over his past seven games, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

This is the second time Rizzo has received this honor in his career, with the other coming in 2014. The 28-year-old is slashing .292/.391/.523 since the All-Star break and should remain a consistent producer for fantasy owners.

Manager Terry Francona said Santana, who exited Monday's game prematurely, felt discomfort in his back prior to Monday's game, but the first baseman insisted on playing through the pain, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Francona indicated that he almost scratched Santana from Monday's lineup after the latter experienced muscle spasms while taking pregame swings in the cage. Santana talked his way into the lineup, but the discomfort eventually caught up to him. "On his last at-bat, you could see it was bothering him," said Francona. "Then when he sat down, it kind of grabbed at him."

Santana was forced to leave Monday's game against the Red Sox early with back tightness, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

This is rough timing for Cleveland, as Santana was on an absolute tear. Although he went 0-for-3 before exiting Monday, Santana was hitting .448/.556/.793 with five extra-base hits in his past eight games. Consider him day-to-day until we hear more, but with a diagnosis of merely "tightness," it sounds like there's a chance Santana could return quickly.

Bell is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Dodgers.

Bell owns an middling .230/.310/.416 line against southpaws this season, so he'll get the day off against lefty-throwing Alex Wood despite going 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBI in Sunday's win over the Cardinals. Jose Osuna will take over for him at first base, batting fifth.

Olson is not in the lineup Monday against the Orioles, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Olson will take a seat Monday as the A's are set to take on a southpaw in Wade Miley. With Olson out, Ryon Healy will start at first base and hit fifth.