MLB Player News

Howard has reported to Triple-A Albuquerque and will be available for Saturday's game.

After inking a minor-league deal with the Rockies' organization earlier in the day, Howard has already reported to Triple-A and will be in uniform Saturday. He'll need to show more at the dish than he did earlier in the season at Triple-A Gwinnett, when he slashed just .184/.238/.263, in order to get consideration for a promotion to the Rockies before the year is out.

Howard agreed to terms on a minor-league deal with the Rockies on Saturday.

The veteran slugger has been a free agent since he was released by the Braves in May. Howard slashed a mere .184/.238/.263 in 11 minor-league games in the Braves organization prior to his release and he hit just .196 in 112 games with the Phillies last season. He won't be on the 40-man roster to start, but if Howard starts getting back on track, there's a possibility of him joining the Rockies as a left-handed power bat off the bench in September.

Gurriel is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rangers.

Marwin Gonzalez will step in at first base. A day off at the end of July seemed to do Gurriel well, as he's hitting .370 with five extra-base hits in 11 games since. The Astros figure to continue giving him a rest every couple weeks or so as they look to keep him fresh for the stretch run.

Cabrera (hand) is batting fifth and starting at third base Saturday against the Phillies.

Cabrera is good to go after missing a trio of games while nursing an injured left hand. The 31-year-old, who is slashing .292/.337/.406 in 25 games since the All-Star break, will have a tough matchup against Aaron Nola in his return to action.

Smith went 1-for-3 in Friday's win over the Phillies.

He was removed as part of a double switch in the sixth inning, but overall it was a successful big-league debut for Smith. The sweet-swinging lefty is still only 22 years old, and while his power stroke has begun to emerge over the last two seasons in the high minors, he's more likely to be a contributor in batting average in his first taste of the majors.

Gittens has a .283/.377/.473 slash line through 58 games with High-A Tampa.

The first base prospect missed over a month due to an undisclosed injury, but has been back in action since the end of July. Though the 23-year-old is having a solid season at the plate, he has yet to advance beyond High-A and thus figures to serve more as organizational depth at first than anything else.

Cron went 2-for-3 with his eighth home run of the season -- and second in as many days -- in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Mariners.

It has been a season marred with injuries and inconsistent playing time, but the 27-year-old appears to have finally found his groove in the month of August, batting .414 (12-for-29) with three homers over eight games. Yunel Escobar's (hamstring) placement on the disabled list has opened up a couple weeks of everyday playing time for Cron, and with the way he is locked in at the plate right now, he makes a solid short-term pickup for any fantasy owner in need of some pop.

Franklin was traded to the Braves to complete the Brandon Phillips deal from February.

Franklin was a 2013 draft pick with Cincinnati, but by his fifth season of professional ball he was only able to advance to High-A Dayton in the Reds' system. He only spent 13 games with Dayton before the trade but had failed to impress after the promotion, going 6-for-40 with only one extra-base hit. He'll look to reestablish himself with Atlanta and change his fortunes.

Manager Terry Collins said Cabrera has been hindered by a left hand injury over the past few days, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

The ailment explains Cabrera's absence from the starting lineup over the past three days, though it's unclear as to the severity of the injury at this point. Consider the veteran infielder to be day-to-day heading into the weekend, meaning Neil Walker will likely continue starting at the hot corner while Jose Reyes or Wilmer Flores takes over at second base.

Smith will make his big-league debut Friday against the Phillies.

Smith, a 22-year-old first baseman, is considered one of the top prospects in the Mets' system and will get his first chance to show his power against major-league pitching. He has 16 home runs and is slashing .330/.386/.519 this season with Triple-A Las Vegas, so it was only a matter of time until he got his chance with the big-league squad. He'll be batting sixth in the lineup Friday, but will have the chance to move up in the lineup if he can show the pop in his bat he's been displaying throughout the minors.