MLB Player News

Cron went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Orioles.

He's taking advantage of the regular playing time he's been getting lately while Luis Valbuena mans third base, and Cron is now hitting .385 (10-for-26) in seven August games with two homers and eight RBI. With regular third baseman Yunel Escobar (oblique) potentially sidelined until the end of the month, Cron will get a chance to stake his claim to the starting first-base job on a full-time basis.

Flores went 1-for-3 with a solo home run during Wednesday's loss to Texas.

It was the 13th homer of the year for Flores and his seventh against left-handed pitchers. It's worth noting that he entered Wednesday's game with an impressive .400 wOBA against southpaws dating back to last season and only built on that mark with the long fly. Flores is receiving consistent at-bats and sports a solid .281/.314/.492 slash line. His positional eligibility is also a nice fantasy bonus.

Rizzo is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Giants.

Manager Joe Maddon will give Rizzo the day off after eight straight starts with left-hander Madison Bumgarner on the hill. In his place, Willson Contreras slides over to first while Alex Avila sets up behind the plate.

Hoskins could be called up to join the Phillies as soon as Thursday, Matt Gelb and Matt Breen of Philly.com report.

Manager Pete Mackanin said he's excited to see Hoskins' bat. He added that Tommy Joseph has done well enough to warrant regular playing time over the rest of the season, but with Aaron Altherr (hamstring) expected to miss several weeks, it sounds like the Phillies will try Hoskins in left field. Hoskins made his first start at the position with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday. The 24-year-old has handled International League pitching easily, slashing .280/.383/.571 with 28 homers and 86 RBI, and should be a target in nearly all formats if he's unowned.

Cabrera is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Rangers.

Cabrera will receive a standard day off after starting the past seven games and finally snapping his three-game hitless skid with a double Tuesday. In his place, Neil Walker draws the start at third, batting sixth.

Cron went 2-for-3 with two RBI against the Orioles on Tuesday.

He's offered a reliable bat -- although in non-everyday playing time -- since being called back up from Triple-A in July. Over 53 at-bats in that span, Cron has hit .302/.351/.566 with four homers and 13 RBI. The solid run has lifted his season average to .240, but the 27-year-old still possesses only middling upside in the fantasy realm.

Hoskins made his first start in left field Monday for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Jordan Hall of CSN Philadelphia reports.

Hoskins made four putouts and did not commit an error over nine innings. He also went 2-for-5 with his 85th RBI of the season. The Phillies are clearly looking for a way to get Hoskins at-bats in the majors without having to bench Tommy Joseph. Hoskins is making another start in left field Tuesday, and could find his way to Philly soon if he continues to handle the transition to the outfield.

Bell is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Tigers.

Bell will take a seat with left-hander Matthew Boyd on the mound for the Tigers, opening up a starting role for Jose Osuna. It's the second time in three games that Bell will hit the bench against a lefty starter, which could become a regular occurrence the rest of the way with the 24-year-old slashing an unremarkable .228/.301/.457 versus southpaws this season.

Flores is out of Tuesday's lineup against the Rangers.

This is notable because Neil Walker is getting his first career start at first base with Jose Reyes starting at second base, so Flores could see his playing time diminish over the rest of the season, especially once top prospect Dominic Smith gets promoted from Triple-A. Flores is hitting .232 with five home runs over his last 69 at-bats.

Olson was recalled from Triple-A Nashville ahead of Tuesday's series opener against the Mariners.

As expected, Olson will rejoin the big club following the departure of Yonder Alonso. The 23-year-old, who was slashing .272/.367/.568 with 23 homers for Nashville this season, is expected to take over as the primary first baseman against right-handed pitchers moving forward. He had some trouble in his earlier stint with the A's, hitting just .196 with 22 strikeouts in 51 at-bats, but he may be worth a look in AL-only or deeper mixed leagues for those in need of a power boost.