MLB Player News

Santana, playing his fourth game of the year in right field Monday, banged up his left knee and lower back after colliding with the wall, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.

After being down for several minutes, Santana gathered himself and remained in the game. Soaking in an ice bath afterwards, the 31-year-old said he expects to be back out in right field for Tuesday's contest in Cincinnati. If that holds true, Santana will be halfway to outfield eligibility in leagues that require 10 games played at the position.

Cron was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday.

The day after he bashed a grand slam, the Angels opted to send the 27-year-old back to the minors. Cron seemed to be finding his stroke at the plate again, hitting safely in his past four games to raise his batting average 16 points, but it seems that the team wants him to get more consistent at-bats in the minors. It's unclear how long the Angels plan for him to stay with Salt Lake, but he'll likely need to show off a steady power stroke if he wants to sniff the majors again. Infielder Nolan Fontana was recalled to take his spot on the roster.

Tellez worked with Jays legend Carlos Delgado last week on finding a consistent stroke at the plate, John Lott of The Athletic reports.

Devon White, the former Blue Jays star who is now Tellez's hitting coach at Triple-A Buffalo, has also been molding the young first baseman. Both White and Delgado agree that the 22-year-old needs to take advantage of the inner half of the plate. "I think his swing got a little long," White said. "And he wants to use the whole field, but sometimes you can't use the whole field. You have to go with how they're pitching you, and they're pitching him in a lot. So he should be pulling those pitches." Tellez said he was determined to shed his pull-hitter stereotype, but also admitted that strategy has worked against him. "I wanted to use the whole field and that was affecting me," he said. "Now that we've talked and worked on it, it's understanding that if they're pitching me inside consistently, then I've got to know exactly what's going on." In his first season playing at Triple-A, Tellez is hitting .208/.359/.457 through 38 games.

Cabrera (thumb) took swings in the batting cage Saturday without any issues, Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News reports.

The shortstop is targeting a return to the lineup Friday, when he's first eligible, but the Mets may be cautious with Cabrera and hold him out until they're confident his thumb is 100 percent, given the issues they've had this season with rushing players back into action too quickly.

Votto went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and three RBI during Sunday's loss to Colorado.

Sunday was just business as usual for the slugger, as Votto has registered seven multi-hit games in May and sports a .349/.512/.619 slash line for the month. Considering the veteran first baseman has typically been a better second-half producer, his excellent start to 2017 is laying the groundwork for his first 30-homer season since his MVP campaign in 2010.

Cron went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Sunday's 12-5 win over the Mets.

The 27-year-old got off the schneid in grand fashion, recording his first home run in his 86th plate appearance of the season. Injuries and a slow start (.232/.281/.305) have diminished his fantasy value, but he's shown an ability to hit for power in the past (.442 career slugging percentage), so there's reason to believe he can turn things around. Cron should get every opportunity to do so over the next couple of weeks while Yunel Escobar (hamstring) recovers on the disabled list.

Bour went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Dodgers.

The hot-hitting first baseman now has 11 home runs on the year after going deep in three of his last four games. Seven of his 11 dingers on the season have come in May, and he's seen his line rise to .262/.349/.524. His ninth-inning long ball wasn't cheap, either, as it came against closer Kenley Jansen. Bour is certainly making his case as Miami's everyday first baseman and could be in the midst of a breakout season.

Rizzo went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 13-6 rout of the Brewers.

The home run was his eighth of the year, and the RBI were his 23rd and 24th of 2017. The power hasn't been in question, but his slow start may have his owners a tad worried. However, The 27-year-old slugger is sporting an unusually low BABIP (.224), so one should expect much better days ahead, especially with Chicago's lineup as a whole starting to heat up recently.

Calhoun will start in right field and bat sixth Sunday against the Mets, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The lefty-hitting Calhoun is batting just .164 in May, and the Mets are bringing a southpaw to the hill in Tommy Milone, so Angels manager Mike Scioscia decided it was best to drop the slumping outfielder in the order, at least on a temporary basis. Andrelton Simmons will move into the No. 2 spot that Calhoun had previously been occupying.

Gurriel is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Indians.

Hitless in his last three starts, Gurriel will receive a day of rest Sunday as the Astros face off against Danny Salazar and the Indians. Marwin Gonzalez will draw the start at first base in his stead. Expect to see Gurriel back in the lineup Monday against the Tigers.