MLB Player News

Carter is in the lineup Tuesday against the Blue Jays, playing first base and batting eighth, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

The defending National League home run king seems to be in line for regular starts now that Greg Bird (ankle) is on the disabled list, and Tuesday's lineup is consistent with that notion. Carter's spot in the order is less than ideal, however, so expectations should be tempered until he proves he can put up solid numbers from such a disadvantageous spot in the lineup.

Flores (knee) is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, Betsy Helfand of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

It seems as if the infection in Flores' knee has subsided for the most part, although Tuesday's game action should give a better indication of how healthy he really is. If all goes well in Las Vegas, the utility man could return to big-league action sometime in the next week.

Diaz enjoyed a career night at the plate with five RBI for Triple-A Columbus in Monday's 6-1 victory over Louisville.

Last year, Diaz hit .318/.408/.446 with 35 extra-base hits and 58 RBI in 121 games with Double-A Akron and Columbus en route to being named an MiLB.com Organizational All-Star. The 25-year-old made his major-league debut for the Tribe in April, managing a .236/.295/.255 line over 15 games. Since returning to Columbus, the organization's No. 8 prospect is hitting .382 through nine contests.

Joseph went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer and two runs scored in Monday's 10-2 drubbing of the Cubs.

It was a good time for Joseph's second home run of the season, as he'd been losing valuable playing time at first base to Brock Stassi because of his early-season slump. Joseph raised his average to .183 on Monday, but he has 22 strikeouts and just five walks in 77 plate appearances. While there's no denying the 25-year-old has thump in his bat, the Phillies' platoon at first makes him attractive only in deep mixed and NL-only leagues.

Cron (foot) was diagnosed with just a foot contusion after examinations found no further damage, the Orange County Register reports.

The Angels are expecting a swift return from the disabled list as a result. Cron is eligible to return May 9 against the Athletics, but the question is who will get the playing time at first base following the return of the also-injured Luis Valbuena.

Bour went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run and six RBI in Sunday's win over the Pirates.

The homer was his fourth of the season, while the career-high six RBI give him 15 through 23 games. Bour's .222/.297/.407 is less than impressive, however, and while his .250 BABIP suggests he's been a little unlucky to begin the year, don't expect a big increase in his slash line, given his 23.1 percent strikeout rate and relatively low 74 percent contact rate.

Calhoun went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs scored in Sunday's 5-2 win over Texas.

Despite Calhoun's slow start to the year and mediocre .255/.333/.343 slash line, he does have multi-hit games in four of his last five and appears to be heating up for his owners. The left-handed-hitting outfielder should be a decent source of runs and RBI in the Angels lineup, but don't expect him to return to the 20-homer mark. Still, he should be owned in all mixed formats despite his slow start.

Votto hit an RBI single in the eighth inning Sunday off of the Cardinals' Trevor Rosenthal to put the Reds ahead in their eventual win. He went 2-for-5 on the day.

After Sunday, Votto ends the month of April hitting .256/.337/.578 with eight homers and 19 RBI. While the batting average and OBP are well below his customary numbers, overall, it's a far cry from last year's slow start.

Naylor was placed on the 7-day disabled list after being hit in the face on a pick-off throw Saturday.

It appears Naylor will indeed need to miss some time after taking a pick-off throw directly to the face. He had been off to a nice start with High-A Lake Elsinore this season, hitting for a .306 batting average to go along with five home runs in 106 plate appearances thus far. Naylor will be hoping to get back on the field soon in order to continue what looked to be the start of an impressive season.

Freeman went 3-for-5 with a double, a stolen base, two runs scored and an RBI in Saturday's win over the Brewers.

The Braves laid into Milwaukee pitching for 11 runs on 20 hits Saturday, and Freeman got his fair share of the action. He has more multi-hit games (eight) than hitless performances (five) so far this season, and his .383/.485/.778 slash line has been buoyed by a stellar 16:16 BB:K through 22 games. He also has four steals already, putting him just two shy of last year's career high and giving Freeman a little extra fantasy value.