MLB Player News

McBride was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Sunday. He'll start at catcher in the Athletics' game against the Pirates and bat eighth in the order.

McBride will assume the 25-man roster spot of Josh Phegley (knee), who was placed on the DL in a corresponding move. Phegley is scheduled to undergo an MRI to determine the extent of his strained right knee, and if surgery is deemed necessary, McBride could be up with the big club for an extended period. However, don't look for McBride to see regular at-bats, as he'll only be getting the nod behind the plate Sunday over the lefty-hitting Stephen Vogt due to southpaw Francisco Liriano starting for the Pirates.

Cron was a major contributor in the 21-run assault against the Red Sox on Saturday, going 6-for-6 with two homers, a double and five RBI.

Cron has been quietly productive for most of the season, but has let loose in the first two games of July, notching three homers and nine RBI over that span. The former first-round pick should be considered an option for those looking to grab cheap power at first base, as he is slashing .287/.340/.473 with nine homers and a .186 ISO through 71 games.

Freeman, who raised his season average 34 points in June with a .346 month, is already hitting .400 over the first two games of July after a 3-for-4 performance in Saturday's 9-1 victory over the Marlins. He had a two-run homer and scored twice as well.

The 26-year-old continues to leave his early-season struggles in the dust, and he's now tallied multi-hit efforts in four of the last seven games. Freeman got the day started off right against Jose Fernandez when he plated Jace Peterson with a 417-foot shot to center field in the first, staking the Braves to an early 2-0 lead. With considerably improved play over the last month-plus, Freeman has his season line up to a solid .289/.371/.511.

Votto (shoulder) will return to the Cincinnati lineup Sunday against the Nationals, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Votto was a late scratch Saturday due to shoulder soreness, but the ailment doesn't appear serious enough to hold him out through Sunday's series finale. The Reds can surely use the offensive presence of Votto in their lineup, as the veteran is coming off a month of June in which he posted a 1.015 OPS and raised his season batting average more than 30 points.

Santana hit his second homer in as many days -- and 18th on the season -- as part of a 2-for-3 day Saturday versus the Blue Jays that also included a walk.

The veteran slugger's season line is now up to .242/.340/.477 following the performance, and he also has back-to-back multi-hit efforts. Santana is also just one round-tripper away from equaling his 2015 total in that category, although it notably took him 550 at-bats to accomplish that feat last season.

Cabrera will be held out of Sunday's starting lineup due to knee soreness, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.

According to manager Terry Collins, Cabrera's knee "has been barking a little bit," so the team will sit him out as a precaution. What that phrase means exactly from a medical perspective remains to be seen, but the Mets will take a conservative approach here, which likely means Matt Reynolds will get the start at shortstop Sunday afternoon.

Joseph is out of the lineup Sunday against the Royals, MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports.

Joseph will effectively give way to Ryan Howard at first base for the third time in the last five games. On June 10, Joseph had accumulated a respectable .323 batting average with an OPS that stood at 1.010. In the 18 games since, the 24-year-old is slashing just .116/.127/.203 with 19 strikeouts and just one walk. With numbers like those, it's no surprise to see him losing playing time, although Howard and his .148 batting average don't necessarily represent much of an improvement.

Smith continued his recent stretch of red-hot hitting Saturday, going 4-for-4 with two homers and five runs batted in against Double-A New Hampshire.

Smith has six home runs since June 24, giving him 10 on the season along with 58 runs batted in. Power has always been a question mark in his game, but he is doing his best to dispel that notion lately. If Smith continues to hit as well as he has recently, a promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas could occur in the near future.

Rizzo went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI against the Mets on Saturday.

Rizzo looks well on his way to a berth in the All-Star Game, as his 20 home runs and 60 RBI have him well ahead of his pace from last season, when he finished with 31 homers and 101 RBI.

Bour is officially day-to-day with a left ankle sprain.

The power-hitting first baseman exited Saturday's game against the Braves after running out a play to first base. Fortunately, the Marlins do not believe the injury to be overly serious as Bour is considered day-to-day after being examined by the medical staff. Depending on how the ankle responds to treatment overnight, the Marlins may opt to give him the day off Sunday, in which case Chris Johnson or Derek Dietrich could take over at first base.