MLB Player News

Joseph is in the lineup and batting fourth for Wednesday's game against the Nationals, Jim Salisbury of Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia reports.

Joseph is hitting .270/.275/.541 with three home runs through 13 games this season and is looking at more playing time should he continue to produce offensively.

Bour is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

With southpaw Jon Niese on the mound for Pittsburgh, the Marlins loaded up their lineup with right-handed hitters, pushing Bour to the bench in favor of Chris Johnson. Bour is hitting .248/.319/.483 with nine home runs and 26 RBI through 45 games this season and will likely return to the lineup for the series finale Friday.

Goldschmidt went 3-for-4 in Tuesday's loss to the Astros and now has hits in six straight games.

Over the six-game stretch, Goldschmidt is 10-for-20, and he's bumped his season batting average from .240 to .269 in the process. Given Goldy's track record, it was only a matter of time before his bat heated up. He should be one of fantasy's top contributors the rest of the way.

Cron went 2-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI in Tuesday's offensive battle against the Tigers.

The first baseman finished May on a high note, breaking a 16-game homerless streak by blasting his fourth and fifth of the season. Cron's .789 OPS was more than 200 points better than his OPS from the season's first month. His value is somewhat limited because he doesn't hit for power at a position that his loaded with sluggers. However, he has a relatively high contact rate and is walking more than ever before in his MLB career, so he certainly brings something to the table in certain formats.

Manager Pete Mackanin said Monday that Howard has not been benched, but he will lose some playing time to Tommy Joseph moving forward, Ryan Lawrence of the Philly Voice reports.

Mackanin felt the need to clarify Howard's role after his comments over the weekend about playing Tommy Joseph more were misconstrued by some reporters. Howard was in the lineup Monday and went 1-for-4 with an RBI and two strikeouts. He is no longer in a straight platoon with Joseph at first base. The two will share time at the position with Joseph still getting all of the starts against lefties.

Rizzo went 1-for-3 with an RBI in Monday's win against the Dodgers.

The first baseman has now driven in a run in each of his last two games after a brutal 3-for-41 slump. Rizzo has still been a strong run producer despite his struggles at the plate this year, recording 11 home runs and driving in 37 batters. He should propel his average closer to last season's .278 in short order.

Abreu went 1-for-4 with a single and two strikeouts in the White Sox's loss to the Mets on Monday.

The single was one of two hits allowed by Matt Harvey on Monday, while Abreu was working out of the two-hole in the White Sox's lineup for the third time this season. Sitting with a disappointing .248/.311/.391 line through 225 plate appearances, Abreu's slow start through the first two months of the season has been overshadowed by some of the league's other poor performances to date. Interestingly enough, his struggles are not tied to an increase in swings-and-misses, but instead to a surge in weak contact. Since the start of May, only 10 of Abreu's 28 hits have gone for extra bases.

Bour is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Pirates, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.

Bour will be held out Monday with the Marlins employing a righty-heavy lineup against Pirates starter Jeff Locke. Chris Johnson will get the start at first base in Bour's place.

Howard will start at first base and bat cleanup Monday against the Nationals, Ryan Lawrence of the Philly Voice reports.

Howard will get what will be just his second start in the last eight games for the Phillies, as Tommy Joseph continues to see the majority of the starts at first base. A .154 batting average and 33.1 percent strikeout rate has made Howard more of an offensive liability in the early parts of 2016, so Monday's move doesn't necessarily mean he'll be in line for more playing time any time soon.

Joseph is out of the lineup Monday against the Nationals, Ryan Lawrence of the Philly Voice reports.

Joseph has been stealing meaningful playing time from Ryan Howard of late, starting six of the previous seven games at first base. He'll get the day off Monday, however, while Howard bats cleanup in the order against right-hander Tanner Roark.