MLB Player News

Abreu went 2-for-4 with two RBI against the Astros on Wednesday.

He's now hit safely in seven consecutive games, the second time this season he's put up a streak of at least that length. Abreu's slowly but surely pulling his stats up out of their early-season gutter -- after all, he was hitting .176 with a .592 OPS and now has those numbers up to .253 and .746, which represents real progress. We're still waiting for him to show off that explosive power, though -- that's been the missing part of his game this year, as he has only six homers and a .418 slugging percentage to his credit.

Santana is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Indians are without the luxury of the DH in an NL park, and manager Terry Francona has decided to go with Mike Napoli over Santana at first base against lefty Brandon Finnegan. Santana is batting .218 so far in May (12-for-55) and the switch-hitter has struggled in a major way against lefties so far this season (.431 OPS).

Goldschmidt went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run and an RBI in Tuesday's win over the Yankees. He also stole two bases.

Goldschmidt entered the game with just two hits in his previous 18 at-bats (.111 average), so the multi-hit effort was nice to see. Goldy is still hitting just .232 this season, which is well below his .295 career mark. However, he's posting a solid .849 OPS, and the slugger's track record suggests better days are ahead.

Santana went 2-for-4 with two walks, two RBI and two runs scored during Tuesday's 13-1 win over the Reds.

Santana's patient eye at the plate has netted him a .342 on-base percentage to date this season, making him a solid leadoff batter for the Tribe despite his lack of speed. Unfortunately for those in standard 5x5 leagues, Santana's batting average remains a sinkhole, and that's unlikely to dramatically change over the course of the season. Still, he's a solid roster option in the corner infield given the respectable pop in his bat along with the high run-scoring potential he has at the top of the order.

Joseph went 3-for-4 with a home run in Tuesday's win over the Marlins.

Batting out of the cleanup spot against lefty Wei-Yin Chen, Joseph went yard to lead off the bottom of the second inning. It was the 24-year-old's first career home run. It sounds like he will be deployed in a platoon at first base for time being, but Joseph may be afforded a few starts against right-handers next week with the DH available in Detroit.

Howard is not in the starting lineup Tuesday against the Marlins, Meghan Montemurro of the News Journal reports.

With left-hander Wei-Yin Chen taking the mound for Miami, Howard and his .490 OPS against left-handed pitching will head to the bench for Tuesday's contest. Tommy Joseph will take over for him at first base.

Joseph could play first base during a three-game series in Detroit next week, Corey Seidman of CSN Philadelphia reports.

The Phillies are scheduled to face seven consecutive right handed pitchers after Tuesday, which might typically keep Joseph on the bench as part of his platoon with Ryan Howard. However, since the series with the Tigers is in Detroit, the DH spot will be available for Howard. Joseph got his first hit in the big leagues Monday and is 1-for-6 with a walk and three strikeouts in two games since his promotion from Triple-A.

Bour's power surge continued on Monday, going 1-for-4 with a home run in the Marlins' victory against the Phillies.

Bour has now homered four times in May and in three of his last five games. The first baseman had just one home run through April 28, but in the last two and a half weeks has six home runs. For the season, Bour is hitting .264 to go with his seven home runs and 19 RBI.

Walker has handled his transition from first base to the outfield well, MASN Sports reports.

The move to the outfield could pay off in the long run, as left field remains a position of weakness for the Orioles. Joey Rickard is handling things for now, but it remains to be seen if he's the permanent answer. Walker hit .300/.357/.500 in April, but is sporting just a .180/.254/.410 line in May. He does have seven home runs, though, and that power could play in the majors.

Cron is not in Monday's lineup againstface the Dodgers, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Interleague play means that Cron will shift to the dugout while Albert Pujols takes over at first base instead of serving as the team's designated hitter. Unless Pujols gets a day off, it's possible Cron will remain a reserve option over the entire four-game series.