MLB Player News

Cron is out of the lineup Sunday.

Cron has come through with a pair of three-hit games in both of his last two starts, but it won't be enough for him to maintain a spot in the lineup Sunday, as manager Mike Scioscia will deploy Jefry Marte at first base. Despite his recent surge, Cron carries a meager .318 on-base percentage with five homers in 196 at-bats this season, so he won't be guaranteed a regular spot in the lineup until he displays a little more pop.

Cron went 3-for-5 with a double in Saturdays' 7-1 victory over the A's.

The 26-year-old continues to rack up the hits in June, now having raised his season average 15 points since May 31. Cron has three-hit efforts in two of his last three contests, and has nearly half of his 11 doubles on the season in just 36 June at-bats. He's slashing a stellar .333/.368/.472 for the month overall.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer in Saturday's 4-1 victory over the Phillies.

The veteran slugger is feasting on Phillies pitching in the series, now hitting .500 (5-for-10) with a double, two homers and three RBI. He's enjoying a banner June overall, and has raised his average 21 points since May 31.

Bour is out of the lineup Sunday against the Rockies, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Bour was at the forefront of the Marlins' 9-6 victory Saturday, going 2-for-3 with his 11th homer of the season and a pair of runs and RBI, but he'll take a day off Sunday with a lefty in Tyler Anderson on the mound for the Rockies. Chris Johnson replaces Bour at first base.

Abreu went 2-for-3 with a double and a two-run homer Saturday at the Indians.

Abreu's 10th bomb of the year accounted for the only White Sox runs in a 13-2 loss. After a slow start to the season from a power perspective, he's started to warm up with three homers in his last six games.

Flores (wrist) is back in the lineup Saturday, hitting sixth and playing third base against the Braves.

He was out of the lineup for two games due to the wrist ailment and the Mets are happy to have him back, as they are without starting corner infielders David Wright and Lucas Duda, both of whom are on the DL. Flores offers modest offensive potential in the short term and could be useful in deep leagues.

Calhoun went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to the A's on Friday.

Calhoun's drive in the third inning was the only run the Angels would get off starter Kendall Graveman. Owners have likely given up on the idea that Calhoun will turn into a stolen-base threat, but he has held his batting average near the .300 mark for most of the season, making him a valuable asset as long as he can keep the power coming.

Joseph is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks, Stephen Gross of the Morning Call reports.

Joseph will get a day off as he has started each of the last nine games at first base. Ryan Howard will start in his place Saturday, batting fourth. With Zack Greinke opposing the Phillies on the mound, manager Pete Mackanin is stacking the lineup with left-handed hitters.

GM Matt Klentak said the Phillies have no plans to release Howard, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia reports.

Klentak said Howard has not been a distraction since being demoted to a bench role, and the Phillies still value his power bat coming off the bench. Howard has made just four starts this month, and two of those came as a DH while the Phils were in Toronto. His opportunities will be limited over the remainder of the season.

Santana went 1-for-4 with a game-winning solo homer in Friday's 3-2 victory over the White Sox.

The veteran slugger blasted an 0-2 offering from reliever Nate Jones in the ninth, sending the Indians home winners with his 14th homer. The 30-year-old now four round-trippers over his last five contests, and has reached base safely in six of his last seven games. However, he continues to struggle overall in terms of getting on base consistently, as he's hitting just .226 on the season, with a .332 OBP.