MLB Player News

Howard will start against a left-handed pitcher Tuesday due to Darin Ruf being out with shoulder soreness.

Howard typically only starts against right-handed pitching, while Ruf receives most of the work against lefties. However, Ruf is experiencing shoulder soreness, which means Howard will likely become the everyday first baseman until Ruf is fully healthy.

Olson has played exclusively in right field at Triple-A Nashville through five games this season. He is hitting .125/.263/.250 with two doubles, three walks and three strikeouts in 19 plate appearances.

Olson had been a first base prospect for the majority of his professional career, but a switch to the outfield started to take place last season, and the A's are continuing down that path in 2016. This makes Olson a bit more interesting in dynasty leagues, as his plus power and on-base skills would be a bit more valuable with outfield eligibility. The position change could also expedite his ascension to the big leagues if he can get hot at the plate.

Bour is out of the lineup Monday against the Mets.

Bour has gotten off to a decent start this season, belting three doubles in the first week, but he'll get the day off with left-hander Steven Matz going for New York. Chris Johnson will slot in at first base in his place.

Goldschmidt was 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double in Sunday's loss to the Cubs.

The Arizona lineup couldn't get any ducks on the pond for Goldy, who managed just one RBI despite collecting six total bases. Goldschmidt is already tops on the team with seven RBI, but the glaring absence of A.J. Pollock from the lineup has curtailed his production just a bit to this point.

Solano went 0-for-4 in his first game with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.

Solano was dealing with a lower-back injury in the spring, but now that the regular season is underway it appears as though it's behind him. He'll serve as organizational depth in the infield, likely spending the majority of the season in the minors.

Colabello remains out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports.

Manager John Gibbons opted to use Josh Donaldson at designated hitter for all three games of the series, resulting in Darwin Barney entering the lineup at third base and Edwin Encarnacion moving from DH to first base. The Blue Jays will likely want to reduce Encarnacion's time in the field as the season wears on, so there should be plenty of opportunity for Colabello to see a steady diet of at-bats at some point. However, with no starts under his belt for three straight games, Colabello can probably be fastened to the bench in most season-long leagues heading into the upcoming week.

Abreu went 2-for-2 with a solo homer and two walks in Saturday's 7-3 victory over the Indians.

The veteran slugger has gotten the season off to a fine start, slashing a .333/.423/.667 line over the first six games. Abreu has gone yard in two of the last three contests, and has at least one hit in five of the White Sox's six games so far this season. While strikeouts are an indelible part of his game, Abreu's bat has the potential to reward fantasy owners every time he steps into the batter's box.

Votto went 2-for-3 with a walk in Saturday's 5-1 victory over the Pirates.

The veteran All-Star bounced back from a hitless outing on Friday to post his first multi-hit game of the new season. Votto now has walks in three straight contests as well, one of the constants across his stellar career. Despite only tallying a .211 average over his first 19 at-bats, Votto's considerable pedigree would point to an imminent resurgence at the plate.

Carter went 2-for-4 with a double and two-run homer in Friday's 6-4 victory over the Astros.

The veteran slugger victimized his former teammates, launching his first home run of the year in the first inning off Scott Feldman. Carter has at least one hit in each of the last three games and figures to offer plenty of power as Adam Lind's replacement at first base this season.

Cron is out of Friday's lineup against the Rangers.

He started the year 2-for-11 at the plate, and will start Friday's game on the bench in favor of Ji-Man Choi. Provided Cron's bat comes around to even league average, he should be the Angels' primary first baseman this season.