MLB Player News

Freeman was 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a losing effort against the Cubs on Friday afternoon.

Freeman has started to hit a bit, logging multi-hit games in five of his last seven starts, including a pair of home runs in his last three. He has his average up to a modest .259 with three home runs and seven RBI, but the 5-18 Braves are going to need others to step up as well if they are going to improve on the worst record in baseball.

McBride was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Friday.

McBride was optioned to make room on the big league roster for Sean Manaea, who will be the starting pitcher for the A's on Friday. The 30-year-old was only with the A's for two days before being sent back to Triple-A.

The Pirates haven't ruled out Bell as an outfield option in the event of an injury to one of their starters, Pirates Prospects reports. "He has the outfield in his back pocket," GM Neal Huntington noted. "We still want to spend all of our time and energy on first base. He is showing signs of getting better, and will give us more options."

Huntington acknowledged that Bell -- despite gaining muscle mass -- is moving more athletically since his 2012 knee injury. He's currently biding his time behind John Jaso at first base and the outfield trio of Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco. Jaso has a history of injury and trips to the DL, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Bell debut at first base in the second half of 2016.

Freeman went 3-for-4 with a walk in Thursday's win against the Red Sox.

Thursday was his fourth multi-hit performance in the last six games, raising his average to .247 through his first 77 at-bats. Freeman's numbers so far have certainly been a disappointment as he's notched just five extra-base hits - only two of which were homers - and six RBI in the first month of the season. The first baseman has loads of talent, but is stuck on the worst team in baseball which limits his production and allows pitchers to work around him. Freeman has earned the right for owners to be patient with him, but the lack of talent around the 26-year-old may be too much to overcome this season.

Abreu went 2-for-3 with a walk and run in Thursday's loss to the Orioles.

Abreu saw 22 pitches on the night, a good sign for a player struggling with plate discipline. After hitting 30-plus homers in each of the past two seasons, the first baseman has struggled out of the gate in 2016 (.207/.290/.345). Pitchers may be adjusting to the power-hitting 29-year-old, but history would suggest he will find a better stroke soon.

Gillaspie, 23, is slashing .276/.408/.534 with three home runs and eight RBI through 17 games for Double-A Montgomery.

Gillaspie has tallied almost as many walks (13) as strikeouts (15). He also hit 17 home runs in 79 games in an injury-shortened 2015 campaign, so he has some pop.

Freeman went 2-for-4, hitting his first home run since Opening Day against the Red Sox on Wednesday.

It was his first homer in 72 at-bats. The bomb also ended a streak of 15 straight games without a home run for the Braves, which is a new franchise record. Freeman's had a tough start to the year, but he is 5-for-11 (.455) in his last three games and has hit safely in eight of the last 10.

Goldschmidt hit his sixth home run of the season in Wednesday's loss to St. Louis.

Goldschmidt is now tied for the team lead in home runs with Welington Castillo, and he leads the Diamondbacks with 16 RBI. Still hitting just .250, look for Goldy to post MVP-caliber stats as his average continues to rise.

Santana went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, a steal and two runs in Wednesday's win over the Twins.

A stone-cold start to the season has melted away over Santana's last six games, as the Indians' first baseman has racked up four multi-hit efforts in that span, including five extra-base knocks. That's coincided with a switch to the leadoff spot -- an odd fit for a guy who isn't known for his speed, but one that seems to be working out. Batting average remains a huge question mark for the former catcher in the aftermath of two consecutive seasons at .231, but his pop and on-base ability will ensure that he remains a fixture in Cleveland's lineup.

Bour is out of the lineup on Wednesday after sitting out Tuesday's game, Eric Stephen of True Blue LA reports.

Bour will be sitting out his second straight game since the Marlins are facing another southpaw from the Dodgers' rotation. He will be replaced by Chris Johnson at first base, who is slotted at seventh in the lineup. Throughout the 2016 season, Bour has only five at-bats against left-handers while earning 54 at-bats against right-handers.