MLB Player News

After starting eight straight games at first base, Adam LaRoche returned to his normal role of designated hitter in the White Sox lineup on Monday. 

LaRoche will start his 37th game at DH. 

Jose Abreu, who has started the last five at DH, returns to first base, where he'll make his 40th start. 

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is not only heating up with four hits in his last two games after a 3-for-32 slump. He also gets to face a pitcher Monday night against whom he has enjoyed great success.

Howard is batting .400 (6-for-15) lwith two home runs lifetime against Cincinnati starter Mike Leake. His teammates in the lineup that have hit against Leake are a combined 4-for-18.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard responded well to his off day on Saturday by coming up big in his team's 6-4 win over the Giants on Sunday.

Howard went 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored in the win.

Howard is hitting .244 with 11 home runs and 27 RBI in 192 at-bats this season.

Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores is back in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Flores was held out of Saturday's lineup with what manager Terry Collins called "general stiffness." The infielder has hit .249/.275/.411 with eight home runs and 24 RBI in 185 at-bats.

The Mets are road favorites (-120) in Arizona, per VegasInsider.com.

Rays shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.

Cabrera was believed to have hyperextended his elbow in Saturday's game, the Tampa Tribune reports. However, manager Kevin Cash said on Sunday that there was nothing wrong with Cabrera and that he simply wanted to get the shortstop a pair of days off in a row with the team not playing Monday. Nick Franklin will get the start at shortstop with Cabrera sidelined.

The Rays are road favorites (-129) in Seattle, per VegasInsider.com.

After a day off Saturday, Chris Carter is back in the lineup at first base for the Astros in Sunday's series-finale against the Blue Jays. 

Carter began the year in a slump but has hit .323 over his past 10 games. For the season, he's hitting .200. 

First baseman Carlos Santana came through with the biggest hit of the afternoon, as the Indians downed the Orioles 2-1 on Saturday. With the scored tied at one, Santana laced a run-scoring double in the bottom of the sixth inning to take the lead. 

It was Santana's only hit of the season, but it was just what the Indians needed to secure the victory. Santana has now hit safely in 10 of his last 12 games, batting .302 with two home runs over that stretch.

Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores is out of the lineup Saturday due to what Mets manager Terry Collins said was "general stiffness," per ESPN.com.

"He came in and said he was real, real stiff yesterday," Collins said. "He's stiff again today. As you guys know, those are signs of a little fatigue setting in. We've got enough guys on the DL. So I'm going to give him a day to rest up."," Collins said of his shortstop. 

Flores has a seven-game hitting streak and is batting .249 with eight homers and 24 RBIs. 

Angels designated hitter C.J. Cron, who faltered in May after a decent beginning of the season as a starter, is back in the majors.

Cron was promoted Saturday from Triple-A Salt Lake City, where he batted .333 with two home runs. A 6-for-47 slide that lowered his average from .275 to .204 prompted his demotion.

It's expected that Cron will get a chance to improve against right-handed pitching this time around.

"The game plan for C.J. was to get a lot of at-bats this year, not just be strictly platoon," Manager Mike Scioscia said, per the Orange County Register. "If it works out where he’s swinging it well and he’s hitting right-handers too and he matches up well, he’ll get more at-bats. If you want to play more, play better. If C.J. plays well he’ll earn at-bats for sure."

Prior to his demotion, Cron recorded just nine hits in 61 at-bats against right-handers.

A matchup against premier Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner has both second baseman Chase Utley and first baseman Ryan Howard out of the lineup Saturday for the Phillies.

Neither has fared well against Bumgarner. Howard is 2-for-11 with one double lifetime against him while Utley has two measly singles in 12 at-bats.

Utley has been particularly poor against southpaws this season with just a .167 average (8-for-48). Howard, who broke free from a 2-for-32 slide with a home run Friday, is only at .175 (7-for-40) against lefties in 2015.