MLB Player News

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman went 2 for 4 with an RBI in Friday night's 9-2 loss to the Nationals. 

Freeman hit two doubles, giving him 13 for the season. Freeman has recorded a hit in five consecutive games and has posted two doubles in back-to-back games. 

In his career, Freeman has hit the Nationals well, posting a career .337 batting average against them entering Friday's game. He was the only member of the Braves to record more than one hit Friday night. 

Freeman's 2015 slash line is now .324/.380/.577. 

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard belted his sixth home run of the season to help lead the Phillies to a 3-1 victory over the Mets on Friday.

Howard connected off pitcher Matt Harvey in the fourth inning for the solo home run. He finished the game 2 for 3 with two RBI and one walk. Over his last four games, Howard has gone 8 for 15 with two home runs and five RBI.

"The contact, the quality of the at-bats, laying off pitches, taking some walks," manager Ryan Sandberg said about Howard's turnaround, per MLB.com. "Howie looks like he's gained a lot of confidence. That goes with the quality at-bats he's had."

Angels DH C.J. Cron is mired in a 2-for-26 slump. Manager Mike Scioscia benched him for one game on Thursday as he tries to help Cron make his way out of the cold spell.

"We’ve really tried to get him enough playing time to find his swing, but also giving him time to work on some stuff, mixing some guys in and out of the lineup," said Scioscia, per the Orange County Register. "We need him. We need his bat. We need his power. Hopefully he’ll start to get comfortable in the batters box and start being productive."

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu may move to third base to keep DH Adam LaRoche in the lineup for interleague games. 

Abreu hasn't played third in more than five years, but the White Sox have discussed the option. 

"There’s a possibility of that," manager Robin Ventura said, per CSN Chicago. "He can do it. … It might not be his best position but he can play. So if we need that offense to stay in there with LaRoche, we can move him over to third base. I’m not afraid to do that."

Major League Baseball has suspended Reds first baseman Joey Votto for one game after he bumped an empire on Wednesday, the team announced. 

Votto will serve the suspension Friday night against the White Sox. 

Following a swinging strikeout, Votto threw his helmet on the ground and was yelling at either himself or umpire Chris Conroy. Conroy then ejected him, though Votto didn't initially notice. He grabbed his glove and went to first base for the following half-inning. 

When Votto was notified of his ejection, he ran in a full sprint at Conroy, made contact and became irate. That's what triggered the one-game suspension. 

Votto is hitting .311/.413/.573 with seven home runs this season. 

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt connected on his eighth home run of the season during Thursday's 11-0 win over the Rockies.

Goldschmidt hit the solo home run in the third inning off pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne. He finished the game 2 for 4 at the plate with two RBI. During the last nine games, Goldschmidt has 19 hits in 41 at-bats with three home runs and 10 RBI.

Indians first baseman Carlos Santana hit a solo home run during Thursday's 7-4 loss to the Royals. 

Santana finished the game 1 for 3 with a strikeout. He also drew a walk. Santana now holds a slash line of .242/.402/.396. The home run was Santana's fourth of the season. 

Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores is off to a rough start offensively and defensively in 2015. However, one rival said the Mets should be patient with the 23-year-old infielder, according to CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman.

"There are plenty of teams that would be happy to have Flores playing shortstop," the rival said.

Tim Beckham will make just his third start in the last eight games, as he will be the starting shortstop on Thursday when the Rays take on the Rangers. Beckham, who is batting seventh for manager Kevin Cash, has just six hits in his last 26 at-bats.

Beckham is starting in place of Asdrubal Cabrera, who has just two hits over his last seven games.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is off to a stellar start in May. He has hit safely in each of his six appearances this month and has homered three times in that span.

Rizzo, however, has been on a pretty good run for nearly a month now. He has a .377/.495/.675/1.170 slash line over his last 21 games.

"He's just really good right now," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Rizzo, per MLB.com. "I think he's one of the top five best at-bats in all of baseball, if you want to look at it that way. At-bat per at-bat, this guy is engaged in every pitch, every pitch. He doesn't give anything away at any time.

"He's one of the few major league players who has a legitimate two-strike approach. It's something I've preached in the past; it's hard to get guys to do it. He has a legitimate two-strike plan, which is beautiful to watch."