MLB Player News

First baseman Freddie Freeman certainly can't be blamed for his team's loss Thursday that left it one defeat short of .500. He led the Braves with two doubles and a single against the Dodgers and scored two runs.

Freeman has six multi-hit games in the last 11 as his average has been raised to .294, its highest point since July 13.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo went 1 for 3 with a home run and two RBI in his team's 4-2 victory over the Brewers Wednesday.

Rizzo put the Cubs on the board with a sacrifice fly in the first inning before following up a third-inning Javier Baez home run with a blast of his own. It's his second consecutive game with a home run. Rizzo has hit .278/.378/.507 with 27 home runs and 65 RBI in 442 at-bats.

Nationals second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera went 1 for 4 with a solo home run in his team's 3-2 victory over the Mets.

Cabrera's eighth-inning shot gave the Nationals an insurance run they would end up needing after the Mets plated one runner in the bottom of the ninth. The homer was the 10th of the season for Cabrera but his first since joining the Nationals. He has hit .249/.309/.393 with 44 RBI and seven stolen bases in 417 at-bats.

If you've owned Chris Carter for any of the last five weeks, you're probably pleased with both him for hitting a bunch of home runs -- 15 in his last 31 games, to be exact -- and yourself for having the foresight to start this player whose batting average only recently eclipsed the Mendoza line.

Considering it's up to a not-so-embarassing .230 now, it feels like ancient history, but it was really only a month ago. In fact, at the start of it all, Carter was batting a ghastly .182 with a .664 OPS. Can a player really change that much that fast? Has Carter?

Yes and no. While he's not the .328 hitter he's been in his last 31 games, he was due for a big correction with the way his season started. And judging by his .262 BABIP, down from .311 last year and .295 the year before, he's still due for more.

Granted, the abundance of home runs might be skewing that number a bit -- they don't count as "balls in play" -- but who's to say he hasn't improved as a power hitter at age 27? He wouldn't be the first. Even with all his limitations, the potential to hit 40 home runs with full-time at-bats would make Carter kind of like another Mark Trumbo. You drafted Trumbo at the start of the year expecting to play him every week, hot or cold, right? I sure did.

So while Carter is sure to cool off at some point, I won't be so quick to drop him, particularly in Rotisserie leagues, when he finally does.

Bryan Price has estimated that Reds first baseman Joey Votto, who has been out since July 8 with a left quad strain, could begin baseball activities in two weeks at the latest. He has been doing strengthening work on his leg.

"I don't like to throw dates out there, but it's reasonable to think that some time in the next week and a half to two weeks that baseball activity would start up again," Price told MLB.com.

Reds manager Bryan Price won't put an exact date on when first baseman Joey Votto (quadriceps) will begin baseball activities, but he hinted Wednesday a timetable is developing, per MLB.com.

"I don't like to throw dates out there, but it's reasonable to think that some time in the next week and a half to two weeks that baseball activity would start back up again," Price said.

Angels outfielder Kole Calhoun went 3 for 4 with a home run and two RBI in his team's 7-2 win over the Phillies Tuesday.

Calhoun kicked off a seven-run sixth inning with a solo home run and later delivered an RBI single after the offense batted around in the frame. He's turned in four straight multihit performances. Calhoun owns a .288/.343/.476 line with 12 home runs and 34 RBI in 319 at-bats.

Astros outfielder/first basemen Chris Carter belted two home runs Tuesday against the Twins.

Carter hit a two-run shot in the third inning, and struck again in his next at-bat. With two men on, Carter smashed an 81 mph slider out to left for the three-run homer. It was the sixth time this season Carter has hit more than one home run in a game. He finished 2 for 4, with two runs scored and five RBI. 

He now has 28 home runs on the season -- one shy of his career-high of 29 from last year -- and 66 RBI. His batting average is up to .230 on the season thanks to a .315 clip since July 1.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo hit his 26th home run Tuesday against the Brewers. 

Rizzo struck in the bottom of the sixth. Leading off the inning, Rizzo took the first pitch he saw from Wily Peralta out to left center for the solo shot. It was his only hit of the game. Rizzo finished 1 for 3, with one run scored and one RBI. 

So you're at the point, with the season winding down, where you have to win at all costs. Seems straightforward enough. The only problem is your bench is overflowing with players you can't actually use -- ones that are injured but too valuable to drop, like Brett Lawrie, Brandon Phillips, Adam Eaton, Michael Wacha, Paul Goldschmidt, Yadier Molina, Ryan Zimmerman, Joey Votto, Carlos Gonzalez or Masahiro Tanaka.

Or maybe your albatross isn't injured but just doesn't inspire much confidence right now, like Pedro Alvarez, Justin Verlander or Mike Minor.

I've got news for you: This late in the year, when winning is paramount, you can consider dropping them. Granted, it shouldn't be the goal because the competition can only benefit from whatever you forfeit, but sometimes, it's your only choice.

I break it down player-by-player in my latest post to the Fantasy Baseball Today blog, so if you could a little assistance with that season-shifting dilemma, be sure to check out.