MLB Player News

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo went 3 for 4 with a solo home run in his team's 7-4 win over the Reds Tuesday.

Rizzo's home run was his second in two days and his third in his last four games. During a six-game hitting streak over the past week, the first baseman has gone 11 for 24 with three doubles, three home runs and six RBI. Rizzo has hit .288/.404/.523 with 17 home runs and 44 RBI in 267 at-bats.

Ever since coming off the 15-day disabled list, Joey Votto has not hit for much power, as he has yet to hit a home run in 13 games for the Reds. He does have five doubles over that span to go with a .300 batting average and a .410 on-base percentage. That's not a bad combination, but going forward, Fantasy owners should not look for a resurgence of home run power to go along with the rest of his stat line.

Even before his DL stint, Votto's home run power had been diminished, and for the second straight season, his flyball rate has dipped. Last season, it plunged from 33 to 23 percent, and so far in 2014, it has fallen just below the 20 percent mark. While many Fantasy owners were less than thrilled about Votto's 24 home runs from a season ago, he's not a safe bet to reach even 15 this year.

Votto has always been able to square up the ball, and this season's 36 percent line drive rate and 2 percent popup rate show he hasn't lost that skill at all. His ability to draw walks, hit for average and produce doubles will make him close to an elite first baseman in points leagues, but in Rotisserie formats, he can no longer be counted on to be a top five option at the position.

Indians infielder Carlos Santana has been highly productive since returning from the disabled list June 6, a 16-game stretch in which he's played first base 14 times. Santana began the season as a third baseman and backup catcher.

Over the recent span, Santana is 19 for 57 (.333) with five homers and 12 RBI.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo went 2 for 4 with a solo home run in his team's 6-1 loss to the Reds Monday.

Rizzo evened the score at 1-1 with his sixth inning home run, but the Cubs were able to do no more damage, and they didn't have an answer for the Reds' five-run ninth inning. The first baseman has hit .281/.399/.513 with 16 home runs and 43 RBI in 263 at-bats. Eight of his home runs have come in his last 22 games dating back to May 31.

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu went 2 for 4 with a double, a home run and three RBI in his team's 6-4 loss to the Orioles Monday.

Abreu, who served as the designated hitter in the game, earned his first RBI on a groundout in the third inning before smacking a solo home run in the sixth inning to even the game at 2-2. He collected his third RBI on a seventh-inning double that put his team up 4-2, but the Orioles offense came through in the end to deny the White Sox a win. Abreu has hit .274/.322/.613 with 22 home runs and 60 RBI in 248 at-bats during his rookie season.

When the Angels released Raul Ibanez this weekend, it didn't get much attention in Fantasy. He wasn't contributing much of anything himself, and at age 42, nobody expected him to.

But his loss is, of course, another player's gain, and that player just so happened to be a legitimate prospect coming into the year.

Maybe C.J. Cron is overlooked in Fantasy because he's spent much of his two months in the majors as a part-timer or, at times, even a reserve. But with Ibanez out of the picture, he's in line for everyday at-bats now, which makes his performance to date ... interesting, to say the least.

In 112 at-bats, he has hit .286 with six home runs and an .846 OPS, making him out to be what some prognosticators have suggested he is: another Mark Trumbo-type player. Or at least close to it. He may trade off some of Trumbo's homers for a higher batting average since his strikeout rate is a good bit lower, but even so, he could settle into being a .275-.280 hitter with 30-homer power.

Maybe in points leagues, his poor walk rate is enough to scare you away, but in Rotisserie, Cron should probably be starting at corner infield for someone.

Angels first baseman C.J. Cron entered the weekend with two homers in his last 27 games. He proceeded to bash a solo homer in three straight games as the Angels swept the Rangers.

Cron seems on his way to securing a regular spot in the lineup, especially with Saturday's release of Raul Ibanez.

"You don't really want to go a long period without seeing live pitching, and I did, but I prepared as if I was playing," Cron told MLB.com. "I think that helped me a lot getting back into it, and obviously, the more at-bats, the more pitches you see, the better you get."

Cron is hitting .286/.310/.536 with six homers and 18 RBI.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto started a 12th straight game Sunday against the Blue Jays since coming off the disabled list due to a left quadriceps strain. Votto is batting .318 with five doubles, nine RBI, eight runs and seven walks in 11 games since returning to the lineup.

"It's doing well enough. We haven't really had a big regression," manager Bryan Price said, per MLB.com. "It certainly points that over this 16-game stretch without a day off that Joey will get a break. He's playing very well. You see the way he runs the bases and defensively how he breaks to the ball and gets out of the batter's box.

"[But] I know he's not 100 percent. There's still some fatigue and tenderness in his knee, but it's been something he's been able to manage up to this point."

Indians manager Terry Francona said the emergence of Lonnie Chisenhall has been one of the primary reasons he's moved Carlos Santana to first base, per MLB.com.

"To be honest with you, we're trying to put the best team out there that we can," Francona said prior to Sunday's game. "Lonnie [Chisenhall], I don't think there's anybody that would argue, deserves to be playing third base. So, we don't do the positions necessarily by what guys want to do. Lonnie has done a heck of a job.

"Carlos worked really hard [at third base], but what's kind of cool is that I think all the work he put in at third, I think it's made him a better first baseman. He's more active. He's more agile. Again, we'll see where it goes."

Looking for a sleeper for Fantasy Week 13 (June 23-29)? Wilin Rosario, Ryan Howard, Tommy La Stella, Pablo Sandoval, Eugenio Suarez and Marlon Byrd might just fit the bill.

Find out why in the latest Start and Sit Hitters.