MLB Player News

Marlins infielder Donovan Solano went 1 for 4 with a three-run home run in his team's 5-4 win over the Rays Wednesday.

Solano's third-inning blast was his first home run of the season and put his team up for good Wednesday. He was making his first start since April 22 after serving as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement all through May. Solano has hit .231/.268/.308 with six RBI in 39 at-bats.

What was expected has become official: Justin Bour has been promoted by the Marlins from Triple-A New Orleans.

The first baseman certainly earned the callup with a stat line of .330/.407/.562 with nine homers and 36 RBI in 203 at-bats.

Bour, who just turned 26 years old last week, has yet to play in a major league game.

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu went 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBI in his team's 4-1 win over the Dodgers Tuesday.

Abreu hit a home run in his return from an ankle injury Monday, then followed it up with another homer one day later. It was the second time this season he homered in consecutive games. Abreu has hit .265/.315/.619 with 17 home runs and 47 RBI in 181 at-bats.

Astros designated hitter Chris Carter went 2 for 4 with a solo home run in his team's 7-2 win over the Angels Tuesday.

Carter was just 1 for 11 in his last four games after posting a two-homer game last week, but his two-hit performance boosted his batting average back to .200. He has hit nine home runs and driven in 23 runs in 175 at-bats.

The Marlins are expected to select the contract of first baseman Justin Bour from Triple-A New Orleans Wednesday, according to the Sun-Sentinel. Bour would take the roster spot opened up by sending infielder Derek Dietrich down.

Bour is hitting .330 with nine home runs for the Zephyrs. He was selected in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft this year. 

Indians catcher/infielder Carlos Santana is expected to return to the lineup Friday, MLB.com reports.

Manager Terry Francona told reporters Tuesday that Santana took part in a normal pregame routine, which included work in the field and in the batting cages. He has been out since May 25 while recovering from a concussion.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto didn't take part in the team's pregame workout Tuesday, but not because he suffered a setback in his strained left quadriceps.

Votto, who was expected to take part in batting practice as well as other on-field activities Tuesday, could not do so as rain swept into the area. Batting practice was cut short, and Votto was unable to take groundballs or run the bases due to the weather.

In spit of that, he told MLB.com he feels like he is past the injury, and now has the strength back in his leg. He has been out since May 15 as a result of the injury.

"I feel like I was before I got hurt earlier in the season," he said. "If I can get to a good place, you're going to see a little bit more of the younger version of me."

Votto is expected to begin a minor-league rehab assignment once he can hit, field and run without trouble. He will need at least a few games in the minors before he can return to action. 

For the first time all season, Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt was not in the lineup Tuesday. That snaps his streak of 59 straight starts, one shy of Travis Lee's team record for first basemen set in 1998.

Goldschmidt is hitting .299 with 10 homers, 22 doubles and 38 RBI.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto will go through a full practice routine with the team Tuesday, reports MLB.com. It's a good sign for Votto, who's been out since May 15 with a quad injury and coudl start a rehab assignment this week.

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu picked things up right where he left off, going yard in his first game back from the disabled list in his team's 5-2 loss to the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

In his first game action since May 17, Abreu took starter Clayton Kershaw deep for a two-run home run in the fourth inning for his only hit of the night. He finished 1 for 4 with a run scored and two RBI. He owns a .260/.311/.605 slash line with a 16 homers and 44 RBI in 177 at-bats.