MLB Player News

Prior to Monday's game against the Blue Jays, Angels outfielder Kole Calhoun ran the bases for the first time since suffering a sprained ankle. He's also been hitting and throwing, according to the Orange County Register.

Calhoun was given a four-to-six-week timetable and is currently at the end of his fourth week of recovery. He'll likely need to go on a minor-league rehab assignment before he returns from the disabled list.

The Indians are willing to be patient with third baseman Carlos Santana, according to the Plain Dealer. 

Santana has struggled to open the year, hitting just .136 in 125 at-bats. Despite that, manager Terry Francona isn't going to go away from Santana any time soon. "We’ll have a lot of patience with him," Francona said. "He’s our cleanup hitter. We’re not going to send him to Triple-A." 

Francona added that the team doesn't want to miss out on a Santana hot streak. "We need to be patience because when he gets hot, he’ll get very hot," he said. "If you’re not patient, you miss out on that."

Reds first baseman Joey Votto went 1 for 2 with a walk and a solo home run in his team's 11-2 loss to the Rockies Saturday.

Votto was the lone bright spot in the blowout loss for the Reds, hitting a home run for the second consecutive game. He has hit .266/.414/.476 with six home runs and 12 RBI in 124 at-bats.

Angels rookie first baseman C.J. Cron began the game Saturday in Toronto hot. He left it hotter.

Cron blasted his first career home run in the third inning and after singling in a run and scoring in the first. He boosted his batting average to .417 and slugging percentage to .667 in the process.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto will hit in the four-hole again Saturday.

Votto was moved to the cleanup spot Friday, and managed to hit a walkoff home run. With the Reds struggling with injuries, it looks like Votto will stay in that spot for now. Things could change once Jay Bruce returns. 

Votto is hitting .262 in 122 at-bats. 

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman reached base four times Friday against the Cubs. 

Freeman walked in his first plate appearance, before singling in his next two at-bats. He made his only out of the day in the eighth inning, grounding out to first. With the two teams tied in the bottom of the 10th, Freeman stepped in with a man on second and the game possibly on the line. He delievered, stroking a walkoff single to center on the first pitch he saw.

Freeman finished the game 3 for 4, with one run scored and one RBI.

Even a sore ankle couldn't slow White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu down Friday, as he connected on his 13th home run of the season in a 9-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

Abreu, in the lineup but limited to designated hitter work due to the ankle, still went 3 for 4 in the game. He drove in two runs, one on a solo home run in the seventh inning, while also scoring twice.

Abreu is now hitting .279/.333/.633, while leading the American League with 13 home runs and 37 RBI as a rookie. 

Reds first baseman Joey Votto move to the cleanup spot paid off on Friday, as he launched a walkoff home run to lead his team past the Rockies 5-4.

Votto took Boone Logan deep for a solo home run in the ninth inning to end the game. It was his only hit of the night. He finished 1 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI. He is hitting .262 with five homers and 11 RBI in 122 at-bats.

Struggling to score runs, the Mets have inserted infielder Wilmer Flores in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Phillies. He will take over for Ruben Tejada at shortstop.

Mets shortstops have posted a .517 OPS, which ranks second-to-last among the 30 teams in baseball. Flores, who was called up Thursday, hit .307 in 114 at-bats while at Triple-A Las Vegas.

White Sox slugger Jose Abreu has returned to the lineup for the Friday night game at Arizona. He will not have missed a full game - he was yanked from the game Thursday with an ailing ankle. He will serve as the designated hitter with Adam Dunn taking over at first base.

Abreu has been the talk of baseball in 2013. He leads the majors with 12 home runs and ranks second with 35 RBI. His .608 slugging percentage is third.