MLB Player News

Angels outfielder Kole Calhoun ran on the field before Wednesday's game "pretty close to full intensity," MLB.com reports. Calhoun will join the team in Arizona over the weekend, and he hopes to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday.

Diamondbacks slugger Paul Goldschmidt put his team ahead to stay Wednesday with a two-run homer in the third inning and added a single against Milwaukee.

Goldschmidt has been on a tremendous stretch that extends back to late April. He has 18 hits in his last 40 at-bats with four homers, seven runs and seven RBI. His tear has raised his average from .306 to .342 and sweetened his slugging percentage to .555.

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt remained hot Tuesday, going 3 for 5 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in his team's 7-5 win over the Brewers.

Goldschmidt popped a two-run home run in the first inning, and his three-hit game gives him four straight multi-hit outings as he continues to pummel National League pitching during an eight game hitting streak. The Diamondbacks first baseman has hit .342/.384/.555 with six home runs and 21 RBI in 146 at-bats.

After extending his hitting streak to five games by going 1 for 4 with a walk against the White Sox on Monday, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is hitting .386 in 17 home games.

He's 6 for 15 with six RBIs and six runs scored in the hitting streak.

Angels outfielder Kole Calhoun participated in live batting practice before Monday's game, MLB.com reports.

Calhoun is close to being able to jog on the field, according to manager Mike Scioscia. The outfielder is recovering from a sprained ankle, and he is hoping to begin a rehab assignment in about two weeks.

Judging by his pedigree and minor-league track record, C.J. Cron probably has a future in the majors, perhaps even as an everyday player. But I don't know that he's worth a roster spot in mixed leagues only two games into his career.

Yes, he's looked good so far, going 5 for 9, but power is more his game. His lack of plate discipline could make him a liability in batting average at the big-league level. Twice he got more than 500 at-bats in a minor-league season, but never did he get more than 23 walks.

Of course, he was hitting .319 for Triple-A Salt Lake at the time of his callup, but for comparison's sake, Mark Trumbo, another former Angel with poor plate discipline, hit .301 at the same level. And clearly, he hasn't offered much in the way of batting average.

Then again, Trumbo has had a place on mixed-league rosters, high batting average or not, since he first became an everyday player in 2010. But is Cron ready to deliver Trumbo-like power in his first stint in the big leagues? I'm skeptical, but I think that's his best bet for mixed league-caliber production.

I'm not saying Cron doesn't have his place in Fantasy, but when I look on the waiver wire in those formats, I see players I'd rather have, like Corey Hart, James Loney or even Lucas Duda.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo has gotten off to a promising start in 2014 after batting .233 with a .419 slugging percentage in 2013. The Cubs feel Rizzo's turnaround is part of the maturation process for a young player.

"He’s maturing," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said, per CSN Chicago. "He’s gaining more and more confidence. He’s hitting the ball to all fields now. He obviously has the strength that if he gets a pitch to handle, he can drive it out of the ballpark."

Rizzo has really stepped up his performance against left-handed pitchers. He is batting .394 with a .697 slugging percentage against lefties, which is well above his career average of .212 and .380 slugging percentage.

"He’s just basically not panicking in those situations anymore," Renteria said. "He’s just growing up. He worked very hard over the winter, worked very hard in the spring. I think he’s making a tremendous mental adjustment as to how he wants to approach pitchers. He kind of knows what they’re trying to do with him. All those things that come with maturation and growing and learning."

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard entered Sunday's game against the Nationals on pace to produce 34 home runs and 98 RBI. He hasn't approached those numbers since 2011.

Despite the promising start from the veteran first baseman, Howard feels he still has room to improve.

"It's still a work in progress," he said, per MLB.com. "I'm trying to progress every day and just try to get a little more comfortable."

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu did it again. The Cuban slugger belted his 12th home run and third in seven games during a 4-3 win Sunday against the Indians.

Abreu wasted little time making an impact Sunday, as he hit a two-out solo home run off Corey Kluber in the top of the first inning, putting Chicago up 1-0. It was his only hit in four at-bats, as he struck out three times.

Abreu is batting .317 (20 for 63) with five doubles, eight home runs and 20 RBI in his last 15 games. He also has 14 runs, 19 strikeouts and two walks in that span.

Angels first baseman C.J. Cron celebrated a promotion to the majors Saturday by going 3 for 5 with a double and two RBI in his major-league debut as the Angels went on to defeat the Rangers, 5-3.

Cron began his career with an RBI single in the first inning and delivered another RBI single in the sixth to break a 3-3 tie. One of the top prospects in the Angels system, Cron hit .319/.369/.602 with six home runs and 26 RBI in 113 at-bats with Triple-A Salt Lake before his promotion.