MLB Player News

Astros designated hitter Chris Carter blasted his second career grand slam in Saturday's 11-5 loss to the Angels. Carter's 403-foot shot to center in the third inning was his 15th homer of the season and gave him 35 RBI.

Carter also homered Friday, but is hitting just .189/.270/.426 on the year.

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu belted his 27th home run Friday against the Mariners. 

Abreu stepped to the plate with one man on in the fifth inning. On the first pitch of the at-bat, Abreu hammered a 92 mph fastball out to left center for the two run shot. It was his only hit of the game. Abreu finished 1 for 4, with one run scored and two RBI. He's hitting .280/.330/.629 over 286 at-bats.

Twins outfielder Chris Colabello is in the lineup Friday against the Yankess, his first appearance in the majors since May 23.

Colabello was recalled to replace Joe Mauer on the active roster earlier in the week, after spending a month and a half at Triple-A Rochester. He hit .275/.347/.473 in 36 games in the minors. 

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt ended a streak of seven games without an RBI Thursday, as he drove in two runs in a 10-2 win over the Pirates.

Goldschmidt drove in both runs with his ninth-inning triple, the first of his season. He went 2 for 4 overall with a walk and a run scored in the win.

Goldschmidt has fallen a bit behind in the RBI race thanks to his recent dry spell. He still ranks third in the National League with 55 RBI, while hitting .308/.398/.545 in 325 at-bats. 

The Reds are hopeful first baseman Joey Votto can avoid a return trip to the disabled list, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

"We hope so," Jocketty said Thursday "He thinks he can. He's certainly made a difference."

Votto was placed on the disabled list with a quad injury in May before returning in mid-June, and he hasn't looked 100 percent at the plate, and manager Bryan Price noted recently that the first baseman had some "fatigue and tenderness" in his knee. Votto has hit .263/.374/.355 with no home runs and 10 RBI in 76 at-bats since his return.

Joey Votto hasn't slugged a home run for the Reds since May 10 - and he won't blast off Wednesday either unless he does so as a pinch-hitter. He's out of the lineup in San Diego.

Votto, who has not had a multi-hit game since June 21, boasts a stat line of .261/.399/.417. He has 22 RBI in 211 at-bats this season.

First baseman Justin Bour, who was demoted by the Marlins last week, has been promoted by the same team.

Bour spent much of June with Miami, but played sparingly and managed just one hit in his last nine at-bats.

Early-season surprise Chris Colabello has been promoted to the Twins, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, which has reported that he joined the team for the Wednesday afternoon clash against visiting Kansas City.

Colabello, who had been sent down on May 25, had 27 RBI in April before a 0-for-22 slump motivated his demotion.

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu had one hit in each game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Angels.

Abreu went 1 for 3 with a walk in the 8-4 loss in game one, though his one hit was a three-run home run to push him back into the league lead for home runs. He followed that up by going 1 for 4 in a 7-5 loss in the second game.

Abreu has taken the league by storm as a rookie. In 71 games, he has 26 home runs and 67 RBI, both of which put him into a tie for the major-league lead. He is also hitting .280/.329/.627 in 279 at-bats, ranking fifth in the American League in OPS.  

Angels outfielder Kole Calhoun went 2 for 4 with a walk and a two-run home run in his team's 7-5 win in Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the White Sox.

Calhoun smacked his home run in the eighth inning, and he's now managed to rack up multiple hits in four of his last six games, though he did go 0 for 3 in Game 1 of Tuesday's twin-bill. The outfielder has hit .284/.345/.494 with eight home runs and 21 RBI in 176 at-bats.