MLB Player News

Astros DH Chris Carter recorded his first RBI on a groundout during Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the Blue Jays. It's been a slow start for Carter, who is batting .185 (5 for 27) through eight games.

Carter does have four doubles, but he has no home runs and has struck out 13 times in 27 at-bats. Carter has drawn three walks.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo continued his strong play Wednesday against the Pirates, with his fourth multi-hit game in a row in a 7-5 win.

Rizzo had a season-high four hits, including his second and third extra-base hits with a pair of double. He drove in just one run, though he did score twice while finishing the game 4 for 5.

Rizzo opened the season with an 0-for-4 game, but has gone hitless just once since. He is hitting .375 with five RBI and five runs scored in eight at-bats. 

Slumping shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera has been dropped to eighth in the Indians lineup for the nightcap of the Wednesday doubleheader against the Padres.

Cabrera went 0-for-4 in the first game. He has just one hit in his last 19 at-bats and a .111 batting average on the season. He became so frustrated in the opener that he slammed his helmet to the ground after grounding out.

Yan Gomes will not have to crouch behind the plate again in the doubleheader nightcap for the Indians on Wednesday. But he will serve as the designated hitter against San Diego left-hander Robbie Erlin while Carlos Santana takes over as the starting catcher.

Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, whose 2013 struggles have carried over into this season, is set to lead off in the first game of the Wednesday doubleheader against San Diego.

Cabrera has just one hit in his last 15 at-bats and is hitting .130 on the year. His placement at the top of the order is due to the continued absence of Michael Bourn and left-hander Eric Stults starting for the Padres.

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu enjoyed a big performance in his team's offensive rout Tuesday, going 2 for 5 with two home runs and five RBI as the White Sox rolled over the Rockies in Colorado.

Abreu hit his first home run of the season in the seventh inning of Tuesday's win and followed it up with another in the eighth. He's the co-leader in RBIs in the American League with 11, and he owns a .250/.359/.563 line in 32 at-bats.

If you play in a deep enough Fantasy league, you're probably already familiar with Chris Colabello. He was that independent league standout who reached the majors at age 29 last year only to look like he belonged in an independent league, hitting .194 in 160 at-bats.

But of course, he didn't do all of his damage in an independent league. In between his stints in the majors at Triple-A Rochester last year, he hit .352 with 24 home runs and a 1.066 OPS in 338 at-bats. Clearly, it doesn't get much better than that.

You need look no further than Kila Ka'aihue to know the Quadruple-A player is real, but given how different Colabello has looked to begin this season, I get the feeling we prematurely labeled him such. He was living a dream last year, getting a chance to play at a level he probably thought he'd never reach. Maybe he was nervous. Maybe he wanted so badly to prove he belonged that he never allowed himself to get comfortable. Just because he's 30 doesn't mean he's immune to all the mental hurdles we'd halfway expect to trip up a rookie.

Colabello has hit cleanup for the Twins since their third game of the season, so they never lost confidence in him. His minor-league numbers are obviously too good to be true, but since they don't put clear limits on the upside, he's a worthwhile gamble. In leagues deep enough that Justin Smoak and Lucas Duda are already owned, consider putting in a claim.

Angels outfielder Kole Calhoun scored three runs Monday, going 1 for 3 with two walks and his second home run of the season in his team's 9-1 win over the Astros.

Calhoun has been slow to get going this season, hitting just .160/.160/.320 before Monday's game boosted his line to .179/.233/.429. He'll need to continue to improve to stay at the top of the Angels lineup.

Twins first baseman Chris Colabello recent success continued on Sunday, as he plated four runs in a 10-7 win over the Indians in Cleveland.

Colabello drove in a run on a fielder's choice in the third, singled in another run in the fourth and ripped a bases-clearing double in the sixth. He finished 2 for 5 with a run scored and four RBI. He has gone 6-for-18 with three doubles, one home run, four runs scored and 11 RBI over his last four games played.

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman couldn't be put away Saturday, going 2 for 2 with one run and three walks in his team's 6-2 win over the Nationals.

Freeman has been an on-base machine in the early-going, recording seven hits in 15 at-bats while also drawing six walks. He's also hit for power, recording one double Saturday to go with two homers from earlier in the week. Freeman is well on his way to posting similar numbers to his breakout 2013 campaign.