MLB Player News

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman enjoyed a monster night at the plate as he homered twice and drove in four runs against the Rockies Tuesday night.

Freeman unleashed a solo home run off start Juan Nicasio in the opening frame and hit a three-run shot off Edgmer Escalona in the seventh inning to extend the lead for Atlanta. He finished 2 for 4 with a walk, three runs scored and four RBI in an 11-3 victory. He has a .301/.379/.477 slash line with 13 homers and 69 RBI in 352 at-bats.

Indians catcher Carlos Santana is playing first base Tuesday against the White Sox.

Yan Gomes will take over catching duties. Santana will faceoff against rookie Andre Reinzo. He's hitting sixth. Santana has a .271/.377/.450 slash line over 340 at-bats. 

Kole Calhoun didn't make a lot of prospect lists, but his relatively quiet call-up in the wake of Albert Pujols' injury makes him an interesting add in deeper leagues. 

Calhoun, 25, was hitting .354 in 59 Triple-A games this season, with 12 home runs, 10 steals, and a 1.047 OPS. He has a career .317 average in the minors, and has reached double-digit steals and home runs in each of the last three seasons. 

He can play the outfield and first base, and should see a good amount of playing time over the next two months, as the Angels have enough moving parts to work Calhoun in regularly. Nothing is guaranteed, but Calhoun has shown enough skill in the minors (including a 1:1 BB/K ratio this season) to have some impact and be a nice surprise in Fantasy. 

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt remained in the starting lineup Sunday against the Padres, despite manager Kirk Gibson hinting Saturday he would rest the All-Star first baseman. Goldschmidt entered Saturday mired in a 0-for-9 slump in his previous two games before clubbing his 23rd home run.

Goldschmidt has just two hits in his last four games, but both of those hits have been home runs. He has eight RBI and nine walks in his last seven games.

The Angels recalled outfielder Kole Calhoun from Triple-A Salt Lake Sunday to take Albert Pujols' roster spot as Pujols landed on the DL, the Los Angeles Times reports. 

Calhoun made his major league debut last season and went 4 for 23 (.174) over limited action with one RBI. The 25-year-old Calhoun is batting .354 with 12 homers and 49 RBI over 240 at-bats with Salt Lake. 

Angels outfielder Kole Calhoun was not in the lineup for Triple-A Salt Lake Saturday night, which could be an indication that he'll join the big-league club to take Albert Pujols' roster spot, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Pujols was sent back to Los Angeles for an MRI, after aggravating his plantar fasciitis Friday.

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said Saturday that first baseman Paul Goldschmidt may be given Sunday off to give him two days of rest, including Monday's scheduled off day, MLB.com reports.

Goldschmidt is 7 for 29 with one home run, six RBI and eight walks since the All-Star break, playing every inning at first base before being rested late in Friday's 10-0 win over the Padres.

Astros designated hitter Chris Carter mashed his 19th home run of the season Saturday afternoon in Toronto. Carter took starter Josh Johnson deep in the first inning for a three-run homer. 

The slugger finished the game 1 for 3 with the three RBI in the 8-6 win. He added a walk and is batting .223 on the year. He has 51 RBI. 

Carter has just six hits in his last 10 games for Houston and just four RBI, including the three he picked up Saturday. 

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman hit a solo home run off Mets rookie Zack Wheeler and finished 2 for 3 with two runs and one walk Thursday. It was only Freeman's second home run in July.

Freeman is batting .286 (6 for 21) with two home runs and four RBI in seven games since the All-Star break.

With the demotion of Derek Dietrich to the minors, Marlins infielder Donovan Solano takes over again as the starting second baseman.

"I know I can do good things," Solano said, per the Sun-Sentinel. "Any ballplayer that plays regularly would find himself in a better position to do good things. I'll keep doing what I've always done, staying focused on my job, working hard and leaving everything in God's hands so things come out well."

Prior to going on the disabled list with an oblique injury in early May, Solano was hitting .278. He was optioned to the minors once healthy and hit just .150 in his first 11 games (three starts) when he was recalled in early July. Solano has collected five hits in his last two games -- both starts.

"When he went on the DL he was probably our hottest hitter and we really haven't had a chance to get him back in the lineup and get him going," manager Mike Redmond said. "It was tough for Solano. The role he was in, we weren't getting much out of him. He needs to play and get extended at-bats. He's going to get an opportunity to get extended playing time. He's going to play second. He'll probably play some third. We'll probably mix and match him and [Ed] Lucas. It's good to have that versatility."