MLB Player News

Astros outfielder Chris Carter returned to action Friday night against the Mariners.

Carter, who missed the final two games before the All-Star break, finished 1 for 4 with a single and a walk in a 10-7 defeat. He is hitting .229 with 18 home runs and 47 RBI in 292 at-bats.

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman was unable to return to the lineup Friday, as he continues to be bothered by an injury to his left thumb. Freeman was able to take swings Thursday, but he's not yet in game shape. He remains day to day. 

Astros outfielder Chris Carter is back in the lineup for Friday's game against Seattle, The Seattle Times reports.

Carter missed the final two games before the All-Star break with an ankle injury. The issue isn't expected to linger. He is hitting .229/.326/.469 with 18 home runs in 87 games.

The Twins have recalled INF/OF Chris Colabello from Triple-A Rochester, MLB.com reports. Colabello is hitting a massive .354/.432/.652 in 85 games for Rochester, but the 29-year-old went just 2 for 16 in an MLB stint earlier this year with the Twins.

Twins outfielder Chris Colabello will rejoin the team Friday, the Star Tribune reports. He participated in the Triple-A All-Star Game Wednesday, going 1 for 3 with a double.

Colabello has hit .354/.432/.652 with 24 home runs and 76 RBI in 322 at-bats for Triple-A Rochester. He is 2 for 16 with the Twins.

The Mets have placed infield prospect Wilmer Flores on the seven-day minor-league disabled list with an ankle injury, ESPN New York reports. Flores, 21, has hit .321/.357/.528 with 12 home runs and 75 RBI in 371 at-bats with Triple-A Las Vegas.

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (thumb) was cleared by a team doctor to take dry swings and hit off a tee Thursday, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. If he responds well, then he could be back in the lineup as soon as Friday's second-half opener against the White Sox.

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt was the fifth-highest scoring Fantasy batter in the first half (standard Head-to-Head formats). If he wants to stay among the top 5 scorers by season end, then he needs to improve on his career second-half numbers.

I figured I'm not going to win any popularity contests by bringing this up, but it can't be overlooked that Goldschmidt's numbers in his young MLB career have been much better in the first half than second half. 

• First-half slash line (168 games): .308/.555/.939
• Second-half slash line (119 games): .263/.447/.792

Now, it has to be mentioned Goldschmidt made his MLB debut in the second half of 2011. While he hit just .250 in 48 games, he had a pretty decent slugging percentage (.474). Goldschmidt came back in 2012 to hit .271 in the second half, but he hit just eight home runs and slugged .431 in 71 games.

Listen, I'm not telling anyone to give up on Goldschmidt. That's not the intended message. I'm just pointing to the fact Goldschmidt has had a tendency to fade in the second half, which is a trend worth keeping tabs on in 2013.

It's not like Fantasy owners needed more incentive to start Indians catcher Carlos Santana considering he's a top-5 Fantasy catcher (standard formats). But if he produces numbers like he has in the second half the last two seasons, then Santana could threaten to finish the season as the highest-scoring Fantasy catcher.

Santana hit .249 in 71 second-half games in 2011, but he slugged .498. He had two triples, 14 home runs, 20 doubles, 38 RBI and 43 runs.

Santana had similar numbers in the second half last season, but his average rose to .281 in 74 games. He slugged .498 again, while producing two triples, 13 home runs, 14 doubles, 46 RBI and 41 runs.

Fantasy owners vying for a championship would surely like to see those numbers from Santana again down the stretch in 2013.

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman, who withdrew from the All-Star Game because of a left thumb injury, said he feels better Tuesday, according to MLB.com. He said he's able to bend his thumb with little problem.

Freeman is aiming to be ready to play Friday against the White Sox.