MLB Player News

Pratto is absent from the lineup Friday versus the Yankees.

Salvador Perez will start at first base and Logan Porter will do the catching as the Royals face off against left-hander Carlos Rodon. The left-handed-hitting Pratto went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Thursday's series finale versus the Tigers and carries a disappointing .228/.306/.352 season slash line.

Votto isn't in the Reds' lineup Friday against the Cardinals.

Votto will be on the bench for the second straight game after collecting hits in two of his last three contests. Christian Encarnacion-Strand will get the nod at first base instead and bat fourth.

Calhoun is absent from the lineup Friday versus the Tigers.

Detroit is sending left-hander Joey Wentz to the mound, so Jose Ramirez will take a turn in the DH role as Tyler Freeman covers third base. Calhoun has gone 9-for-46 (.196) in limited action against southpaws this year.

Goldschmidt (back) is starting at first base and batting second Friday against the Reds, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Goldschmidt has sat out the Cardinals' last two games while dealing with back tightness, but the issue seems to have subsided ahead of Friday's contest. The 36-year-old first baseman has been held hitless (0-for-8) over his last three games.

Noda went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a win over the Twins on Thursday.

Noda's eighth-inning solo blast snapped a 1-1 tie and proved to be the difference in the game. The homer snapped an extended power drought for the rookie, who's now reached safely in six straight games but had last left the yard Sept. 11, a span of 14 contests.

Vaughn went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

Vaughn's two-run homer in the bottom of the second inning was his 21st long ball of the season, and it put the White Sox up 2-0. The first baseman has now hit safely in four straight games and six of his last seven. He's batting .286 in September with four homers, 11 RBI and 11 runs scored.

Montero went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double, a walk and four total runs scored in Thursday's 14-5 win over the Dodgers.

This was arguably Montero's base game of the year from a fantasy perspective. He's logged six three-hit efforts, four of which have come since Aug. 15. The infielder is at a .247/.294/.417 slash line with nine homers, 37 RBI, 37 runs scored, 15 doubles and no stolen bases through 82 contests overall.

Olson went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Cubs.

Olson put Atlanta ahead in the first inning with his blast. He's up to 54 homers this year, 11 of which have come in September, a month in which he's batting .343 with 24 RBI over 26 games. For the year, the first baseman has a .281/.387/.605 slash line with 136 RBI, 126 runs scored and one stolen base through 159 contests. If he remains in the lineup each day for the three-game series versus the Nationals, he'll achieve his fourth campaign of playing in every contest.

Torkelson went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Thursday's win over the Royals.

Torkelson popped his 30th home run of the season in the 7-3 win, giving him six long balls this month. That's on top of nine home runs in August, as the youngster has upped his power output down the stretch. Torkelson could still stand to improve his .233 batting average from this season in future years, but he's a legitimate slugger who has plenty of fantasy upside.

The Angels optioned Walsh to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

Mickey Moniak's (back) return from the 10-day IL will force Walsh back to the minors after he was selected from Triple-A on Sept. 14. Walsh has slashed just .135/.158/.378 through 38 plate appearances across 11 games in that span, and he will likely need to bounce back in a big way next spring in order to carve out a role for himself in the majors.