MLB Player News

Pratto went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Yankees.

It was a solid showing from Pratto, who was one of three Royals to get on base multiple times in the contest. The first baseman had gone 13 games without a homer and hit just .150 (6-for-40) in that span. He's struggled in July, causing his season slash line to fall to .245/.334/.390 with seven homers, 31 RBI, 31 runs scored, 15 doubles and a stolen base through 74 contests. While his walk rate is at a solid 10.1 percent, he's also striking out at an uninspiring 36.6 percent clip, which will likely continue to limit his ability to get on base.

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said the hope is Vaughn (foot) can return to the lineup Tuesday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Vaughn has been sidelined for much of this week due to a bruised left foot and is still experiencing some lingering discomfort, but he should avoid the injured list and be available for the team's next series against the crosstown Cubs. The 25-year-old first baseman is sitting on 12 homers and 54 RBI through 94 games this season with the White Sox.

Vaughn (foot) will be on the bench for the fourth straight game Saturday against the Twins.

X-rays were negative on Vaughn's left foot after he fouled a ball off himself Tuesday, but he remains too sore to play. Yasmani Grandal will be the first baseman Saturday, with Seby Zavala starting behind the plate.

Cron's absence from the lineup Saturday against Miami is due to back stiffness, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.

Cron's late scratch looked potentially like a development which foreshadowed a trade, as the veteran is in the final year of his contract and could make for a fairly interesting rental. It remains entirely possible that he'll spend the last two months of the season elsewhere, but a move doesn't seem imminent following the news that he's dealing with a minor injury. Michael Toglia will handle first base Saturday.

Cron was scratched from the lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the Marlins.

The Rockies have yet to announce a reason for Cron's absence. It could be injury or illness, though at this time of year, it could also indicate that a trade is coming. Cron owns a subpar 92 wRC+ this season but could still be attractive as a rental, especially as he's been in great form recently, homering four times in his last five games. Michael Toglia will take over for him at first base.

Young was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Young will be the player to make way as Dansby Swanson (heel) returns from the injured list. Young didn't accomplish much in 13 games following his late-June promotion, hitting .171/.256/.371.

France went 2-for-3 with an RBI double, a walk and a run in a win over the Blue Jays on Friday.

France came through with a clutch two-bagger in the eighth that plated Tom Murphy to knot the game at 2-2. France's performance Friday represented a much-needed respite from what had been an abysmal 1-for-30 slump that had encompassed a nine-game stretch dating back to July 8. France had struck out at an atypically high 29.4 percent clip during his skid, but he'd also been saddled with some abysmal luck in the form of an absurdly low .050 BABIP.

Kirilloff went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and four RBI in Friday's victory over the White Sox.

Kirilloff belted a two-run homer in the first inning followed by a two-run double in the seventh. He's hit four home runs with 13 RBI over his last six games, giving him eight long balls through 63 games. Kirilloff boosted his slash line to an impressive .284/.372/.468 with 20 extra-base knocks and 31 RBI.

Freeman went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, three RBI, three runs scored and two walks in Friday's victory over the Rangers.

Freeman stuffed the box score with yet another big performance, with his 18th home run of the year coming on a solo shot in the fifth inning. The slugging first baseman has produced nine multi-hit performances over his last 20 games, going 28-for-81 (.346) during that stretch. Freeman boosted his season slash line to .322/.405/.565 with 55 extra-base hits and 81 runs scored.

Cron went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in the Rockies' defeat of the Marlins on Friday.

The 33-year-old slugger opened the scoring by taking Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett deep in the top of the first inning, and he later added a single off right-hander Dylan Floro in the top of the eighth. Cron has appeared in only 53 games this season due to injuries, but he's generally been a reliable source of power when healthy and has 11 home runs and 31 RBI.