MLB Player News

Cron isn't in the Angels' lineup Sunday against the Astros, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Cron hasn't performed to his usual standard since joining the Angels, slashing just .190/.261/.262 across 46 plate appearances in 12 games. He'll take a day off Sunday while Mike Moustakas fills in at first base, allowing Eduardo Escobar to start at third.

Smith is not in the starting lineup Sunday against the Athletics.

Lefty Ken Waldichuk faces the Nationals, which is why Smith is not starting. On the season, Smith has a .599 OPS against lefties and a .720 OPS against righties. The 28-year-old also did not start in the Nationals' last game against a starting lefty Aug. 5.

Torkelson went 4-for-4 with a double and a solo home run in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Red Sox.

Torkelson turned in his first four-hit game of the season and third home run over the last four games. For the year, the 23-year-old is now up to 18 long balls, though he's batting just .229. The skills are there, however, for Torkelson to push that average upward the rest of the way, especially if he strings together a few more multi-hit performances.

Walker went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 3-0 win against the Padres.

Walker plated the final two runs in the low-scoring affair with his shot to right field in the third inning, helping Arizona end its nine-game losing streak. The first baseman is up to 24 homers and 73 RBI on the campaign, and he has a chance to challenge the career-best marks of 36 long balls and 94 RBI that he set last season. Walker has been hitting well of late, going 8-for-20 (.400) with two homers, a double and five RBI over his past five contests.

O'Hearn went 0-for-4 with a stolen base in Saturday's 1-0 win over the Mariners.

O'Hearn has three steals this season, two of which have come in his last eight games. While he's been a pleasant surprise for the Orioles this season, he's cooled off by hitting .207 (6-for-29) over 10 games in August. O'Hearn is at a .294/.330/.491 slash line with nine home runs, 39 RBI, 28 runs scored and 15 doubles through 230 plate appearances. He's seen time at first base, right field and left field over the last week as manager Brandon Hyde has gotten creative to keep O'Hearn's bat in the lineup.

Olson went 3-for-5 with a walk, a double, two home runs, three runs scored and four RBI during a 21-3 rout of the Mets in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.

The first baseman continued a power surge that has carried him to the major-league lead in homers with 42. Over his last 16 games, including a 1-for-4 showing with a walk and a run in Saturday's nightcap, Olson is batting .379 (22-for-58) with 10 long balls, 17 runs and 25 RBI.

Wade isn't in the Giants' lineup Saturday against Texas, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Left-hander Andrew Heaney will take the mound for Texas, so the left-handed bat of Wade will retreat to the dugout for the beginning of Saturday's game. Wilmer Flores will fill in at first base and bat third.

Abreu was placed on the 10-day injured list with lower-back inflammation Saturday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Abreu received two cortisone shots to address the issue Friday, but he'll also need at least 10 days to rest and heal. Back issues may be part of the reason Abreu has slashed just .234/.291/.343 in his first season in Houston, so it's possible better things await down the stretch if his time off fully heals the issue. David Hensley was called up to take his place on the roster, while Jon Singleton is set to start at first base Saturday for the third straight game.

Rivas isn't in the Pirates' lineup Saturday against the Reds, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Left-hander Brandon Williamson is starting on the mound for the Reds, so the left-handed bat of Rivas will take a seat to begin Saturday's game. Connor Joe will start at first base instead and bat fourth.

Noda (jaw) will take live batting practice Saturday, the Associated Press reports.

Noda was originally slated to take live batting practice Tuesday against Mason Miller (elbow) before it was determined he'd wait a few more days. The recovering rookie is apparently now ready to step back into the batter's box and take some hacks, and if all goes well, he could be set for activation in the coming days without the need for a rehab assignment.