MLB Player News

Diaz will bat cleanup and serve as the Indians' designated hitter in Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Yankees.

He'll serve as a direct replacement in the lineup for Edwin Encarnacion, who will be rested for the matinee after struggling at the plate for the past two weeks. Encarnacion should be back in the starting nine for the nightcap, but Diaz will carry some appeal in DFS contests for the early game due to the favorable slotting in the order between Jose Ramirez and Jay Bruce. The right-handed Diaz will also get a cushy matchup against a struggling lefty Jaime Garcia, who has turned in a 5.95 ERA and 1.78 WHIP over his four starts since joining the Yankees.

Cron went 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs and four RBI in an 8-2 win over Oakland on Tuesday.

Cron is slashing a healthy .310/.381/.609 with seven homers and 18 RBI since taking over primary first-base duties at the beginning of August. Both he and Luis Valbuena have been mashing the ball since Yunel Escobar (oblique) went on the disabled list, so manager Mike Scioscia will have a tough decision to make regarding who will sit when his regular third baseman returns later this week. It is possible that the two sluggers will resume their platoon at first base, a move that would certainly put a dent in the right-handed Cron's playing time. Until that time comes, fantasy owners can continue to enjoy the 27-year-old's power output.

Abreu went 4-for-4 with a double, walk, a run and two RBI in Tuesday's 6-4 loss to Minnesota.

Abreu was clicking at the plate all night, scoring a run in the sixth before knocking one in with a double the next inning and adding an RBI single in the ninth. The Cuban first baseman has strung together three multi-hit efforts in his past four games and 10 in the last 17.

Cron went 1-for-3 with a strikeout in Monday's 3-1 win over the Athletics.

Cron has picked up starts in 12 consecutive games, with the injury to Yunel Escobar (oblique) affording both Cron and Luis Valbuena regular spots in the lineup at the corner infield spots. Unfortunately, Cron hasn't been able to do much with the uptick in opportunities, hitting just .220 with three extra-base hits over that 12-game stretch. He'll still be in line for consistent at-bats against left-handed pitching, but once Escobar returns from the disabled list -- perhaps as soon as the weekend -- Cron will likely cede starts against righties to Valbuena.

Diaz is out of the lineup Monday against the Yankees.

After starting five of Cleveland's last six games, Diaz will head to the bench while Giovanny Urshela draws the start at the hot corner. Until Jason Kipnis (hamstring) returns from the disabled list, Jose Ramirez will spend the bulk of the time playing second base. As a result, Diaz and Urshela will likely continue sharing time at third base until Kipnis has returned to full health.

Olson went 3-for-4 with a home run in Sunday's 8-3 win over Texas.

The homer is the first in eight games for Olson, who recorded just a lone RBI and didn't plate a single run during that span (19 at-bats). The Atlanta native should continue to man first base for most games when the opposition rolls out a right-handed starting pitcher.

Santana went 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Sunday's victory over the Royals.

Cleveland's offense dismantled the Royals' pitching staff and scored 12 runs in Sunday's contest, and Santana's 20th home run of the season was responsible for bringing three of said runs across the plate. After missing three games due to back spasms, the 31-year-old has hit a homer in two consecutive games.

Diaz will start at third base and bat seventh Sunday against the Royals, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Diaz will pick up his fourth start in six games since being recalled from Triple-A Columbus. For the second consecutive day, he'll get the nod at third base over Giovany Urshela, who looked like the top candidate to step into regular duties at the position following Jason Kipnis' (hamstring) return to the disabled list. After going 4-for-4 with three extra-base knocks in a game Thursday against the Red Sox, however, it appears Diaz may be manager Terry Francona's favored option at the hot corner for the time being.

Cooper (hamstring) will begin a rehab stint with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday, George A. King of the New York Post reports.

Cooper was able to go through agility drills on the field over the weekend, then the plan for his rehab assignment was laid out. That plan includes at least two starts at designated hitter before he gets a start in the field for the Triple-A squad. The 26-year-old landed on the disabled list over a week ago with left hamstring tendinitis, but at this point a return in early September looks realistic.

Calhoun went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and a trio of runs scored in a comeback win over the Astros on Saturday.

Calhoun has been scorching hot this month with a .333/.427/.560 slash line through 22 August games. The 29-year-old's overall numbers (.248 batting average, 17 homers and 57 RBI) are slowly climbing towards his career marks after a rough start to the season. Fantasy owners should continue to ride Calhoun's bat down the stretch as he is showing no signs of slowing up.