MLB Player News

McBride was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Sunday. He'll start at catcher in the Athletics' game against the Pirates and bat eighth in the order.

McBride will assume the 25-man roster spot of Josh Phegley (knee), who was placed on the DL in a corresponding move. Phegley is scheduled to undergo an MRI to determine the extent of his strained right knee, and if surgery is deemed necessary, McBride could be up with the big club for an extended period. However, don't look for McBride to see regular at-bats, as he'll only be getting the nod behind the plate Sunday over the lefty-hitting Stephen Vogt due to southpaw Francisco Liriano starting for the Pirates.

Cron was a major contributor in the 21-run assault against the Red Sox on Saturday, going 6-for-6 with two homers, a double and five RBI.

Cron has been quietly productive for most of the season, but has let loose in the first two games of July, notching three homers and nine RBI over that span. The former first-round pick should be considered an option for those looking to grab cheap power at first base, as he is slashing .287/.340/.473 with nine homers and a .186 ISO through 71 games.

Santana hit his second homer in as many days -- and 18th on the season -- as part of a 2-for-3 day Saturday versus the Blue Jays that also included a walk.

The veteran slugger's season line is now up to .242/.340/.477 following the performance, and he also has back-to-back multi-hit efforts. Santana is also just one round-tripper away from equaling his 2015 total in that category, although it notably took him 550 at-bats to accomplish that feat last season.

Cron went 2-for-5 with a grand slam in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Red Sox.

Cron made Steven Wright pay for loading them up in the sixth, blasting a 3-2 pitch 423 feet over the Green Monster. It extended the 26-year-old's hitting streak to four games, a stretch that's included a trio of multi-hit efforts. It was only his second homer since June 1 but outside of his long-ball drought, Cron was outstanding last month. He finished with a .303/.361/.470 line over 66 at-bats, and raised his average 15 points.

Santana went 2-for-8 with a double, go-ahead, 19th-inning solo homer, walk and two runs in Friday's 2-1 victory.

The veteran slugger mercifully put an end to the marathon contest with a shot off infielder Darwin Barney in the 19th inning that eventually sent the weary Indians to their 14th consecutive victory. Santana has now hit safely in four of the last five contests, and seven of his last nine.

Santana is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Braves.

With the Indians playing in Atlanta on Wednesday, the Indians could only play one of Santana and Mike Napoli, and they opted for Napoli in this matchup. The Tribe will return to an American League ballpark Thursday in Toronto, at which point Santana should be back in the mix.

Santana went 2-for-4 with a walk, RBI and scored a run in Tuesday's 5-3 victory over the Braves.

Santana hit a tie-breaking single in a three-run ninth inning to propel the Indians to their 11th straight win, their longest streak in 34 years. The 30-year-old has been on a tear this month of late. After having just ten multi-hit games in the season's first two months, Santana has eight of them in June and his average now sits at .238, its highest point since mid-May.

Santana went 1-for-3 with a leadoff homer, walk and two runs in Saturday's 6-0 victory over the Tigers.

The veteran slugger got the Indians on the right track to what would be their eighth straight victory by taking Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez deep to open the game. The round-tripper marked Santana's seventh in what has been his best month of the season to date, and extended his modest hitting streak to three games. Santana is now slashing .253/.333/.527 with seven homers and 15 RBI in June.

Cron is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the A's, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Cron's trend of reverse splits has continued into this season, with the 26-year-old managing a .191/.291/.340 line against lefties and a .277/.324/.434 line against same-handed pitching. Lefty Dillon Overton is starting for the A's on Saturday. There has been no indication that his role is in jeopardy, but Cron figures to continue sitting occasionally against southpaws.

Abreu is back in the lineup Saturday against the Blue Jays.

Abreu took the day off Friday to rest his legs, but he was never expected to miss extended time. The slugger is back at his usual first base spot and will bat third in the order against Toronto's R.A. Dickey.