MLB Player News

Indians manager Terry Francona said the emergence of Lonnie Chisenhall has been one of the primary reasons he's moved Carlos Santana to first base, per MLB.com.

"To be honest with you, we're trying to put the best team out there that we can," Francona said prior to Sunday's game. "Lonnie [Chisenhall], I don't think there's anybody that would argue, deserves to be playing third base. So, we don't do the positions necessarily by what guys want to do. Lonnie has done a heck of a job.

"Carlos worked really hard [at third base], but what's kind of cool is that I think all the work he put in at third, I think it's made him a better first baseman. He's more active. He's more agile. Again, we'll see where it goes."

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu has a career-high six-game hitting streak after recording two singles Saturday. He has driven in a run or homered in 11 of his last 22 games and is showing no ill effects with his earlier battle with ankle tendinitis, reports MLB.com.

"He's fine. He hasn't talked about it, he hasn't even brought it up," manager Robin Ventura said of Abreu. "Even when he's running around, you see him running pretty good. Sometimes it looks like something is there, but he ran like that when he first got here, so I think that's just part of the way he runs."

Abreu is hitting .271 with 21 homers and 55 RBI in 240 at-bats.

Indians infielder Carlos Santana has been among the best hitters in the league for nearly a month, dating back to May 22.

MLB.com noted Saturday Santana is second in baseball in OPS since that point, with a 1.137 mark in an 18-game stretch. He has five home runs, 15 RBI and 16 walks in that stretch, while hitting .333.

Santana got off to a slow start to the season, and is still hitting just .196 in 224 at-bats. In spite of that, he has a .725 OPS, thanks to 10 home runs and 53 walks.  

White Sox slugger Jose Abreu continued to terrorize opposing pitchers Wednesday. His latest victim was Giants starter Tim Hudson, whom he took deep for a two-run tater in the first inning of a Chicago win. It was his 20th homer of the season.

Abreu also singled and scored in the fifth as he bolstered his stat line to .269/.321/.608.

Outfielder Kole Calhoun went 4 for 5 with a solo homer, two RBI and three runs scored from the leadoff spot Tuesday, sparking the Angels to a 9-3 win over the Indians. It was Calhoun's third multi-hit game in his last four starts.

Calhoun is hitting .276/.336/.470 with five homers, 12 RBI and 25 runs scored in 136 at-bats.

Finally, Carlos Santana owners, you're getting semblance of what you drafted.

With a .333 (17 for 51) batting average and four home runs in his last 15 games, the early-round mainstay, as I pointed out in the Fantasy Baseball Today blog, has now outscored Yadier Molina in Head-to-Head points leagues.

Yes, that Yadier Molina, and yes, for the entire season.

Seeing as Santana is still batting just .191 on the season, you're hopefully beginning to grasp just what kind of potential he has at a historically low-scoring position. With continued correction in batting average, even if just to .230, you're looking at a stud.

Santana isn't quite as valuable in Rotisserie leagues, where his walks don't count for anything in and of themselves, but of course, he's no slouch as a power hitter and should ultimately rank among the top catchers in runs scored and RBI.

Indians designated hitter Carlos Santana went 1 for 4 with a solo home run in his team's 4-3 win over the Angels Monday.

Chisenhall's fourth-inning home run broke a 3-3 tie and proved to be the final run of the game. He's managed an extra-base hit in each of his last four games, going 6 for 15 with two home runs and two doubles during that stretch. Santana has hit .191/.346/.358 with nine home runs and 26 RBI in 215 at-bats.

Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera went 1 for 2 with two walks and a two-run home run in his team's 4-3 win over the Angels Monday.

Cabrera opened the scoring Monday with his first-inning home run, and he managed to reach base two more times via free passes. He had drawn three walks in 13 games this month before his pair of walks Monday. Cabrera has hit .255/.324/.412 with seven home runs and 26 RBI in 255 at-bats.

Astros designated hitter Chris Carter played the role of a hero Thursday night in extras against the Diamondbacks.

Carter belted a walkoff solo home run in the 11th inning off J.J. Putz. He finished 1 for 5 with one run scored and one RBI in a 5-4 victory. He is hitting .199 with 13 homers and 30 RBI in 196 at-bats.

Chris Carter's two homers Wednesday give him six in his last 13 games, which would normally be a good thing. But not when those homers are six of only eight hits during that stretch, accounting for a .229 (8 for 35) batting average.

Carter has become the game's preeminent all-or-nothing hitter. He swings hard and usually misses, but when he gets a hold of one, it goes a long way. He hit .223 with 29 home runs last year, and the way things are shaping up this year, that may be the best-case scenario for him.

So what is that player worth in Fantasy? In Head-to-Head leagues -- at least ones of standard size -- close to nothing. When he's cold, he's positively useless, and taking a zero (or maybe 5-10, given his above-average walk rate) from a player for weeks at a time is one way to pile up losses. Even in Rotisserie leagues, it takes a special set of circumstances to use him. You need to be firmly committed to him, sticking with him through all the miserable weeks so you don't miss out on stretches like this one, and willing to take your lumps in batting average.

I know home runs are rare these days, but not enough for all that.