MLB Player News

Astros designated hitter Chris Carter went 2 for 4 with two RBI and his first home run of the season in his team's 5-2 win over the Mariners Tuesday.

It's been a rough beginning to the season for Carter, who was 1 for 19 over his previous seven games before Tuesday's two-hit performance. He now owns a .148/.264/.279 line in 61 at-bats.

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu kept up his hot hitting Tuesday, going 2 for 3 with his sixth home run in his team's 8-6 loss to the Tigers.

Abreu ended an 0-for-14 slump by going 8 for 16 with three doubles and two home runs over his last four games. He owns a .259/.344/.580 line with six home runs and 19 RBI in 81 at-bats.

The Astros gave slumping designated hitter Chris Carter the night off Monday against Seattle, MLB.com reports.

Carter, who hit 29 home runs last season, has just two hits in his last 34 at-bats to start his 2014 campaign. He is slashing .123/.250/.211 with two RBI in 68 at-bats.

Indians third baseman Carlos Santana told reporters Monday he is fine and was not in the lineup against the Royals because it was a scheduled day off. Santana also said he's not bothered by a groin injury, which was reported last week as part of the reason for his slow start offensively.

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu broke out of his recent struggles on Sunday. launching his fifth home run of the season in a 16-2 win over the Rangers.

Abreu launched a two-run home run in the fifth and doubled in a run in the ninth. He added another double and finished 3 for 6 with two runs scored and three RBI. In his last two games, he has five hits over nine at-bats. He is hitting .243 with five homers and 17 RBI in 74 at-bats. 

Indians third baseman Carlos Santana is trying to work through a slump, according to MLB.com.

Santana is hitting just .153 through 59 at-bats, and hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo believes he's trying to do too much at the plate. "It just seems like he's trying to do too much," Van Burkleo said. "He went into that spell where he wasn't getting hits, and those 0-fers kind of pile up, and it kind of manifests."

Van Burkleo added that he is trying to get Santana to focus on one at-bat at a time. He praised Santana for his .333 on-base percentage, saying Santana finds a way to contribute even when he's not hitting well.

Indians third baseman Carlos Santana hit a home run Friday against the Blue Jays.

Santana only had one hit in the game, but made it count. In the sixth inning, he worked a six-pitch at-bat against Drew Hutchison. He took a 91 mph fastball out to right for a two-run shot. He finished the game 1 for 4, with one run scored and two RBI.

Judging by my Twitter feed, Fantasy owners are at a breaking point with Carlos Santana, and I don't understand why.

Oh, I get that he's batting .157, and that's not good. But I don't think anyone who drafted him expected better than a .260 hitter. And I don't think anyone expected the route to .260 to be an even one from start to finish.

Just look at the way Santana's 2013 went. He had a month-long stretch beginning in early May in which he hit .169. He had a 13-game stretch a couple weeks later in which he hit .146 and a 14-game stretch in August in which he hit .115

He was the same player he is now -- or worse, actually -- off and on throughout last season and still ended up hitting a career-high .268. The only difference now is he's doing it when everyone's paying attention.

He's offered excuses, but he didn't just start bouncing around the diamond this year, and his groin isn't sore enough to require a day off. To me, those just make for better headlines than the most obvious one of all: That's baseball.

If I owned Santana, I'd stick with him and take solace in knowing that even at his worst, he's still able to reach base at a .350 clip. Most players can't say that.

Theories about the early-season struggles of embattled Indians cleanup hitter Carlos Santana have gone from the mental to the physical.

He had admitted that a position change that has him serving as the starting third baseman and backup catcher had affected him at the plate. It has since been revealed that he is dealing with a sore left groin, per the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Santana had his thigh wrapped after the Wednesday game in Detroit, but insisted on playing Thursday, when he experienced yet another 0 for 4. He has just one hit in his last 27 at-bats and just one RBI on the season.

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu was not in the team's starting lineup Thursday against the Red Sox. 

Abreu has just one hit over his last 25 at-bats, and was likely being given a day of rest to get his mind right. Abreu is hitting .217 in 60 at-bats. Paul Konerko will play first base in his absence.