MLB Player News

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard was back in the starting lineup Tuesday against the Padres, after sitting out the previous game with soreness in his left knee. Howard is battering fourth and player first base, as usual.

Howard has been dealing with soreness in the knee for much of the season, and may require days off moving forward to manage it. 

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is out of Monday's lineup with left knee soreness, MLB.com reports.

Howard also missed three games in May with soreness in the same knee. Howard is hitting a robust .357/.442/.643 in June without missing a game, so there aren't any indications he's been slogging through this injury the whole month. Most likely, the Phillies are taking extra precautions with the soreness due to last month's issue.

After a prolonged home run drought, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo has clubbed two long balls in his last three games.

Rizzo has been prone to streaks this year. After belting eight home runs during April, Rizzo only hit two in May. Rizzo went over a month without a home run until finally breaking the streak June 21. He's started to come around lately, with seven hits over his last five games. Rizzo saw his rate stats drop precipitously after his May/June slump, but could come out of it quickly based on what Fantasy owners have seen early in the season.

Rizzo is hitting .253/.340/.469 in 277 at-bats. 

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo hit his 12th home run during a 3-for-3 day in a 14-6 win over the Astros Sunday. He also hit his 20th double, scored four runs and drove in four.

Rizzo had four RBI in 64 at-bats in June before Sunday. He's hit .253 with 12 home runs and 44 RBI in 277 at-bats this season.

Prior to starting a homestand Monday against the Nationals, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel predicted first baseman Ryan Howard would start hitting for more power, according to MLB.com. Well, Howard hasn't made his manager look like a fool.

Howard homered twice Saturday against the Mets and has homered three times in the first five games of the homestand. Howard is batting .439 (18 for 41) with an .805 slugging percentage, 1.315 OPS, one triple, three home runs, four doubles and 11 RBI in his last 11 games.

Manuel said Howard's surge is because the veteran slugger is being more selective at the plate.

"Usually when you do that, you'll get some timing, and he's doing it consistently in games, especially against right-handers," Manuel said. "And you could see it [Saturday]. He got the ball up in the air because he took good, quick swings at the ball."

The Mets like infielder Wilmer Flores' bat, but they are having a hard time trying to find a position for Flores to play, according to the New York Post. Flores has primarily played second base in 2013 for Triple-A Las Vegas, but one talent evaluator said Flores is having a rough transition.

Flores has committed nine errors in 242 chances at second base and has a .963 fielding percentage as a second baseman this season. He's batting .308 with a .500 slugging percentage, .847 OPS, four triples, eight home runs, 23 doubles and 56 RBI in 72 games.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard had one of his best games of the season Saturday against the Mets. He went 3 for 4 for his sixth multi-hit game in the last 10, and his hits were big ones.

Howard opened with a two-run single in the first and followed with solo home runs in the fourth and fifth innings, his first two-homer game of the season. Ryan drove in four runs and scored two in an 8-7 win.

Howard is hitting .358 with three home runs and 15 RBI in June, after batting .254 through the first two months of the season. 

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt now has 19 home runs on the season after going deep twice Friday against the Reds.

Goldschmidt took Johnny Cueto yard for a two-run shot in the fifth inning and added a solo blast in the sixth. Goldschmidt finished 3 for 5 overall with three RBI and two runs scored. He is batting .306.

The National League MVP candidate has gone deep four times in his last four games with six RBI.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto homered and doubled Friday in Arizona. Votto finished 3 for 4 on the night.

The slugger went deep for the 13th time this season in the seventh inning for a solo shot. He drove in two runs and has a .330 average.

Votto has recorded at least one hit in six straight games and is 12 for 25 (.480) over that span with two home runs and four RBI.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto recorded his 35th RBI and finished 2 for 4 Thursday against the Pirates. Votto pushed his hitting streak to five games, batting .429 (9 for 21) with one double, one home run and two RBI.

Votto has two home runs and eight RBI in 19 June games.