MLB Player News

The Diamondbacks have struggled enough this season with slugger Paul Goldschmidt in their lineup. They must now get by without him - he has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured left hand.

That is what an MRI taken Friday night revealed. Goldschmidt took a fastball from Ernesto Frieri off the hand in the ninth inning. He reported pain after the game, but expressed hopefulness that the problem was not serious.

Goldschmidt had slumped of late with three hits in his last 24 at-bats, but he still boasts an impressive stat line of .300/.396/.542 with 19 home runs, 69 RBI and 75 runs scored.

Diamondbacks slugger Paul Goldschmidt reported pain in his left ring finger after being plunked by Pirates reliever Ernesto Frieri in the ninth inning Friday night. The results of X-rays taken after the game have yet to be revealed. His hand was wrapped when he spoke to the media.

"I've never had any broken bones or fractures or anything like that," he told azcentral.com. "It felt OK. Obviously there's still some pain because he hit it pretty good. He throws hard."

The Nationals officially added newly acquired infielder Asdrubal Cabrera to the active roster Friday, the day after he was acquired via trade from the Indians.

Cabrera has struggled to a .246/.305/.386 line this season, but should be a regular starter in the middle infield for the Nationals down the stretch. He is, in fact, in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Phillies, batting seventh and playing second base. 

The two years that have passed since Asdrubal Cabrera was a premier offensive force as a middle infielder and the five years that have gone by since he played second base all but precludes him from making a major positive impact with the Nationals.

Cabrera slipped into mediocrity at the plate after earning his second All-Star Game appearance in 2012 and has stayed there. His plate discipline disappeared in a spate of overaggressiveness, causing his strikeouts to rise to alarming levels. He frustrated the Indians in recent years with his inability to hit in the clutch - he's batting .188 with runners in scoring position and is hitless in 13 at-bats with a runner on third and two outs this season.

More disturbing has been his defensive collapse. Cabrera wowed the Indians early in his career with acrobatic, dependable work at shortstop that overshadowed mediocre range. He is now among the worst middle infielders in the sport with 14 errors that was until recently the most at his position in the American League and arguably the worst range in the league. That problem will not be any less pronounced with a move to second base, where he is expected to spend most of his time in Washington.

Cabrera will be seeking to maximize his value in free agency in the offseason. He will command $10 million a year or more if he somehow reverts to the form that made him an all-star. Too much time has passed for that to be a realistic possibility.

A matchup against Washington southpaw Gio Gonzalez and a mini-slump have Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard out of the lineup Thursday.

Howard, who has just one hit in his last 12 at-bats, is batting .229 agaisnt left-handers and is 0 for 11 lifetime against Gonzalez.

The Indians have traded shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera to the Nationals prior to Thursday's trade deadline, according to MLB.com.

Cabrera has been considered a likely candidate to be traded leading up to the deadline, as he is stuck in his second down season in a row. Cabrera is hitting .246/.305/.386 with nine home runs and 40 RBI in 97 games for the Indians. 

Diamondbacks prolific first baseman Paul Goldschmidt wiped out a scoreless tie in the sixth inning Wednesday in Cincinnati with a two-run homer that put his team ahead to stay.

Despite his first homer since July 19, Goldschmidt is scuffling a bit. He has just seven hits in his last 39 at-bats as his stat line has been weakened to a still-fine .301/.396/.545.

First baseman Freddie Freeman certainly can't be blamed for his team's loss Tuesday night to the host Dodgers.

Freeman gave his team a brief lead with a two-run homer in the third inning. He added a single and walk to push his on-base percentage on the year to a fine .376.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard belted his 16th home run Sunday against the Diamondbacks. 

In his first at-bat, Howard homered on the first pitch he saw from Vidal Nuno. He crushed a 90 mph to left center for a two-run shot. He finished 1 for 3, with two runs scored and two RBI. 

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is back in the starting lineup Saturday against the Diamondbacks for the first time since Tuesday.

The Phillies have been giving Howard time off recently due to his struggles, and have discussed the possibility of using him in a platoon moving forward.