MLB Player News

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard had just one hit Thursday against the Blue Jays, but he made it count.

Howard slugged a two-run home run late in the 12-6 loss, his seventh of the season. He was just 1 for 5 otherwise, with a pair of strikeouts, as he dropped his batting average to .236.

Howard is hitting .236/.301/.455 in 123 at-bats, with seven home run and 20 RBI in 32 games.  

The Mets promoted Wilmer Flores to the big-league roster Thursday, which may not seem like a big deal to most Fantasy owners. After all, he hit .211 (20 for 95) in limited action last year and is taking the roster spot of Omar Quintanilla, who barely played.

But just because he's underwhelmed you to this point doesn't mean Flores is a lost cause. And just because he hasn't gotten real opportunities in the past doesn't mean he won't this time.

Flores, as you may or may not have heard, has played almost exclusively shortstop at Triple-A Las Vegas this season, and the biggest hole in the Mets lineup happens to be shortstop, where the punchless Ruben Tejada is hovering around the Mendoza line for the second straight year.

Granted, Flores offers little in the way of defense, which is why hasn't already secured a job in the majors. Even at age 22, he can hit, having batted .321 with 15 home runs at Las Vegas last season. The way he makes contact, having never struck out more than 77 times over seven minor-league seasons, gives him some hope of becoming a Martin Prado-like hitter (the good version) in the majors.

We'll have to monitor their starting lineups in the days ahead to know for sure, but the Mets may have finally decided they can overlook the defense to add some thump to the lineup, which would be a significant development at the weakest position in Fantasy.

Mets infielder Wilmer Flores was called up Thursday, the team announced. 

The move was expected late Wednesday, as the team designated Omar Quintanilla for assignment. Flores hit .307 in 114 at-bats in Triple-A. 

The Mets are expected to promote infielder Wilmer Flores from Triple-A Las Vegas Thursday, according to ESPN.com. Flores will likely take the roster spot left vacant after Omar Quintanilla was designated for assignment.

Flores will likely see some playing time at shortstop, though how he will split time with Ruben Tejada remains to be seen. He appeared in 27 games with the Mets a year ago, posting a .211/.248/.295 line in 95 at-bats, but is hitting .296 with five home runs and 23 RBI in 28 games for Triple-A Las Vegas. 

Diamondbacks slugger Paul Goldschmidt put his team ahead to stay Wednesday with a two-run homer in the third inning and added a single against Milwaukee.

Goldschmidt has been on a tremendous stretch that extends back to late April. He has 18 hits in his last 40 at-bats with four homers, seven runs and seven RBI. His tear has raised his average from .306 to .342 and sweetened his slugging percentage to .555.

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt remained hot Tuesday, going 3 for 5 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in his team's 7-5 win over the Brewers.

Goldschmidt popped a two-run home run in the first inning, and his three-hit game gives him four straight multi-hit outings as he continues to pummel National League pitching during an eight game hitting streak. The Diamondbacks first baseman has hit .342/.384/.555 with six home runs and 21 RBI in 146 at-bats.

After extending his hitting streak to five games by going 1 for 4 with a walk against the White Sox on Monday, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is hitting .386 in 17 home games.

He's 6 for 15 with six RBIs and six runs scored in the hitting streak.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo has gotten off to a promising start in 2014 after batting .233 with a .419 slugging percentage in 2013. The Cubs feel Rizzo's turnaround is part of the maturation process for a young player.

"He’s maturing," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said, per CSN Chicago. "He’s gaining more and more confidence. He’s hitting the ball to all fields now. He obviously has the strength that if he gets a pitch to handle, he can drive it out of the ballpark."

Rizzo has really stepped up his performance against left-handed pitchers. He is batting .394 with a .697 slugging percentage against lefties, which is well above his career average of .212 and .380 slugging percentage.

"He’s just basically not panicking in those situations anymore," Renteria said. "He’s just growing up. He worked very hard over the winter, worked very hard in the spring. I think he’s making a tremendous mental adjustment as to how he wants to approach pitchers. He kind of knows what they’re trying to do with him. All those things that come with maturation and growing and learning."

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard entered Sunday's game against the Nationals on pace to produce 34 home runs and 98 RBI. He hasn't approached those numbers since 2011.

Despite the promising start from the veteran first baseman, Howard feels he still has room to improve.

"It's still a work in progress," he said, per MLB.com. "I'm trying to progress every day and just try to get a little more comfortable."

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard was just 1 for 4 Saturday, but he delivered a three-run home run in the first inning of his team's 7-2 win over the Nationals.

Howard gave the team all the offense it would need in the eventual win before coming up empty in his next three at-bats, which included two strikeouts. He has hit .255/.328/.481 with six home runs and 17 RBI in 106 at-bats.