MLB Player News

The Phillies optioned Clemens to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday.

Clemens had been handling a strong-side platoon role in the corner infield for the past six weeks, but after falling into a 5-for-39 slump at the plate over his past 13 games, he'll lose his spot on the 26-man active roster. In a corresponding move, the Phillies recalled first baseman/designated hitter Darick Hall from Triple-A.

Bohm went 4-for-5 with two home runs, three runs scored and six RBI in Saturday's 19-4 rout of the Nationals.

The homers, hits and RBI all tied Bohm's prior career highs. The 26-year-old is catching fire as the All-Star break approaches, collecting multiple hits in three straight games and four of his last five, and over his last 15 contests he's slashing .344/.348/.547 with 17 RBI. Bohm still isn't putting the ball over the fence consistently with just nine homers in 69 games on the year, but he could be positioning himself for a big second half.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 19-4 loss to the Phillies.

The 28-year-old gave the Nationals a brief lead in the top of the second inning when he took Zack Wheeler deep, but the lead didn't last long in the rout. Smith only has four homers on the season, but two of them have come in the last five games, a stretch in which he's gone 8-for-20 (.400). If he can continue to string together hits and re-discover a power stroke, he could put himself on the mixed-league radar in the second half, but he has a lot left to prove -- since the end of the 2020 campaign, Smith has managed just a .243/.309/.343 slash line with 15 homers in 281 games.

Goldschmidt went 3-for-6 with a home run, four RBI and two walks across both games of Saturday's doubleheader versus the Yankees.

Goldschmidt's three-run home run in the matinee powered the Cardinals' offense to an 11-4 win. He got on base three more times in the nightcap, but St. Louis lost 6-2. After hitting .277 in June, a cool month by his standards, the first baseman is already off to a good start in July. He's slashing .289/.379/.498 with 15 homers, 46 RBI, 51 runs scored and eight stolen bases over 80 contests on the year.

Wade will sit Saturday against the Mets due to lower-back discomfort, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The issue doesn't appear to be too bad, with Wade potentially available to pinch hit. Wilmer Flores will start at first base Saturday,

Gurriel (face) will bat sixth and play first base Saturday against Atlanta, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Gurriel was hit in the face by a grounder during pregame warmups Thursday and missed a pair of games as a result, but he avoided serious injury. Prior to the incident, his performance had been picking up at the plate, as he managed four multi-hit games in his last six starts, but his season-long slash line remains a modest .268/.318/.399.

Clemens will sit Saturday against the Nationals.

Clemens hits the bench against lefty MacKenzie Gore. Outside of a four-game stretch in the first half of June, Clemens has sat against every lefty the Phillies have faced this season. Even while getting the platoon advantage in the vast majority of his at-bats, the 27-year-old first baseman is hitting just .232/.279/.370. Alec Bohm slides to first base Saturday, with Edmundo Sosa starting at the hot corner.

Cronenworth will be on the bench for Saturday's game against Cincinnati, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Cronenworth finds himself on the bench for the second time in five games after sitting just twice in the first 78 games of the season. His season is trending in the wrong direction, as he finished April with a respectable .728 OPS but recorded a .665 OPS in May and a .557 OPS in June. Brandon Dixon, who owns a .662 OPS on the season himself, will get the nod at first base.

Smith went 3-for-4 in Friday's win over the Phillies.

All the Nationals' offense came on a two-run homer by Stone Garrett in a 2-1 victory, but Smith did his best to keep the line moving. The first baseman has gone 7-for-16 (.438) over the last four games, but his .265/.333/.331 slash line on the season with only three homers and 18 RBI in 77 contests gives him little fantasy value even in deeper formats despite his everyday role.

Santana went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs and a walk-off two-run home run in Friday's 8-7 win over the Brewers.

The 37-year-old capped a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning by taking Matt Bush deep down the right-field line. Santana has caught fire at the end of June, reeling off four straight multi-hit games and going 10-for-18 (.556) with three doubles, three homers, five runs and six RBI. The surge has pushed his slash line on the year up to .247/.326/.421, giving him his highest OPS since 2019.