MLB Player News
-
Pete Alonso 1B | NYM
Mets' Pete Alonso: On base four times in rout
Alonso went 3-for-5 with a walk, a run scored and two RBI in Monday's win over the Rangers.
The first baseman kept the line moving for the Mets in a 14-2 rout. Alonso still isn't supplying his usual power, but he's picked up the pace a bit in June, slashing .259/.348/.483 through 14 games with four doubles, three homers, nine runs and 12 RBI.
-
Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Dodgers' Freddie Freeman: Draws five walks Monday
Freeman went 1-for-1 with two runs and five walks in a 9-5 win against Colorado on Monday.
Freeman's patience was on display in the victory, as he tied a Dodgers franchise record by drawing five free passes. The veteran isn't shy about taking walks -- his 14.6 percent walk rate on the campaign ranks eighth among qualified MLB hitters and is on pace for the highest mark of his career. Of course, Freeman is plenty capable when swinging the bat as well, as he's currently batting .302, putting him on pace for his fifth straight season hitting at least .300.
-
Trenton Brooks 1B | SF
Giants' Trenton Brooks: Records first steal
Brooks went 0-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base in Monday's 7-6 win over the Cubs.
The steal was Brooks' first at the major-league level. The 28-year-old has seen most of his playing time at first base, but he's hitting just .143 over his first nine contests, which hasn't been good enough to keep Wilmer Flores on the bench. Brooks has added a meager .393 OPS, one RBI, three runs scored and a 3:6 BB:K through 24 plate appearances. Brooks' time on the major-league roster may come to a close when LaMonte Wade (hamstring) is able to return from the injured list.
-
Michael Busch 1B | CHC
Cubs' Michael Busch: Belts homer in loss
Busch went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk against the Giants in Monday's loss.
Busch gave Chicago its first lead with a two-run blast to center field in the sixth inning. It was his first long ball over his past 17 contests and just his second across his past 32 games. Busch began the campaign with six homers through 16 contests, so the fact that he's still yet to reach double digits in that category emphasizes the extent to which he's slowed down. Still, the first baseman has been hitting well lately, batting .370 over his past 27 at-bats.
-
Wilmer Flores 1B | SF
Giants' Wilmer Flores: Taking seat Monday
Flores is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Cubs.
Flores had started at first base in each of the Giants' last five games, with three starts coming versus lefties and two coming versus right-handers. Though the Giants seem content to deploy Flores as their primary first baseman rather than a platoon bat while LaMonte Wade (hamstring) is on the injured list, Flores will nonetheless give way to rookie Trenton Brooks on Monday.
-
Christian Encarnacion-Strand 1B | CIN
Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Shifts to 60-day IL
The Reds transferred Encarnacion-Strand (wrist) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.
Encarnacion-Strand had been on the IL since May 8 with a right ulnar styloid fracture and wasn't expected to begin a rehab assignment anytime soon, so the move to the 60-day IL won't affect his eventual timeline for a return. According to Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer, manager David Bell reiterated Monday that Encarnacion-Strand remains in a bit of a holding pattern in his recovery from the injury. After he had been expected to increase his activity earlier this month, Encarnacion-Strand's rehab progression was put on pause when he sought a second opinion on his wrist from a specialist, who determined that the 24-year-old was dealing with ligament damage. Bell said that the Reds will wait a few more days to see how Encarnacion-Strand's wrist responds to rest before a determination is made on his next step, which could include anything from resuming baseball activities to going under the knife for season-ending surgery.
-
Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Dodgers' Freddie Freeman: Clubs 10th homer
Freeman went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 3-0 victory versus the Royals.
Freeman reached double-digit homers on the campaign with his sixth-inning solo blast. The veteran first baseman has begun to pick up the pace in terms of power, going deep four times in 14 contests in June after coming into the month with just six long balls across 59 games. Freeman's pair of hits Sunday also lifted his average back up to .300 -- he's slashing .300/.401/.502 in 319 plate appearances on the season.
-
LaMonte Wade 1B | SF
Giants' LaMonte Wade: Unlikely to return this week
Giants manager Bob Melvin said Sunday that it's likely a "stretch" for Wade (hamstring) to return from the 10-day injured list before Thursday's matchup with the Cardinals at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., MLB.com reports.
Wade was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain after suffering the injury while sliding into second base in a May 27 win over the Phillies. Though a Grade 2 strain often entails a recovery timeline of more than a month, Wade said last week that his goal was to make it back for MLB's June 20 Negro Leagues tribute game as the Giants' designated hitter. Wade took steps forward this past week by taking batting practice on the field and increasing the intensity of his running progression, but the 30-year-old looks like he'll still at least one week away from being a realistic option to return from the IL. Wilmer Flores should continue to serve as the Giants' primary first baseman while Wade remains out.
-
Matt Olson 1B | ATL
Braves' Matt Olson: On base four times in loss
Olson went 3-for-3 with a walk, a double and two runs scored in Sunday's loss to the Rays.
The first baseman extended his hitting streak to 10 games, and his extra-base hit streak to five games, with another impressive performance. Olson is batting .410 (16-for-39) over that 10-game stretch, pushing his slash line on the season to .261/.342/.471 with 11 homers and 38 RBI in 69 contests.
-
Rowdy Tellez 1B | PIT
Pirates' Rowdy Tellez: Delivers three hits
Tellez went 3-for-5 with two RBI in Sunday's win over the Rockies.
Tellez singled three times, including a two-run base hit in the seventh inning. He's slashing .419/.471/.581 with nine RBI over his last nine games. The hot streak has been encouraging but he has plenty of work left to undo his ugly start to the season; Tellez owns a .576 OPS with seven extra-base hits through 58 games.