MLB Player News

Howard went 2-for-3 with a walk, a solo homer and four RBI in Tuesday's game against the Braves.

Howard has homered in three of his last five games. The two-hit game pushed his average up to .196, giving him a chance to cross the Mendoza Line before the season ends. Despite the poor batting average, Howard has been somewhat productive this year with 24 home runs and a .453 slugging percentage in 316 at-bats. Furthermore, the first baseman's 56 RBI total is second-most over his last five seasons. (In fairness, he only played half a season in 2012 and 2013 due to injury). Howard's disappointing season can mainly be attributed to his abysmal first-half performance, as he's been significantly better-- and even fantasy-relevant -- since the break.

Howard went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI in Tuesday's 7-6 loss to the Braves.

Howard has homered in three of his last five games. The two-hit game pushed his average up to .196, giving him a chance to cross the Mendoza Line before the season ends. Despite the poor batting average, Howard has been somewhat productive this year with 24 home runs and a .453 slugging percentage in 316 at-bats.

Votto hit a two-run homer in a 3-for-5 game Tuesday against the Cardinals.

Votto has homered in consecutive games and is on fire in September. He now has six blasts this month to go with six doubles and 14 RBI. He's hitting a brilliant .385/.472/.659 in 24 September games and is once again looking like one of the best all-around hitters in baseball.

Carter hit his 39th homer, a two-run shot, in a 2-for-3 game with two walks Tuesday against the Rangers.

Carter now has nine home runs in September as he continues to build on a career high in homers. His 39 leads the National League and trails only Edwin Encarnacion (42) among all major leaguers. Carter's .321 OBP, however, is the worst among any major league first baseman with 25 home runs -- he's as one-dimensional as it gets.

Flores (wrist) tried to swing a bat Monday and has been shut back down for a few days, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Clearly, Flores' wrist did not respond well to the activity as he's been shut back down with just six days remaining in the regular season. The same thing happened last week, with the wrist flaring up after Flores attempted to take swings following his second cortisone injection. It seems he would only be an option for the postseason.

Bell is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Cubs.

He had started 10 of the last 11 games, hitting just .238/.316/.357 over that stretch. John Jaso will start at first base and lead off Tuesday.

Bour went 3-for-3 with a single, a double, and a triple Monday against the Mets, scoring twice and driving in one.

Bour entered Monday mired in an 0-for-17 slump, but broke out in a big way against Bartolo Colon and the Mets. The triple was Bour's first of the season, and the double he hit in the second inning was his first extra-base hit since June 30, although he missed roughly two months with an ankle injury. He's now batting .254/.336/.473 on the year.

Cabrera went 2-for-5 with a grand slam -- his 23rd home run of the season -- in Sunday's 17-0 rout of the Phillies.

It was his third homer in the last five games, and Cabrera's knee won't be an issue if all he needs to do is keep trotting around the bases. The shortstop's now slashing .337/.409/.651 through 82 September at-bats with six home runs, 15 RBI and 16 runs, helping to fuel the Mets' wild-card push.

Flores (wrist) is unlikely to return during the regular season, ESPN's Adam Rubin reports.

He remains not close to swinging a bat after suffering a setback Wednesday. Flores first injured his right wrist in a plate collision in Atlanta two weeks ago and has been diagnosed with a bone bruise. He has since received two cortisone shots, and is unlikely to contribute to the Mets down the stretch. Look for T.J. Rivera and Kelly Johnson to continue to fill in at the keystone over the final nine days of the regular season.

Cabrera (knee) is starting at shortstop and hitting second Saturday against the Phillies.

He left Friday's game after fouling a ball off his right knee, but continues to demonstrate his toughness as the season winds to a close and the Mets keep chasing a postseason berth. Cabrera may not be 100 percent healthy, but he's been so hot at the plate lately (.342/.419/.645 in September) that he should be deployed as usual.