MLB Player News

Freeman said his wrist aches and that he's not as strong as he was before it was hit by a pitch in May, David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. "It's probably about 80-85 percent," Freeman said. "Once I started to swinging again it hasn't gotten any better."

Freeman will keep playing through it as long as it's tolerable, though, and despite this confession, he's gone .320/.391/.535 with eight home runs and 28 RBI in his 44 games since being activated from the disabled list. He was on a near-MVP pace before his wrist was plunked, but this is a good sign that he at least can remain a highly useful fantasy player down the stretch. Freeman should still garner early-rounds consideration in 2018 as long as he avoids other pitfalls along the way.

Cabrera is out of the lineup against the Diamondbacks on Thursday.

Cabrera will retreat to the bench following three straight starts, including an 0-for-4 day with two strikeouts during Wednesday's victory. Gavin Cecchini draws the start at second base in his absence.

Hoskins went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, five RBI and a walk in an 8-0 win over the Marlins on Wednesday.

It's no surprise that Hoskins' elite power is translating to the majors instantly; after all, the guy's mashed 67 homers in the last two minor-league seasons. He has seven already in 14 games with the Phillies, and with 16 RBI and 11 runs as well, he's making an instant cross-category impact. Perhaps most impressively, Hoskins has drawn 10 walks while striking out just nine times so far, and that strong plate discipline combined with his .188 BABIP suggests that his batting average should rise from its current .271 mark.

Smith went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, a walk and two runs against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday. He also struck out twice.

It was a three-true-outcomes day for the rookie, who's still looking to stabilize his stats -- he's hitting just .190/.227/.429 through his first 44 big-league plate appearances. Smith hit for average reliably in the minors, though (including a .330 mark at Triple-A this year), so his future in that category looks bright, and his power has been developing steadily. He may not be a major fantasy asset this year, but the 22-year-old could start producing Eric Hosmer-esque stats as soon as next season.

Hoskins went a combined 2-for-7 with a home run, a walk and two RBI during Tuesday's doubleheader against the Marlins.

The 24-year-old is already up to six homers in just 45 at-bats with the big club, and he's also drawn nine walks in 13 games. He's looking like the real deal and is seemingly locked into the cleanup spot in the order, although Hoskins may face an adjustment period at some point (as is typical for young hitters) when the league starts giving him a heavier dose of breaking and offspeed stuff.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, a walk, two RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Mets.

Goldschmidt busted out of a three-game hitless streak -- his longest of the season -- in his first at-bat of the contest, sending a Tommy Milone offering to left field to put runners on second and third for J.D. Martinez, who clubbed a three-run shot. He would hit another double in the fifth inning to give him 30 for the season, marking the sixth consecutive campaign that he's reached that plateau.

Rizzo went 2-for-3 with two walks, a double, an RBI and three runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Reds.

After picking up National League Player of the Week honors Monday, Rizzo showed no signs of slowing down Tuesday. He's slashing a ridiculous .423/.531/.692 over his last seven games with four doubles, a home run and nine RBI. Fantasy owners should sit back and enjoy the ride.

Joseph went a combined 3-for-8 with a double, two solo home runs and a third run scored in Tuesday's doubleheader against the Marlins.

The Phillies dropped both ends of the twin bill thanks to some dreadful pitching, but Joseph did his best to slug the team towards comebacks. He hadn't homered since July 28, hitting just .155 (11-for-71) during that power outage, and it was beginning to look like the only thing keeping Rhys Hoskins from taking his job at first base was the fact that they needed Hoskins in left field due to all their outfield injuries. A big finish to 2017, however, could still help bolster Joseph's job prospects for next year.

Freeman went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI in Tuesday's 4-0 win over the Mariners.

He's now put together a tidy 11-game hitting streak, batting .404 (19-for-47) over that stretch, but Freeman's only got one homer and five RBI during the streak despite all those hits. His 1.047 OPS on the year remains elite, however, and his counting stat production should pick up again soon enough.

Smith is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

Smith is hitting just .158 (6-for-38) since being recalled from Triple-A, so he'll get the day off to clear his head after starting 11 of the last 12 games. Wilmer Flores will slide over to first base in his stead, pushing Asdrubal Cabrera over to third base while Gavin Cecchini starts at the keystone.