MLB Player News

GM Matt Klentak said the Phillies have no plans to release Howard, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia reports.

Klentak said Howard has not been a distraction since being demoted to a bench role, and the Phillies still value his power bat coming off the bench. Howard has made just four starts this month, and two of those came as a DH while the Phils were in Toronto. His opportunities will be limited over the remainder of the season.

Goldschmidt went 3-for-5 with a double, solo homer and two runs in Friday's 10-2 victory over the Phillies.

The 28-year-old slugger extended his hitting streak to 11 games with his fourth multi-hit effort over that span. He's also homered for the second time in the last four games, and drove in a run for the sixth straight contest. Goldschmidt is enjoying his best month of the season in June, hitting .345 (20-for-58) with three homers and 10 RBI.

Freeman went 3-for-5 with a double, a steal and an RBI Friday at the Mets.

Freeman's double in the third inning broke up a tie game, and ended up being all the runs the Braves would need to earn the win over the Mets. He's been on fire the last three games, as he's collected 10 hits in 22 at-bats to raise his batting average 24 points to .272.

Flores (wrist) can pinch-hit during Friday's game against the Braves, Adam Rubin of ESPN reports.

According to manager Terry Collins, he believes that Flores will be back in the lineup Saturday and could pinch hit if need be for Friday's contest. Flores was hit by a pitch during Thursday's game and is out of the lineup tonight as Kelly Johnson will man the hot corner.

Flores (wrist) is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Braves.

Flores suffered a wrist injury after being plunked on the hand by a pitch during Thursday's game. He left the contest in the third inning and had X-rays taken on his left hand, which came back negative. Flores could end up missing Saturday's game as well, but will be replaced by Kelly Johnson at third base for Friday's game.

Carter went 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run homer Thursday at the Dodgers.

Carter's 18th bomb of the year extended the Brewers' lead to three runs in a game they'd go on to win. He's now connected on five homers this month, and he's slugging .526.

Joseph said he has noticed an increase in off-speed pitches of late from opposing pitchers, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Joseph hit .323 with seven home runs over his first 21 games in the majors, but is hitting just .083 with seven strikeouts over his last six games. His strikeout rate has more than doubled from his rate at Triple-A this season. He will need to make adjustments and capitalize when he does get fastballs to hit to prove he belongs in the majors long term. The Phillies will give him plenty of rope to prove himself this year as they continue to look toward the future.

X-rays on Flores' left hand came back negative Thursday, but he still may miss one-to-two games in order to recover, James Wagner of The New York Times reports.

Flores exited Thursday's game in the third inning after being hit on the hand by a pitch. X-rays revealed no fractures, but he was diagnosed with a left hand contusion. If manager Terry Collins opts to hold him out Friday, the recently recalled Ty Kelly or the veteran Kelly Johnson could be called upon to take over at third base.

Freeman went 3-for-4 with a homer, two RBI and two runs Thursday afternoon against the Reds.

Apparently, facing Cincy was just the prescription Freeman needed to get his bat on track; over the course of this four-game series, he banged out 10 hits, including three homers, two doubles and a triple -- lifting his OPS by 82 points in the process. While that's exciting, it's hard to ignore how ineffective Freeman and the rest of the Braves were all season before this series; they'll need to maintain this offensive surge to make Freeman more than a fringe starter in shallower formats.

Flores left Thursday's game in the third inning with a left hand contusion, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

The Mets immediately sent Flores for X-rays after he was hit by a pitch near his wrist in the bottom of the second inning. Fortunately, the tests came back negative for any fracture, although Flores' status for Friday is uncertain. Kelly Johnson replaced Flores at third base.