MLB Player News

Marlins first baseman Justin Bour went 2 for 3 with a homer, two RBI and a walk in Saturday's 6-2 victory over the Braves.

Atlanta pitching has brought Bour's bat to life, with the 27-year-old hitting .625 (5-for-8) with two homers, five RBI and three runs scored in the first two games of the series. Bour now has seven round-trippers in September to go along with a remarkable 22 RBI, on the heels of back-to-back 16 RBI months in July and August.

The young first baseman has proven to be an offensive revelation and power source for the Marlins in a season that has seen Giancarlo Stanton miss the last three months with a worrisome hand injury. After hitting only one homer in his initial 74 major-league at-bats last season, Bour has slugged 21 gopher balls and amassed a .474 slugging percentage and .800 OPS in the 2015 campaign.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto went 3 for 5 in a 10-2 loss to the Mets on Saturday.

As a forgettable season winds down for Cincinnati, the All-Star first baseman is hitting the ball the best he has all year. Votto now has nine multi-hit efforts in September and has reached base safely in every game of the month as well. Even more impressively however, the last time Votto failed to get on via either base hit or walk dates all the way back to Aug. 10 against the Padres, an amazing streak of 43 contests.

When the veteran isn't pounding out base hits or homers, he's drawing an incredible number of base on balls, with the 139 he's amassed this season serving as a career high and contributing greatly to the .464 OBP figure he entered Saturday's game with.

Marlins first baseman Justin Bour went 3 for 5 with a homer, three RBI and two runs in Friday's win over Atlanta.

Bour has been on a tear as of late, mashing eight homers and driving in 27 runs over the past month. Though patience remains a weakness, he has managed a dismal 7.7% BB rate this season, Bour may be worth a spot in the lineup simply as a means to tap into that power. Since the All-Star break, Bour ranks among the top 10 first basemen in the league in homers and RBI.

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman went 3 for 4 with a homer, a walk, two RBI and three runs in Friday's loss to Miami.

After struggling to stay in the lineup for stretches this season, Freeman is turning up the heat during fantasy crunch time. He has driven in 14 runs in his past 15 games, batting .280 with a .403 OBP. He ranks among the top six first basemen in the league in doubles, RBI and walks for the month of September.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard (knee) took batting practice Friday, Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News reports.

It's the first time that Howard swung in batting practice since being sidelined with a knee injury on Sept. 14. The 35-year-old is still hoping to return before the end of the season, but there's still no clear timetable. Darin Ruf figures to continue filling in at first base in his absence.

Phillies veteran first baseman Ryan Howard is expected to resume hitting and fielding ground balls this weekend, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Howard has been sidelined since Sept. 14 with a knee injury. He is making an attempt to return, but the Phillies won't push him with nothing to play for this season. Darin Ruf will continue to see playing time at first for as long as Howard remains sidelined.

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman didn't start Wednesday against the Mets due to a wrist injury, but hit a pinch-hit two-run double, then remained in the game and hit the game-winning three-run homer in the ninth inning.

Seems like that wrist's feeling just fine. The Braves have a day off Thursday, and Freeman's expected to be in the lineup for the start of a three-game series in Miami on Friday.

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman is out of the lineup Wednesday with a sore wrist, but is available off the bench, Kevin McAlpin of 680 The Fan reports. 

While Freeman did miss more than a month earlier this season with a wrist injury, it doesn't sound like the Braves are especially concerned with this setback, as manager Fredi Gonzalez said he expects Freeman to return for Friday's series opener in Miami. Nick Swisher will man first base and bat third in Freeman's absence.

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Mets. 

Just seems to be a night-off for Freeman, who's batting .250/.409/.353 with one home run and nine RBI in the month of September.

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt went 2 for 4 with his 30th home run of the season Tuesday in a win over the Dodgers.

Goldschmidt tops the 30 home run mark for the second time in his career. While his .286/.409/.488 line in the second half represents a swoon only compared to his first half dominance, it's worth remembering that he only played 109 games due to injury last year, so fatigue may be a factor as he closes out the season.

With six more runs scored, Goldschmidt can join Jose Bautista (and eventually Bryce Harper) as the only hitters this year with more than 30 home runs, 100 runs, RBI, and walks.