MLB Player News

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (wrist) could be ready to come off the 15-day disabled list as soon as the first day after the All-Star break, assistant general manager John Coppolella told reporters Wednesday. 

However, if Freeman isn't ready when the second half starts July 17, he is expected back before the end of July, according to Coppolella.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto was on his game Tuesday against the Nationals. The former MVP went 3 for 5 with a double, a homer and three RBI in the 5-0 win. Votto hit an RBI-double in the first inning to give the Reds and early 1-0 lead.

Then, with his team up 2-0 in the third, Votto smoked a solo home run to right field off Max Scherzer. It was Votto's 15th home run of the season, and his first since June 13.

Votto has been struggling at the plate recently, as the three-hit effort on Tuesday gives him a .211 average over his last 10 ballgames. Tuesday's homer was his first extra-base hit in his last 19 games.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard was held out of Tuesday's lineup at the Los Angeles Dodgers, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Howard was replaced at first by Darin Ruf, who will bat fourth. Over his last 15 games, Howard is hitting .143 with one home run and eight RBI.

The Phillies are the underdogs (-300) at Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo homered during a 7-4 win in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Cardinals. He connected for a two-run homer off Randy Choate in the eighth inning -- his 16th home run this season.

Rizzo went 2 for 3 with two runs, two walks and one strikeout. He ended his home run drought at 13 games.

He entered play Tuesday mired in a 4-for-32 slump in his previous nine games.

Any kind of hits have been hard to come by for Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard lately, but he certainly came up with a big one - at least at the time - Monday night against the host Dodgers.

Howard smashed a three-run homer to right-center in the third inning to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead. He also fanned twice in the game.

That it was his lone hit is no surprise. Howard is batting .100 (3-for-30) over his last 10 games as his average has plunged to .218.

The National League All Star reserves and pitchers were announced on Monday evening, and there was no room for the reigning National League MVP.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw was not selected for the All Star team, although he's one of five candidates to take the final spot on the roster in the Final Vote. 

Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant made the team as an injury replacement for the Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton. Bryant is one of two rookies on the team, along with Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson. 

The Pirates sent two starting pitchers to the All Star team for the first time since 1960. MLB wins leader Gerrit Cole and fellow Pittsburgh starter A.J. Burnett will both be making their first appearance. 

National League reserves are:

Catchers: Yasmani Grandal, Dodgers; Yadier Molina, Cardinals
First basemen: Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers; Anthony Rizzo, Cubs
Second basemen: DJ LeMahieu, Rockies; Joe Panik, Giants
Third basemen: Nolan Arenado, Rockies; Kris Bryant, Cubs
Shortstop: Brandon Crawford, Giants
Outfielders: Andrew McCutchen, Pirates; Joc Pederson, Dodgers; A.J. Pollock, Diamondbacks; Justin Upton, Padres

National League pitchers are:

Madison Bumgarner, Giants; A.J. Burnett, Pirates; Aroldis Chapman, Reds; RHP: Gerrit Cole, Pirates; Jacob deGrom, Mets; Zack Greinke, Dodgers; Mark Melancon, Pirates; Shelby Miller, Braves; Jonathan Papelbon, Phillies; Francisco Rodriguez, Brewers; Trevor Rosenthal, Cardinals; Max Scherzer, Nationals; Michael Wacha, Cardinals

The five candidates for the Final Vote are:

Johnny Cueto, Reds; Jeurys Familia, Mets; Carlos Martinez, Cardinals; Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers; Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies

The National League starters for the All-Star Game were announced Sunday, and leading the way after an impressive first half is Nationals slugger Bryce Harper, who racked up nearly 14 million votes to pace the field. 

Harper entered Sunday's game with a .344 average, 25 home runs and 60 RBIs, numbers that have him squarely in the conversation for the Triple Crown. He'll be joined in Cincinnati by players from an array of teams, unlike the AL's Royals-heavy squad. 

Catcher: Buster Posey, Giants
First baseman: Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks
Second baseman: Dee Gordon, Marlins
Third baseman: Todd Frazier, Reds
Shortstop: Jhonny Peralta, Cardinals
Outfield: Bryce Harper, Nationals
Outfield: Matt Holliday, Cardinals
Outfield: Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins 

Second baseman Wilmer Flores must love the California air, as he had another impressive outing Sunday as the Mets rolled to an 8-0 victory over the Dodgers. 

Flores, hitting fourth in the lineup, was 4-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs and a run scored. For the three-game series, Flores was 10-for-13 with five RBIs, helping to raise his average from .233 to .258. 

In the prior seven games before the Mets played the Dodgers, Flores was 4-for-27. 

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo was not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins, reports MLB.com.

Rizzo was replaced at first by Mike Baxter, who will bat seventh. Rizzo is hitting .107 with one double and two RBI in his last eight games.

The Cubs are favored (-140) over the Marlins on Sunday.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard has been slumping lately and struggling all year against left-handers. The result is that he is out of the lineup Saturday against Atlanta southpaw Alex Wood.

Howard has just two hits in his last 21 at-bats in dropping his average from .231 to .221. He is batting just .131 (8-for-61) against lefties this season.