MLB Player News

Manager Pete Mackanin said he might give Joseph a start against a right-handed pitcher Sunday, Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Mackanin isn't moving away from the platoon at first base with Ryan Howard. Rather, Mackanin wants to get Howard, who is hitting .161 this season, a day to clear his head. Joseph is also expected to start at first base with Howard shifting to DH during the Phillies' three-game series in Detroit starting Monday.

Bour went 1-for-2 with a two-run homer and two walks Saturday against the Nationals.

Bour's eighth homer broke up a tie game in the sixth inning and provided the winning runs for the Nationals. He's now left the yard in three of his last seven contests to raise his slugging percentage to .478.

Flores (hamstring) will begin a rehab stint Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Flores hit the DL earlier in the month with a strained left hamstring, but he appears to be progressing at a fairly quick pace. Barring a setback during rehab, Flores figures to have a good chance to return when first eligible Friday.

Freeman was 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs and four RBI as the Braves defeated Philadelphia on Friday night.

Freeman is hitting a respectable .272 on the year, but despite having eight home runs, he has driven in just 15 as the sputtering Atlanta offense often fails to provide him many RBI chances. Perhaps Ender Inciarte and Gordon Beckham who are just returning from injuries will provide more baserunners in front of him going forward.

Carter was 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in a losing effort against the Mets on Friday night.

His two-run shot in the first inning put the Brewers in front, but that was all the offense they could muster. While his batting average (.247) is not a fantasy asset, his 13 home runs and 31 RBI hitting in the middle of the Milwaukee lineup are certainly useful.

Votto accounted for the Reds' two runs Thursday against the Indians with a two-run homer, his sixth of the season.

Votto has had a rough season so far, hitting just .215/.353/.378. He's still walking frequently (15.6%), but his strikeout rate is through the roof, at 26.9%.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run and an RBI in Tuesday's win over the Yankees. He also stole two bases.

Goldschmidt entered the game with just two hits in his previous 18 at-bats (.111 average), so the multi-hit effort was nice to see. Goldy is still hitting just .232 this season, which is well below his .295 career mark. However, he's posting a solid .849 OPS, and the slugger's track record suggests better days are ahead.

Joseph went 3-for-4 with a home run in Tuesday's win over the Marlins.

Batting out of the cleanup spot against lefty Wei-Yin Chen, Joseph went yard to lead off the bottom of the second inning. It was the 24-year-old's first career home run. It sounds like he will be deployed in a platoon at first base for time being, but Joseph may be afforded a few starts against right-handers next week with the DH available in Detroit.

Howard is not in the starting lineup Tuesday against the Marlins, Meghan Montemurro of the News Journal reports.

With left-hander Wei-Yin Chen taking the mound for Miami, Howard and his .490 OPS against left-handed pitching will head to the bench for Tuesday's contest. Tommy Joseph will take over for him at first base.

Joseph could play first base during a three-game series in Detroit next week, Corey Seidman of CSN Philadelphia reports.

The Phillies are scheduled to face seven consecutive right handed pitchers after Tuesday, which might typically keep Joseph on the bench as part of his platoon with Ryan Howard. However, since the series with the Tigers is in Detroit, the DH spot will be available for Howard. Joseph got his first hit in the big leagues Monday and is 1-for-6 with a walk and three strikeouts in two games since his promotion from Triple-A.