MLB Player News

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt went 3 for 5 with a home run and three RBI in his team's 12-6 win over the Padres Wednesday.

Goldschmidt absolutely crushed a ball to center field in the seventh inning that traveled 480 feet, according to ESPN Stats & Info. He also recorded his 22nd double in the victory. Goldschmidt has hit .309/.361/.545 with 10 home runs and 37 RBI in 220 at-bats.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard went 2 for 4 with a walkoff, three-run home run in his team's 6-3 win over the Rockies Wednesday.

Howard collected four RBI in all, with one coming on a third-inning single. He saved his biggest shot for last, smashing a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth right after a Chase Utley single evened the game at 3-3. Howard has two home runs as well as two multi-hit efforts in his last three games, helping him boost his line to .240/.319/.437 with nine home runs and 34 RBI in 183 at-bats.

If you own Ryan Howard in Fantasy, you're probably fed up with him by now. Yeah, he homered Monday, but with three in all of May, he's well off pace for the 30 you were hoping for.

And the finishing blow may have come Tuesday, when Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg not only started Darin Ruf in place of Howard against a left-hander but suggested it could become a permanent arrangement.

Yeah, sitting against lefties might redeem Howard's batting average somewhat. He's batting .212 against them this year and .224 for his career. But for the amount he'd sit, what he'd lose in the way of totals would effectively ruin his already fringy mixed-league appeal.

The platooon isn't a done deal yet, but with Ruf homering Tuesday, it's likely enough for you to consider dropping Howard, especially if a more promising Kendrys Morales or Jon Singelton type is still available on waivers.

Though he was hoping to serve just the minimum time on the DL, it appears unlikely that Joey Votto will be back in the Reds' lineup this Saturday when eligible.

"This particular injury doesn't have a due date on it," manager Bryan Price told MLB.com Tuesday. "Our target goal is to get him pain free and get his strength up to a level to expect his performance to be more like what we've seen in the past. I'm not sure we can get there all the way this year. But we want to get him to a place where he's confident he will not have regression."

Votto is making progress, but still had some pain as of Tuesday. Votto is not traveling with the team for its current two-city road trip, so it looks like he is likely out until the end of an upcoming series in Arizona. That series ends Sunday, one day after he is eligible to return. 

Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg hinted Tuesday he could move to a Ryan Howard and Darin Ruf platoon at first base, per the Philadelphia Daily News. 

"If it works. If it produces, then it becomes a possibility going forward," Sandberg said.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard came up big at the plate, leading his team to a comfortable 9-0 victory over the Rockies.

Howard singled in a run in the fourth and took starter Jhoulys Chacin deep for a three-run home run in the sixth inning. He also added a two-run single in the seventh for his third hit of the day. He finished 3 for 4 with two runs scored and five RBI. He is hitting .236 with eight homers and 30 RBI in 178 at-bats.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto appears unsure if he will be ready to return from the disabled list upon his eligibility on May 31, per MLB.com.

Votto expressed optimism about his progress as he recovers from a quad injury, but was vague about how far along he is.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo broke an 0-for-10 hitless streak Thursday night - and he did so in style.

Rizzo slugged a two-run homer in the fourth inning to overcome a 1-0 deficit and jump-start his team in a win over host San Diego. He added a double in the eighth that sweetened his stat line to .275/.410/.463.

Mets infielder Wilmer Flores got his batting average over .300 for the first time Wednesday, in a 4-3 win over the Dodgers.

Flores strung together three singles to finish the game 3 for 4, though he did not make an impact otherwise. He is hitting .318/.400/.318 in 22 at-bats for the season. 

The Reds have placed first baseman Joey Votto on the disabled list Wednesday.

The move is backdated to May 16, so Votto could return sooner than expected. He's been sidelined with a quad injury, and has missed five games due to the issue. Votto was expected to try and play during the team's weekend series, but that's no longer going to happen. He's hitting .257 over 136 at-bats.