MLB Player News

Cron left Monday's game against the White Sox with a left knee injury.

Dawel Lugo pinch hit for Cron in the bottom of the fourth inning and shortly thereafter the team announced Cron is undergoing further evaluation for a left knee issue. Jeimer Candelario shifted from third base to first to cover for Cron. It would be a major blow to the Detroit offense if Cron were forced to miss significant time.

Smith is not in the lineup Monday against the Nationals, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Smith started against just two of the first eight lefties the Mets have faced this season, so it shouldn't be a surprise to see him on the bench in this one against Patrick Corbin. Brian Dozier will be the designated hitter in his absence.

Olson went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in a win over the Astros on Sunday.

Olson's 418-foot shot to center field in the third inning staked the Athletics to a 4-0 lead. The slugger had entered the game in a brief 1-for-12 slump over the prior three contests, although his one hit during that span had also left the yard. Olson now has four of his five home runs on the season in August, although with only one other hit during the month, his average sits at an unsightly .156 since the calendar flipped.

Hoskins started in both ends of Sunday's doubleheader with the Braves, going a collective 2-for-4 with a double and two walks.

Hoskins has batted second and has started at first base in every game this season, and he'll do so again in Monday's series finale. In an abbreviated season, that sort of lineup stability would seem to be valuable, but Hoskins hasn't paid off for those who invested in him in fantasy. The 27-year-old has produced only two extra-base hits (both doubles) while collecting four runs and one RBI over his 42 plate appearances.

France went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs in a win over the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

France got the start at first base and joined the Padres' homer-fest Sunday, drilling one of the team's six long balls on the day. The hit was France's first since July 30, and his playing time has waned In August as he has appeared in only four contests thus far. On the season, the 26-year-old is slashing .250/.280/.417 with three RBI and five runs.

Gurriel went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and a two-run home run in Sunday's 7-2 loss to the Athletics.

Gurriel knocked his third home run and was one of the few bright spots during the weekend series in which Houston's vaunted offense scored just five runs over 31 innings. He had four of the Astros' 18 hits in the series with three of them going for extra bases.

Abreu went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to Cleveland.

Abreu launched his third homer of the season in the second inning against Cleveland starter Shane Bieber. The 33-year-old Abreu is hitting .250/.282/.426 with nine RBI and nine runs scored in 16 contests. He's gone just 4-for-24 in his last six games, striking out eight times in that span.

Hiura went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 9-3 win over the Reds.

Hiura singled in a run during the Brewers' six-run sixth inning, and then went back-to-back with Christian Yelich an inning later. The second baseman raised his OPS more than 100 points with this one performance (from .658 to .764) after chipping in his second stolen base Saturday.

Santana went 1-for-2 with two runs scored and three walks in Sunday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the White Sox.

Santana's first run of the night came after he walked in the eighth inning and scored on a Franmil Reyes double. The 34-year-old Santana then reached on an infield single in the 10th and came around to score again on a Mike Freeman single for what would be the decisive run in the contest. Santana has been patient at the dish over the last four games -- he's drawn 12 walks and taken no strikeouts in that span. The first baseman is slashing .188/.451/.250 with one homer, nine runs scored and three RBI across 71 plate appearances.

Freeman went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, a triple, three RBI and three runs scored in an 8-0 victory over Philadelphia in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader.

Freeman opened the game's scoring with a two-run homer off Phillies starter Spencer Howard in the third inning. He needed just a single to complete the cycle. After his six total hits Sunday, Freeman's slash line is up to .276/.382/.552 with 15 runs scored and 12 RBI this season.