MLB Player News

Hoskins went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, a run scored and three RBI in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Mets.

His bases-loaded double off Steven Matz in the fifth inning proved to be the biggest blow in the game. Hoskins is still looking for his first home run on the year, and he only has four RBI despite Saturday's performance, but he's been showing signs of life, hitting .333 (7-for-21) with three doubles over the last six games.

Rizzo went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, two RBI and a run scored Saturday against the Brewers.

Rizzo smacked his fifth home run -- a solo shot -- of the season in the first inning off Adrian Houser. One frame later, he added an RBI double to continue his strong performance. For the season, he's hitting .254/.405/.509 with nine RBI and 12 runs scored across 79 plate appearances.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run homer in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Phillies.

The Mets only managed six hits on the night, and the four not off Smith's bat were only singles. The 25-year-old is emerging as the slugger his scouting reports always said he could become, and he's now gone yard in four straight games, giving him six homers and 16 RBI through 16 contests this year.

Beaty is the Dodgers' emergency catcher while Will Smith remains out with a sore neck, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Smith is unavailable to catch but is not on the injured list, though that could change if he doesn't show improvement soon, according to Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register. As such, Beaty's role as emergency catcher is magnified for as long as Smith remains out and the Dodgers hold off on bringing over another backstop from their alternate training site. While the designation adds value to Beaty's role on the team, it could also hinder his playing time if Los Angeles decides to keep him available in case of an emergency situation. Beaty last started a game Monday and has notched only one at-bat since Smith got hurt Wednesday.

Cron (knee) will have season-ending surgery, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Cron suffered a sprained left knee in Monday's game against the White Sox and was hoping to avoid surgery until the offseason, but manager Ron Gardenhire said Saturday that the first baseman will sit out the rest of the schedule. The 30-year-old will hit free agency during the offseason. Jeimer Candelario should step in as the primary first baseman with Willi Castro seeing a potential uptick in playing time at third base.

Tellez went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a second run scored in Friday's win over the Rays.

Sahlen Field in Buffalo is suddenly playing like a bandbox, with the Jays clubbing 13 homers over their last two games, and Tellez has two of them. The 25-year-old still has a mediocre .227/.300/.500 slash line with three home runs and nine RBI in 12 games, but if Tellez keeps slugging, manager Charlie Montoyo may have little choice but to give him more consistent playing time.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a walk a home run and two RBI in Friday's loss to the Phillies.

He went yard back-to-back with Robinson Cano in the third inning off rookie hurler Spencer Howard. Smith has now homered in three straight games, giving him five on the year, and he's enjoying a big August with a .282/.396/.718 slash line, four home runs and nine RBI in 12 games.

Flores went 4-for-5 with a run scored in Friday's loss to Oakland.

Flores entered Friday's contest in a 1-for-17 slump, but he broke out in a big way with a four-hit performance. The utility man is hitting .286 with a .794 OPS, two home runs and three RBI in 42 at-bats this month.

O'Hearn isn't in the lineup for Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Twins.

Since returning from a shin injury Tuesday, O'Hearn has gone 2-for-8 with a double, two RBI and two strikeouts. Ryan McBroom will take over at first base in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.

Cabrera went 1-for-3 with a walk, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Friday's 15-3 rout of the Orioles.

The veteran infielder launched a solo shot in the seventh inning, his fourth homer of the year. With Starlin Castro (wrist) now on the shelf, Cabrera could see time at the keystone, but he was already seeing everyday duty between third base and first base thanks to his .276/.338/.603 slash line with 13 RBI in 16 games.