MLB Player News

Cooper went 2-for-5 with two walks, a home run, three RBI and three runs scored Tuesday against the Padres.

Cooper reached base four times, including on a timely hit in the bottom of the second that drove in a pair of runs. In the eighth inning he took Robbie Erlin deep to record his 11th home run of the season. Cooper has quietly swung the bat well this season, hitting .315/.389/.520 across 226 plate appearances. He's shown no signs of slowing recently, posting three multi-hit games -- with three home runs -- in four contests since the All-Star break.

Cron was activated from the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. He'll start at first base and bat fifth against the Mets.

Cron was sent to the shelf July 6 due to right thumb inflammation, but he was able to return following the 10-day minimum. He's slashing .266/.326/.495 with 17 home runs and 54 RBI over 78 games this season for Minnesota.

Walker will not start Tuesday against Texas.

Walker gets the day off even with the DH spot available in the American League park. Kevin Cron will fill that position, with Jake Lamb starting at first base.

Shaw has hit for a combined 18 homers and 62 RBI across two levels in the minors this season.

Shaw slashed .288/.368/.500 in 45 games with Double-A Richmond, and hasn't missed a beat since his promotion to Triple-A Sacramento (.291/.348/.574 in 35 games). The 25-year-old slugger started in Double-A after struggling at Triple-A last season, but he has apparently taken a big step forward in the plate discipline department. The Giants are currently set at first base and left field, so it may take some trades at the deadline to open up a spot for Shaw on the major-league roster.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-2 with a two-run double, two walks and three runs in a win over the Pirates on Monday.

The impactful hits that have largely eluded Goldschmidt for the majority of the season continued to materialize Monday. Goldschmidt has racked up three doubles and three home runs over 40 plate appearances across his first 10 games in July, giving his slugging percentage a quick 25-point boost to .430. While that remains well below his career .524 figure, his recent surge and the fact he's sporting a career-high 49.2 percent hard-contact rate hint at the possibility that Goldschmidt may be primed to continue his ascent back up.

Hiura went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, an RBI and a stolen base in Monday's loss to the Braves.

Hiura has come out of the gates hot in the second half, going 9-for-16 (.563) with five extra-base hits, four RBI, and two steals in four games. The player Hiura replaced in the Brewers' starting lineup, Travis Shaw, is getting things going at the Triple-A level, but Hiura doesn't seem to be in any mood to swap spots again. He now owns a .915 OPS through 31 big-league games.

Freeman went 1-for-3 with a walk and a three-run home run in Monday's 4-2 win over the Brewers.

His fourth-inning shot was all the offense Max Fried and the Atlanta bullpen would need on the night. Freeman only has two hits in 15 at-bats since the All-Star break, but both of them have left the yard, giving him 25 homers and 74 RBI through 94 games to go with his .302/.388/.582 slash line.

Bell went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts in Monday's 7-0 loss to the Cardinals.

He's slashing .219/.315/.511 with nine homers and 32 RBI in 162 plate appearances since the end of May. The Pirates have hinted at giving Bell a breather in the coming days. The first baseman has appeared in 92 of 93 games and hasn't missed a game since June 4 against Atlanta. Bell leads the majors in doubles (31) and RBI (84) but he's cooled off after his breakout start.

Lowe took grounders at third base prior to Monday's game against the Yankees, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports. "I want to see what he looks like over there," manager Kevin Cash said. "He played there in [Triple-A] Durham maybe a game or a couple of innings, but just to get more versatility to us. We're an injury from exploring that. Maybe he's a late-game situation where we have that flexibility that if he's at first, shift him over to third, we might look to do that."

Lowe had the night off Monday, but he celebrated the resumption of play after the All-Star break by securing American League Player of the Week honors for his .471 tally over the four-game weekend set against the Orioles. With Ji-Man Choi now off the injured list, Lowe's playing time may take at least a slight hit, but the ability to potentially play some third base could conceivably give the impressive rookie another route to consistent at-bats.

Beaty was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Beaty has been promoted to take the place of Chris Taylor, who was diagnosed with a broken left forearm Monday. Beaty has pieced together a .278/.297/.407 slash line with two homers and 17 RBI in 37 games this season for the Dodgers.