MLB Player News

Bell went 0-for-4 against the Dodgers on Tuesday and is batting .160 in his last 50 at-bats since May 20.

The first baseman has totaled only four homers and 32 RBI in 214 at-bats despite batting fourth in the lineup for all of 2018. Surprisingly, the switch hitter is struggling against right-handed pitching, slashing just .235/.310/.367 after compiling a line of .259/.342/.470 in 2017. Bell's OPS has dropped year-over-year (.800 to .695) while his .133 ISO mirrors his 2016 mark -- well off last season's .211 ISO. Bell has played in 59 of Pittsburgh's first 60 games, and while he might be due for a day off, the team will likely continue to roll with the first baseman on an everyday basis.

Goldschmidt went 3-for-4 with a double Tuesday in the Diamondbacks' 3-2 win over the Giants.

The three knocks tied Goldschmidt's season high and give the first baseman multi-hit performances in three of his last 10 appearances. He's slashing .308/.386/.564 over that stretch while striking out in 22.7 percent of his plate appearances, more than seven points lower than his season rate. It amounts to progress for Goldschmidt amid a down season, but it's still fairly troubling that the 30-year-old has delivered the bulk of his production on the road rather than at Chase Field. Likely due in some part to the humidor that was installed in Arizona this spring, Goldschmidt is hitting just .169/.326/.274 at home for the campaign.

Abreu hit safely in both ends of Tuesday's doubleheader. He went 1-for-4 with a double in the opener, then went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in the nightcap.

Abreu finished up May on a 14 at-bat hitless streak, but has turned that around in June with a five-game hitting streak in which he has three doubles, a home run and four RBI.

Freeman went 4-for-4 with a home run, two doubles, two RBI and three runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Padres.

Freeman tagged starter Jordan Lyles for a home run -- his 10th of the year -- as well as two doubles, giving him 18 on the season. Freeman is now slashing .339/.435/.554 with 29 extra-base hits. He's tied for third in the NL with 42 RBI, and his 38 runs lead all MLB first basemen.

Olson went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's loss to the Rangers.

Olson struck out twice for the second straight game, but that was the only knock on him Tuesday. The 24-year-old has been on a tear of late, as he's hitting .450 (9-for-20) with four home runs and 11 RBI during his current five-game hitting streak. Thanks to the recent outburst, Olson's now sporting a .256/.337/.475 slash line that's much closer to last year's output than the rate he'd been going at over the first two months.

Santana went 1-for-3 with a double, two walks, an RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's win over the Cubs.

After sitting below the Mendoza Line for much of the opening two months, Santana's batting average is slowly creeping back up to respectability. The .220 average would mark a career worst over a full season, but he's sporting a .343 OBP. With five walks over the past two games, he now has more walks (39) than strikeouts (35) on the year.

Rizzo went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Tuesday's 6-1 loss to the Phillies.

Rizzo was productive in this one but his teammates didn't offer a ton of support around him, notching just one other extra-base hit all game. The 28-year-old first baseman has been trending in the right direction at the plate, as he's batting .412 over his past 10 games with two home runs and eight RBI. The good stretch has Rizzo's season average up to .250 to go along with a .773 OPS.

Cron (forearm) is in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Nationals.

A hit-by-pitch near the forearm forced Cron from Sunday's game, but X-rays were negative and he will not end up missing a start as a result of the injury. While Cron is playing regularly and is on pace for a 30-homer campaign, he has pretty dramatic lefty/righty platoon splits (.244/.309/.431 against right-handed pitching). He will face right-hander Max Scherzer on Tuesday.

Guerrero (leg) is in the lineup Tuesday for Double-A New Hampshire, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports

Guerrero exited the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader after an awkward play at first base, but he appears to be just fine. He'll look to continue tearing it up at Double-A, as he's hitting an outstanding .409 with 11 home runs and 54 RBI through 51 games. Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported earlier Tuesday that the Blue Jays are considering promoting Guerrero to Triple-A within the next month.

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

It suddenly feels like 2017 again for Olson, who's in the midst of a power surge akin to the jaw-dropping one he generated during his rookie campaign. Sunday's homer was already his third of June, as well as his eighth since May 14. Olson sports an impressive 30.8 percent HR/FB rate and 59.7 percent hard contact rate over that 20-game stretch, numbers that have helped lead to a .438 wOBA and .397 ISO during that span as well. More consistent contact has certainly been a key, as Olson's 19.5 percent strikeout rate in that sample is a significant improvement on the 31.4 percent figure he sported over his first 38 games.