MLB Player News

Abreu went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Friday's loss to the Twins.

Abreu hit a two-run homer off Twins starter Jose Berrios in the first inning and got an RBI groundout in the third. Abreu now has seven home runs, 16 RBI and seven multi-hit games. The first baseman has reached 25 home runs and 100 RBI in each of the last four seasons, and he should be expected to keep producing along those lines as long as he's healthy.

Gurriel went 4-for-5 with a double, a run and three RBI in Houston's 8-0 win over Arizona on Friday.

After hitting .299 and posting an .818 OPS last season, Gurriel was hitting just .243 coming into this contest but was able to bump that all the way up to .280 with the four-hit effort. He still has just one home run on the season after launching 18 last year, so hopefully Friday's breakout means he'll start to find his power stroke as well.

Santana went 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run home run in Friday's 7-3 loss to the Nationals.

The homer was his third of the season, while the multi-hit performance snapped a 2-for-24 skid over his prior seven games. Santana has had a brutal start to his tenure with the Phillies, slashing .164/.301/.318, but Friday's effort might be a sign his luck is beginning to turn.

Voit was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Friday.

Voit was recalled just two days ago, but failed to make an appearance in either game for which he was present. He'll head back to the minors to make room on the active roster for Sam Tuivailala to return from the disabled list. The hefty first baseman is struggling a bit in Memphis this season, producing just a .605 OPS with no homers in 48 plate appearances for the Redbirds.

Hall leads all High-A hitters with nine home runs so far this season.

Through 107 plate appearances for High-A Clearwater, Hall is hitting .284/.364/.621 with nine home runs. A 14th-round pick in the 2016 draft, Hall has hit at every stop in the minors so far, smacking 27 homers for Low-A Lakewood last season. The 22-year-old doesn't have much prospect pedigree, and the offensive bar for first base prospects is quite high, but there's nothing he can do to raise his profile except to hit and keep hitting, which he's done so far. He's still three levels from the majors, but if he keeps up this level of performance for Clearwater and after a potential promotion to Double-A Reading, he could put himself on the prospect map.

Walker was optioned to Triple-A Reno following Wednesday's game.

In a corresponding move, the Diamondbacks activated Steven Souza (pectoral) from the 10-day DL. During 15 appearances with Arizona this season, Walker only started one game and went 2-for-15 with one home run and two RBI while striking out nine times. He will return to the Triple-A level and receive everyday at-bats moving forward.

Bell is not in Thursday's lineup against the Nationals.

The first baseman is batting .169 in his last 59 at-bats and has just one homer in 2018. For the season, Bell is slashing .237/.305/.331. By comparison, he slashed .235/.340/.407 with four homers through the first 27 games in 2017. David Freese will start in Bell's place Thursday.

Bell is out of the lineup Thursday against the Nationals, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Bell will be joined on the bench by fellow lineup regulars Francisco Cervelli and Jordy Mercer as the Pirates wrap up their series in Washington with a matinee. With just one home run and a .237 average across 131 plate appearances this season, Bell has been a disappointment thus far for the Pirates and fantasy owners, but there's no indication that he's in any real danger of consistently losing at-bats to David Freese, who will start at first base in Bell's stead Thursday.

Shaw went 3-for-4 with two home runs Wednesday for Triple-A Sacramento in Las Vegas.

Shaw had struck out nine times in his previous 14 at-bats, so this was a much needed slump buster. His .263/.320/547 slash line and seven home runs in 103 plate appearances is on par with what most were expecting in his return trip to the Pacific Coast League, but his 38.8 percent strikeout rate is very concerning, specifically regarding his short-term prospects. He will need to get the strikeouts under control before he can be viewed as a viable option in the big-league outfield.

Rizzo went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Rockies.

Rizzo had a brutal opening month of the season, but he's now left the park in consecutive games -- his first two blasts since a solo shot on Opening Day. The 28-year-old has just a .171/.269/.280 slash line on the year, but should eventually start turning it around as he's been plagued by an unsustainably low .164 BABIP.