MLB Player News

Hoskins could be called up to join the Phillies as soon as Thursday, Matt Gelb and Matt Breen of Philly.com report.

Manager Pete Mackanin said he's excited to see Hoskins' bat. He added that Tommy Joseph has done well enough to warrant regular playing time over the rest of the season, but with Aaron Altherr (hamstring) expected to miss several weeks, it sounds like the Phillies will try Hoskins in left field. Hoskins made his first start at the position with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday. The 24-year-old has handled International League pitching easily, slashing .280/.383/.571 with 28 homers and 86 RBI, and should be a target in nearly all formats if he's unowned.

Cabrera is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Rangers.

Cabrera will receive a standard day off after starting the past seven games and finally snapping his three-game hitless skid with a double Tuesday. In his place, Neil Walker draws the start at third, batting sixth.

Cron went 2-for-3 with two RBI against the Orioles on Tuesday.

He's offered a reliable bat -- although in non-everyday playing time -- since being called back up from Triple-A in July. Over 53 at-bats in that span, Cron has hit .302/.351/.566 with four homers and 13 RBI. The solid run has lifted his season average to .240, but the 27-year-old still possesses only middling upside in the fantasy realm.

Hoskins made his first start in left field Monday for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Jordan Hall of CSN Philadelphia reports.

Hoskins made four putouts and did not commit an error over nine innings. He also went 2-for-5 with his 85th RBI of the season. The Phillies are clearly looking for a way to get Hoskins at-bats in the majors without having to bench Tommy Joseph. Hoskins is making another start in left field Tuesday, and could find his way to Philly soon if he continues to handle the transition to the outfield.

Bell is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Tigers.

Bell will take a seat with left-hander Matthew Boyd on the mound for the Tigers, opening up a starting role for Jose Osuna. It's the second time in three games that Bell will hit the bench against a lefty starter, which could become a regular occurrence the rest of the way with the 24-year-old slashing an unremarkable .228/.301/.457 versus southpaws this season.

Flores is out of Tuesday's lineup against the Rangers.

This is notable because Neil Walker is getting his first career start at first base with Jose Reyes starting at second base, so Flores could see his playing time diminish over the rest of the season, especially once top prospect Dominic Smith gets promoted from Triple-A. Flores is hitting .232 with five home runs over his last 69 at-bats.

Olson was recalled from Triple-A Nashville ahead of Tuesday's series opener against the Mariners.

As expected, Olson will rejoin the big club following the departure of Yonder Alonso. The 23-year-old, who was slashing .272/.367/.568 with 23 homers for Nashville this season, is expected to take over as the primary first baseman against right-handed pitchers moving forward. He had some trouble in his earlier stint with the A's, hitting just .196 with 22 strikeouts in 51 at-bats, but he may be worth a look in AL-only or deeper mixed leagues for those in need of a power boost.

Rizzo went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI in Monday's win over the Giants.

That's hits in three straight games and five out of the last seven for Rizzo, who has his season slash line up to .264/.389/.514. He should remain one of the most productive first basemen in fantasy baseball the rest of the way.

Calhoun went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs and an RBI in Sunday's 11-10 loss to Oakland.

Calhoun came in batting just .206 against southpaws but went 2-for-2 with a double against left-handed starter Sean Manaea. He has produced multi-hit efforts in three consecutive starts to open the month of August after failing to achieve that feat in any of his last 16 July games. This hot streak has done little to improve Calhoun's ugly .241/.318/.376 line, though.

Cron will start at first base and bat cleanup Sunday against the Athletics, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Cron will pick up his second start of the series with lefty Sean Manaea on the mound, resulting in Luis Valbuena heading to the bench. Though Cron had batted seventh his last time out Friday, he'll move up a couple spots as the Angels look to cluster more of their right-handed bats at the top of the order.