MLB Player News

Joseph is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Dodgers, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly reports.

Ryan Howard will start at first base for Tuesday's outing while Joseph gets the night off. Although Joseph had been Philadelphia's primary starter at first this season, he's been sharing time with Howard much more frequently in recent games.

Cron (hand) is expected to progress to taking live batting practice soon, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

Doctors cleared Cron to begin hitting last week, less than a month after he suffered a broken left hand a result of a hit-by-pitch. Given his progress, it seems Cron has a real chance to beat the front end of his original 6-to-8 week estimated return timetable, although he will likely need a few games in the minors to shake the rust before ultimately being activated.

Joseph went 1-for-4 with a solo homer Monday at Dodger Stadium.

Joseph continues to impress for the young Phillies, with 15 homers through 66 games as a rookie. He should continue batting in the heart of the order moving forward, though that spot loses some of its luster on the league's 29th-ranked offense.

Joseph is back in Monday's lineup against the Dodgers, Eric Stephen of SB Nation reports.

Joseph is just 3-for-14 (.214) in August without an extra-base hit, although he has walked three times. He'll get back in the lineup against Dodgers lefty Julio Urias. Joseph is hitting .300/.364/.550 against lefties this season, so the Phillies will hope seeing another southpaw will help him out of his rough patch.

Bour (ankle) will not return to action for Monday's game against the Giants, reports Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald.

It was announced last week that Bour would be out through the end of the Marlins' road trip, but the Marlins are back at home Monday night, and Bour remains out of the lineup. With Bour still on the disabled list, it's not clear how much longer he will be sidelined.

Abreu went 3-for-4 with a double and a solo solo, his 14th home run of the season, in Sunday's 10-2 loss to the Orioles.

The White Sox only managed four hits on the day, so it's no wonder no one was on base for Abreu's homer. His power numbers on the season are still disappointing but the 29-year-old is now hitting .391 (9-for-23) to begin the month of August with three home runs in six games. There's still time for him to salvage his campaign with a big kick to the finish line.

Joseph is out of the lineup Sunday against the Padres, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

For the second day in a row, Philadelphia will start Ryan Howard at first base over Joseph. Joseph has gone just 3-for-16 (.188) over the last seven days. However, he's managed to post a .381 on-base percentage, as he's drawn four walks in that time.

Carter is out of the lineup Sunday against the Diamondbacks.

Milwaukee's slugger will have the day off, as Andy Wilkins is set to start at first base for Sunday's game. Carter, who's hit two home runs over the last seven days, will likely return to the lineup Monday when the Brewers begin their series against the Braves.

Howard went 2-for-3 with a double and a solo home run in a 9-7 loss to the Padres on Saturday.

The homer was Howard's 16th of the season. He's been surprisingly productive of late in his limited playing time with a .342 average over his last 11 starts and eight homers in his last 22 starts. Despite the improved production, Howard will remain limited to spot starts as the Phillies focus on giving playing time to Tommy Joseph at first base.

Freeman finished 3-for-3, including a three-run homer, in Saturday night's 13-5 win over St. Louis.

The first baseman reached base safely in all five plate appearances, including a pair of walks, but perhaps most importantly, he didn't strikeout a single time after recording 11 strikeouts in his past four games. Despite a 26.6 strikeout percentage, Freeman surpassed his home run total from 2015 with a towering 448 foot shot to center in the third inning -- his 19th of the season, putting him on pace to reach a career-high 30 home runs.