MLB Player News

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.

Joseph is not in the lineup Saturday against the Padres, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reports.

With righty Paul Clemens on the mound for San Diego, the Phillies will opt to go with lefty Ryan Howard at first base and give Joseph the night off. While Joseph's batting average has held steady at .250 over the last 16 games, the rookie slugger has increased his season OBP nearly 30 points due to the eight walks he's tallied during that time.

Abreu went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs scored in a loss to the Orioles on Friday.

Abreu went 32 games without a home run before hitting one Thursday, but it took just over 24 hours for him to hit his next one. He has been making good contact lately, so there may be a few more balls flying over the fences over the season's final months.

Bour (ankle) is not expected to rejoin the team until the completion of their road trip, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

That would make Monday's series opener against the Giants the earliest return date for Bour. In five rehab games with Triple-A New Orleans he has gone just 2-for-18 to go along with one walk.

Bour (ankle) is not expected to return Friday, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

He's not in the lineup for Friday's matchup against lefty Jorge De La Rosa, and he's not listed on the lineup card as a reserve, so it seems the Marlins will wait at least one more day to activate Bour from the DL. Bour has played in five rehab games with Triple-A New Orleans, going 2-for-18 (both singles) with a walk.

Flores is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Tigers.

Flores homered earlier in the week, his 11th on the year, but he's done most of his damage against lefties. The 24-year-old has struggled against right-handers to the tune of a .209/.274/.331 line, and he committed an error at shortstop Wednesday (his second start there this season). It seems Flores may be deployed primarily on the short end of a third-base platoon with Kelly Johnson for the time being -- at least that's the way things are trending.

Abreu went 1-for-4 with a walk and a two-run homer in Thursday's win over the Tigers.

Finally, Abreu snapped his nightmarish homerless drought dating back to June 24 -- a span of 32 games without a home run. He's been one of the more disappointing players in fantasy this year, but Abreu has been making more consistent contact (only four strikeouts in his last 13 games) and his second-half success over the past two years provides some reason for optimism over the final two months of 2016.

Flores is not in the lineup for Thursday's matchup with the Yankees, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Flores will get a night off as Kelly Johnson replaces him at third, batting eighth. Flores had made nine consecutive starts coming into Thursday, going 9-for-35 (.257) with four runs and two RBI during that time.

Howard went 3-for-4 with a solo shot, his 15th of the year, in Wednesday's game against the Giants.

The veteran hit .250 (10-for-40) in July, his best average for any month so far this season. Howard's seeing limited playing time, but he's managed to put something in the stat sheet when he does get a start. If anything, he's moved up in the fantasy ranks to be a punt-play candidate in daily leagues.

Cron (hand) can begin hitting again, and will work out in Arizona on Thursday, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

Cron broke his hand July 8 after getting hit with a pitch, and seems to be progressing nicely on the 6-to-8 week timetable that he was given. He has been cleared to hit almost four weeks after undergoing surgery to repair the fracture. It still appears as though he won't be back until late August, but this may bump up his return date if he continues to show signs of improvement over the next couple weeks.