MLB Player News

Howard is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Royals.

Tommy Joseph will take over at first base Saturday while Howard draws the day off against a left-hander in Danny Duffy. Howard is batting a mere .105 against southpaws this season. He could draw back into the lineup when the Phillies face righty Yordano Ventura on Sunday, but Howard is no longer a bankable everyday option at first base.

Cron went 2-for-5 with a grand slam in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Red Sox.

Cron made Steven Wright pay for loading them up in the sixth, blasting a 3-2 pitch 423 feet over the Green Monster. It extended the 26-year-old's hitting streak to four games, a stretch that's included a trio of multi-hit efforts. It was only his second homer since June 1 but outside of his long-ball drought, Cron was outstanding last month. He finished with a .303/.361/.470 line over 66 at-bats, and raised his average 15 points.

Cabrera went 2-for-4 with a pair of homers and three RBI in Friday's 10-2 victory over the Cubs.

The 30-year-old touched up Jason Hammel twice, getting to him in both the second and fifth innings. Cabrera has hit safely in eight of the last 10 games, while homering four times over that span. Friday's production was particularly encouraging considering the shortstop slumped at the plate in June, tallying only a .228 average and .297 OBP for the month.

Votto went 3-for-6 with a double and run in Friday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Nationals.

The 32-year-old continues to climb out of the considerable hole he'd dug himself in the early part of the season, tallying his second straight multi-hit effort and third in the last five games. Votto finished June with a stellar .319/.466/.549 line, and has raised his average 40 points since the beginning of last month.

Santana went 2-for-8 with a double, go-ahead, 19th-inning solo homer, walk and two runs in Friday's 2-1 victory.

The veteran slugger mercifully put an end to the marathon contest with a shot off infielder Darwin Barney in the 19th inning that eventually sent the weary Indians to their 14th consecutive victory. Santana has now hit safely in four of the last five contests, and seven of his last nine.

Joseph is not in Friday's lineup against the Royals, Stephen Gross of the Morning Call reports.

Joseph has started four of the past five games, but will be out for Friday's contest as Ryan Howard takes over first base. He has been cooling off recently with a rough last couple weeks of June, and has seen his season totals come down to .223/.235/.446 with eight home runs and 15 RBI. Joseph will likely be back in the lineup for Saturday's game.

Bour went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer, two walks and two runs Thursday at the Braves.

Bour's 15th bomb of the year gave the Marlins a 3-0 lead in the third inning of a game they'd go on to lose. He's now blasted four homers in his last six games, and he's slashing .269/.347/.534 on the year.

Votto went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run, his 14th of the year, in Thursday's 13-4 loss to the Nationals.

The first baseman was the only bright spot in the lopsided loss. Votto is doing the best he can with a lackluster supporting cast around him. Over his last four game, the veteran is 5-for-15 (.333) with three home runs, four RBI and four runs.

Rizzo went 1-for-5 with a three-run, inside-the-park home run Wednesday against the Reds.

The first baseman drove a deep fly ball to left-center field, but did not run full speed out of the box as it looked like the ball would be caught. A near collision left Reds' outfielder Billy Hamilton injured on the ground, and Rizzo realized the ball dropped and took off full speed to come around and score. Rizzo topped out at 18.6 mph once he hit full stride and it took him 17.5 seconds to round the bases, according to Statcast. The home run was Rizzo's 19th of the season and his first career inside-the-park homer.

Flores is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals, Adam Rubin of ESPN.com reports.

After starting five consecutive games, Flores will take the night off in favor of left-handed hitting Kelly Johnson as manager Terry Collins look to get the best possible matchups against Max Scherzer. It is likely that Flores returns to the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.