MLB Player News

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo went 1 for 4 with a two-run home run in his team's 5-3 loss to the Pirates Saturday.

Rizzo briefly put his team ahead with his fourth-inning home run, but the Pirates were able to take the lead back in the next half-inning. Rizzo has hit .278/.400/.506 with 15 home runs and 42 RBI in 255 at-bats.

Indians infielder Carlos Santana has been among the best hitters in the league for nearly a month, dating back to May 22.

MLB.com noted Saturday Santana is second in baseball in OPS since that point, with a 1.137 mark in an 18-game stretch. He has five home runs, 15 RBI and 16 walks in that stretch, while hitting .333.

Santana got off to a slow start to the season, and is still hitting just .196 in 224 at-bats. In spite of that, he has a .725 OPS, thanks to 10 home runs and 53 walks.  

 Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman came around to score twice Thursday, in a 3-0 win over the Nationals.

Freeman reached base three times in the game, and put himself into scoring position with a pair of doubles. He scored two runs in the game, the first time he has done so in nine games.

Freeman has at least two hits in three of his last five games, and is hitting .282/.373/.495 on the season. 

White Sox slugger Jose Abreu continued to terrorize opposing pitchers Wednesday. His latest victim was Giants starter Tim Hudson, whom he took deep for a two-run tater in the first inning of a Chicago win. It was his 20th homer of the season.

Abreu also singled and scored in the fifth as he bolstered his stat line to .269/.321/.608.

First baseman Ryan Howard was one of five Phillies to slam three hits in a Wednesday win in Atlanta, but was just one of two to both score and drive in runs.

Howard doubled and singled twice. His double drove in a run in the second and one of his singles did the same in the fifth. He did end a two-game homer mini-binge, but he has five hits in 13 at-bats in his last three games.

Mets infielder Wilmer Flores drew a start Thursday against the Cardinals for just the seventh time in the last 22 games. However, manager Terry Collins said don't expect Flores to see an increase in starts any time soon.

"We've got to start winning," Collins said in explanation of Flores' sparse playing time, per MLB.com. "We don't have time to develop players right at the moment. You'd like to, for sure. But you can't just say, 'Hey, look, I'm going to sacrifice three or four games as we try and get some of these young guys in the lineup, try to get them going offensively.'

"I understand how it's tough for them to play once every three or four days -- I certainly understand it, I certainly get it. But unless the time comes where all of the sudden we're going to go with our young players and get them better, right now we've got to try to win some games. Not that he can't help us win games -- don't get me wrong. But it's about going with the guys that are really getting it done at the moment."

Outfielder Kole Calhoun went 4 for 5 with a solo homer, two RBI and three runs scored from the leadoff spot Tuesday, sparking the Angels to a 9-3 win over the Indians. It was Calhoun's third multi-hit game in his last four starts.

Calhoun is hitting .276/.336/.470 with five homers, 12 RBI and 25 runs scored in 136 at-bats.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard went 1 for 3 with two walks and a two-run home run in his team's 5-2 win over the Braves Tuesday.

Howard put the Phillies on the board right away, slugging his home run in the first inning and giving his team a lead it would not relinquish. After hitting home runs in consecutive games, Howard has hit .231/.308/.420 with 13 home runs and 45 RBI in 255 at-bats.

Finally, Carlos Santana owners, you're getting semblance of what you drafted.

With a .333 (17 for 51) batting average and four home runs in his last 15 games, the early-round mainstay, as I pointed out in the Fantasy Baseball Today blog, has now outscored Yadier Molina in Head-to-Head points leagues.

Yes, that Yadier Molina, and yes, for the entire season.

Seeing as Santana is still batting just .191 on the season, you're hopefully beginning to grasp just what kind of potential he has at a historically low-scoring position. With continued correction in batting average, even if just to .230, you're looking at a stud.

Santana isn't quite as valuable in Rotisserie leagues, where his walks don't count for anything in and of themselves, but of course, he's no slouch as a power hitter and should ultimately rank among the top catchers in runs scored and RBI.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard hit his 12th homer in the second inning and drove in the go-ahead run in the 13th inning of Monday's 6-1 win over the Braves. Howard launched a 412-foot solo shot to center and finished 1 for 5 with a walk, two RBI, and two runs scored.

Howard is hitting .230/.302/.409 with 43 RBI in 230 at-bats.