MLB Player News

The Astros gave slumping designated hitter Chris Carter the night off Monday against Seattle, MLB.com reports.

Carter, who hit 29 home runs last season, has just two hits in his last 34 at-bats to start his 2014 campaign. He is slashing .123/.250/.211 with two RBI in 68 at-bats.

Indians third baseman Carlos Santana told reporters Monday he is fine and was not in the lineup against the Royals because it was a scheduled day off. Santana also said he's not bothered by a groin injury, which was reported last week as part of the reason for his slow start offensively.

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu broke out of his recent struggles on Sunday. launching his fifth home run of the season in a 16-2 win over the Rangers.

Abreu launched a two-run home run in the fifth and doubled in a run in the ninth. He added another double and finished 3 for 6 with two runs scored and three RBI. In his last two games, he has five hits over nine at-bats. He is hitting .243 with five homers and 17 RBI in 74 at-bats. 

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard finished a double shy of a cycle Sunday afternoon against the Rockies at Coors Field.

Howard actually made it to second base on a seventh-inning single that got past outfielder Brandon Barnes. He also took starter Juan Nicasio deep for a two-run home run in the third inning. He finished 4 for 5 with three runs scored and three RBI in a 10-9 victory. He is hitting .262 with four homers and 10 RBI in 65 at-bats.

Indians third baseman Carlos Santana is trying to work through a slump, according to MLB.com.

Santana is hitting just .153 through 59 at-bats, and hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo believes he's trying to do too much at the plate. "It just seems like he's trying to do too much," Van Burkleo said. "He went into that spell where he wasn't getting hits, and those 0-fers kind of pile up, and it kind of manifests."

Van Burkleo added that he is trying to get Santana to focus on one at-bat at a time. He praised Santana for his .333 on-base percentage, saying Santana finds a way to contribute even when he's not hitting well.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo was able to start Sunday's game vs. Cincinnati after leaving Saturday's game due to back spasms. Rizzo is batting .419 (18 for 43) with one triple, one home run, two doubles, six RBI, six walks and eight runs in his last 12 games.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo was forced out of Saturday's game against the Reds after eight innings due to back spasms. He felt it in his final at-bat, and the Cubs opted to take him out early as a precaution.

"It just started barking on me in the fifth or sixth, and once we took the four-run lead, I [decided to] play with more caution than go up there, get another at-bat and go out on the field and hurt it even more," Rizzo told MLB.com after the game.

Rizzo also said he felt it Friday, but does not expect it to be a lingering issue. He thinks he will be able to play in Sunday's game.

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman clubbed another home run Friday against the Mets.

Freeman didn't get going until late in the game, but managed to make a big impact. With one man on base in the eighth, Freeman homered on an 83 mph changeup from Gonzalez Germen. He also added a double in the ninth inning.

Freeman finished 2 for 5, with one run and two RBI.

Indians third baseman Carlos Santana hit a home run Friday against the Blue Jays.

Santana only had one hit in the game, but made it count. In the sixth inning, he worked a six-pitch at-bat against Drew Hutchison. He took a 91 mph fastball out to right for a two-run shot. He finished the game 1 for 4, with one run scored and two RBI.

Judging by my Twitter feed, Fantasy owners are at a breaking point with Carlos Santana, and I don't understand why.

Oh, I get that he's batting .157, and that's not good. But I don't think anyone who drafted him expected better than a .260 hitter. And I don't think anyone expected the route to .260 to be an even one from start to finish.

Just look at the way Santana's 2013 went. He had a month-long stretch beginning in early May in which he hit .169. He had a 13-game stretch a couple weeks later in which he hit .146 and a 14-game stretch in August in which he hit .115

He was the same player he is now -- or worse, actually -- off and on throughout last season and still ended up hitting a career-high .268. The only difference now is he's doing it when everyone's paying attention.

He's offered excuses, but he didn't just start bouncing around the diamond this year, and his groin isn't sore enough to require a day off. To me, those just make for better headlines than the most obvious one of all: That's baseball.

If I owned Santana, I'd stick with him and take solace in knowing that even at his worst, he's still able to reach base at a .350 clip. Most players can't say that.