MLB Player News

Flores is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Cubs.

Flores had started at first base in each of the Giants' last five games, with three starts coming versus lefties and two coming versus right-handers. Though the Giants seem content to deploy Flores as their primary first baseman rather than a platoon bat while LaMonte Wade (hamstring) is on the injured list, Flores will nonetheless give way to rookie Trenton Brooks on Monday.

Smith is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Blue Jays.

With southpaw Yusei Kikuchi taking the hill for Toronto, the lefty-hitting Smith will give way to Bobby Dalbec at first base. Expect the two to form a platoon at the position until Triston Casas (ribs) returns from the 10-day injured list, perhaps shortly before the All-Star break.

The Reds transferred Encarnacion-Strand (wrist) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.

Encarnacion-Strand had been on the IL since May 8 with a right ulnar styloid fracture and wasn't expected to begin a rehab assignment anytime soon, so the move to the 60-day IL won't affect his eventual timeline for a return. According to Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer, manager David Bell reiterated Monday that Encarnacion-Strand remains in a bit of a holding pattern in his recovery from the injury. After he had been expected to increase his activity earlier this month, Encarnacion-Strand's rehab progression was put on pause when he sought a second opinion on his wrist from a specialist, who determined that the 24-year-old was dealing with ligament damage. Bell said that the Reds will wait a few more days to see how Encarnacion-Strand's wrist responds to rest before a determination is made on his next step, which could include anything from resuming baseball activities to going under the knife for season-ending surgery.

Horwitz is out of the lineup for Monday's game versus the Red Sox.

Horwitz had started each of the last seven games versus right-handers upon his promotion from Triple-A Buffalo on June 7 and batted either first or second in all of those contests, but he will begin Monday's series opener on the bench. Davis Schneider gets the call at second base and will serve as the Blue Jays' leadoff batter against Red Sox right-hander Nick Pivetta.

Freeman went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 3-0 victory versus the Royals.

Freeman reached double-digit homers on the campaign with his sixth-inning solo blast. The veteran first baseman has begun to pick up the pace in terms of power, going deep four times in 14 contests in June after coming into the month with just six long balls across 59 games. Freeman's pair of hits Sunday also lifted his average back up to .300 -- he's slashing .300/.401/.502 in 319 plate appearances on the season.

Giants manager Bob Melvin said Sunday that it's likely a "stretch" for Wade (hamstring) to return from the 10-day injured list before Thursday's matchup with the Cardinals at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., MLB.com reports.

Wade was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain after suffering the injury while sliding into second base in a May 27 win over the Phillies. Though a Grade 2 strain often entails a recovery timeline of more than a month, Wade said last week that his goal was to make it back for MLB's June 20 Negro Leagues tribute game as the Giants' designated hitter. Wade took steps forward this past week by taking batting practice on the field and increasing the intensity of his running progression, but the 30-year-old looks like he'll still at least one week away from being a realistic option to return from the IL. Wilmer Flores should continue to serve as the Giants' primary first baseman while Wade remains out.

Olson went 3-for-3 with a walk, a double and two runs scored in Sunday's loss to the Rays.

The first baseman extended his hitting streak to 10 games, and his extra-base hit streak to five games, with another impressive performance. Olson is batting .410 (16-for-39) over that 10-game stretch, pushing his slash line on the season to .261/.342/.471 with 11 homers and 38 RBI in 69 contests.

Tellez went 3-for-5 with two RBI in Sunday's win over the Rockies.

Tellez singled three times, including a two-run base hit in the seventh inning. He's slashing .419/.471/.581 with nine RBI over his last nine games. The hot streak has been encouraging but he has plenty of work left to undo his ugly start to the season; Tellez owns a .576 OPS with seven extra-base hits through 58 games.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 9-3 win over the Yankees.

The Red Sox stole a franchise-best nine bases in this contest, and even the not-so-speedy Smith got in on the fun. The first baseman hasn't done much in June, going 9-for-34 (.265) with two extra-base hits and seven walks over 12 contests. It's still an improvement on his .217/.323/.313 slash line through 133 plate appearances this season, and he's added just two home runs, 19 RBI, 12 runs scored and five doubles. Smith remains in a strong-side platoon role at first base, and that'll likely continue until Triston Casas (ribs) returns in July.

Soderstrom went 4-for-8 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored as the Athletics were swept in Sunday's doubleheader versus the Twins.

Soderstrom had three of his hits, including the homer, during the nightcap. He's hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games, going 13-for-38 (.342) in that span. The 22-year-old is up to a .250/.357/.464 slash line with five homers, 13 RBI, nine runs scored and three doubles over 31 contests. Soderstrom continues to see steady playing time at first base against right-handed pitchers, and he could push for closer to an everyday role if he continues to hit well.