MLB Player News

Horwitz went 3-for-5 in Wednesday's 11-9 loss to the Astros.

Horwitz's bat remains hot -- he hasn't been held hitless in consecutive games since April 30-May 1. He has gone 13-for-36 (.361) with three extra-base hits over his last nine contests, a span that includes five multi-hit performances. The infielder is now batting .291 with an .852 OPS, seven home runs, 26 RBI, 24 runs scored, eight doubles, one triple and one stolen base. While Horwitz doesn't offer much speed, he gets on base enough (.390 OBP) to be a quality leadoff hitter in the absence of shortstop Konnor Griffin (elbow).

Olson went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Blue Jays.

Olson now has four multi-hit performances in his last six games as he continues his hot hitting. The first baseman has a .273/.348/.562 slash line and 17 home runs through 62 games this season. Olson is powering these stats by being in the 95th percentile of baseball in expected slugging (.549) and average exit velocity (93.5 mph).

Triple-A Lehigh Valley activated Anthony (toe) from the 7-day injured list Tuesday.

Following a rehab assignment with Single-A Clearwater and then High-A Jersey Shore, Anthony is back in action with the Triple-A club. Anthony, who missed about two months of play with a fractured toe, went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in his return to the IronPigs on Tuesday.

Vientos is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.

Vientos will head to the bench for the second time in the three-game series with Seattle while he's mired in extended slump at the dish. Over his last 12 games, Vientos has slashed .146/.167/.244 while drawing no walks and striking out at a 26.2 percent clip. The Mets will go with Jared Young at first base in place of Vientos on Wednesday.

Naylor (back) will start at first base and bat third in Wednesday's game against the Mets.

Naylor will make his return to the starting nine after he exited with back spasms in Monday's series opener and then sat out Tuesday's 8-3 win. The Mariners will hope that the brief absence won't disrupt Naylor's rhythm at the plate; over his last eight games, the 28-year-old has gone 10-for-33 (.303 average).

Clemens is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

Most of Clemens' absences from the lineup this season have come against left-handed pitching, but he'll get a breather Wednesday while the White Sox send righty Erick Fedde to the hill for a day game after a night game. Clemens had started in every game for the Twins dating back to May 15, slashing .239/.280/.437 with two home runs, eight RBI and seven runs over that 18-game stretch. The 30-year-old had seen playing time at all three outfield spots as well as first base and second base during that period, but he's likely to receive most of his starts at first base moving forward now that Byron Buxton is back to playing center field on a more regular basis.

Gonzalez will start at first base and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Twins.

Gonzalez was left out of the starting nine for the White Sox's first game following his call-up from Triple-A Charlotte last Saturday, but manager Will Venable has since included the 24-year-old in the lineup in each of the ensuing four games. Through his first three starts, Gonzalez has gone 2-for-10 with a 1:6 BB:K. He looks like he'll be given an extended trial as the White Sox's everyday first baseman while star rookie Munetaka Murakami (hamstring) is on the shelf for at least the next four weeks.

Alonso went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Red Sox.

The first baseman took Connelly Early deep in the third inning for what proved to be the game-winning hit. Alonso has hit safely in six straight games, and over his last 12 contests he's slashing .319/.377/.574 with four of his 12 homers on the season, along with eight runs and 12 RBI.

Harper went 1-for-3 with a walk, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Padres.

The veteran slugger got the Phillies on the board by taking Randy Vasquez deep in the fourth inning before crossing the plate with the winning run on an Alec Bohm double-play grounder in the sixth. Harper has just three hits in his last eight games but two of them have left the yard, and on the season he's slashing .262/.363/.519 with 14 homers, four steals, 36 runs and 36 RBI in 60 contests.

Freeman went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

The Dodgers never trailed in this contest, in part thanks to Freeman's first-inning blast. The first baseman has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games, going 12-for-35 (.343) with three homers and nine RBI in that span. He's now hitting .274 with an .835 OPS, nine homers, 32 RBI, 30 runs scored, two stolen bases, 15 doubles and a triple over 58 contests. Freeman's not quite at the level he's displayed over the last two years, but he is trending up in recent weeks.