When a player begins a season on a hot streak, it’s obvious. When that streak comes later, perhaps on the heels of a season-opening slump, it can get a bit lost. First impressions are hard to shake. That’s the situation facing these five prominent hitters. Each started slowly, falling below

MILWAUKEE -- You can cross another item off top Brewers prospect Keston Hiura’s to-do list: His first home run at Miller Park. The 22-year-old took Reds right-hander Luis Castillo deep leading off the second inning of Wednesday’s series finale at Miller Park, an answer to Cincinnati’s five-run outburst against usually

BALTIMORE -- After playing for a month without a true center fielder in the fold, the Orioles plugged that hole in their roster Wednesday by acquiring Keon Broxton from the Mets. Baltimore sent international bonus slot money to New York in exchange for Broxton, who was designated for assignment last

NEW YORK -- Some years, it’s with champagne, straight out of the bottle. Other years call for cocktails. One way or another, Mets catcher Wilson Ramos makes it a point to celebrate every 11th of November “like a birthday.” That was the day, in 2011, when Venezuelan police commandos freed

CHICAGO -- Much like Phillies right-hander Jake Arrieta in Monday’s matchup at Wrigley Field, Cubs lefty Cole Hamels will face off against his former team for the first time in his career at 8:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday night. The game can be seen live on MLB.TV. The southpaw was

It can feel like a bit of a dubious achievement to win a Comeback Player of the Year Award. After all, to come back from some setback, you have to have fallen back in the first place. Mike Trout isn’t winning any Comeback of the Year Awards because he’s the

CLEVELAND -- From encouraging news about the condition of catcher Roberto Perez to a difficult conversation with outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, Indians manager Terry Francona had a rollercoaster of a morning prior to Wednesday’s contest against Oakland. After getting pulled from Tuesday’s game with a mild concussion, Perez came in to

Bobby Witt Jr. is following in his father's footsteps. The 18-year-old out of Colleyville (Texas) Heritage High School is all but a lock to join his father, former MLB pitcher Bobby Witt, as a first-round Draft pick on June 3.

CLEVELAND -- The A’s aren’t ready to put Khris Davis on the injured list just yet. Davis was out of the lineup for Wednesday’s series finale against the Indians after departing Tuesday’s 5-3 win in the third inning with lingering effects from the left hip contusion he suffered on May

ARLINGTON -- Rangers outfielder Willie Calhoun was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a strained left quad muscle. The Rangers have called up outfielder Delino DeShields from Triple-A Nashville to replace him on the active roster. Calhoun injured his leg trying to beat out a ground ball in

The new president of Mexico has made one thing very clear in his first six months in office: He wants to see more baseball played south of the U.S. border. On Wednesday, Major League Baseball and USA Baseball announced plans to assist with that effort. On a sunny morning in

MILWAUKEE -- Christian Yelich cited improvement before missing a second straight game Wednesday because of back spasms, and a hope that he will be back in action Friday when the Brewers open a weekend series against the Phillies at Miller Park. Yelich wasn’t sure what caused his flare-up Tuesday afternoon

ARLINGTON -- A Mariners roster that has undergone considerable turnover in the past week will see more change this weekend as third baseman Kyle Seager is ready to come off the 60-day injured list Saturday in Oakland. Seager has been sidelined since surgery to repair a tendon he tore in

Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Masahiro Tanaka, Didi Gregorius, James Paxton, Dellin Betances and Troy Tulowitzki, Yankees Stanton was scratched from what would have been his second Minor League rehabilitation game with Class A Advanced Tampa on Tuesday due to tightness in his left knee. Stanton went 1-for-3 with a home

NEW YORK -- A day after offering tight-lipped silence in response to his tiff with Nationals outfielder Adam Eaton, the Mets’ Todd Frazier fired back, alluding to an incident between the two while they were White Sox teammates in 2016. Frazier offered no details about the incident, chalking Eaton’s behavior

ST. PETERSBURG -- Sometime shortly after his second strikeout of the game, Clayton Kershaw was faced with a decision. He was either going to be in for a rough ride Tuesday night, or the Rays were. The decision was an easy one for the Dodgers’ ace, who went on to

NEW YORK -- As the ball traveled in an arc over the left-field foul pole, Pete Alonso hopped down the first-base line, body turned toward left, watching its flight. Afterward, Alonso would say that he knew for sure the ball was staying fair. That did not stop Alonso, in the

CHICAGO -- Long before he inserted Javier Báez into a pinch-hitting spot in the ninth inning against the Phillies on Tuesday night, Cubs manager Joe Maddon wasn’t even certain his star shortstop was available. Earlier in the day, Baez had undergone an MRI on his bruised right ankle, which kept

SAN DIEGO -- Zack Greinke reached a big career milestone on Tuesday night at Petco Park, but he also saw a personal streak end in untimely fashion. The D-backs’ right-hander recorded his 2,500th career strikeout when he fanned Franmil Reyes in the fourth. Two innings later, Greinke’s streak of 178

HOUSTON -- Sometimes, this is what you get with a Justin Verlander start. You get a flirtation with magic. You get dominance. You get something you might just remember. This is why it’s an event every time he steps on a Major League mound. This is also why Cooperstown beckons.

BALTIMORE -- Clint Frazier's first at-bat on Tuesday produced a barreled line drive that landed in the glove of left fielder Dwight Smith Jr., and as he returned to the third-base dugout, the Yankees outfielder permitted himself a chuckle. If his luck didn't improve soon, he promised hitting coach Marcus

BALTIMORE -- Giancarlo Stanton was scratched from what would have been his second Minor League rehabilitation game with Class A Advanced Tampa on Tuesday due to tightness in his left knee. Stanton went 1-for-3 with a home run on Monday in his first contest with the Tarpons. Speaking after the

NEW YORK -- Amed Rosario swung down on the ball, beating it into the ground as the stopwatch clicked on. The Mets’ fastest player chucked his bat, dropped his head and sprinted. At shortstop, Trea Turner edged forward, thought better of that plan and took a healthy step back, fielding