Player Notes

Mike Trout homered in the eighth inning Tuesday to complete his first cycle in the Angels' 12-0 massacre of the Mariners.
Advice: Trout struck out in his first at-bat, but he singled, tripled and doubled afterwards before delivered his ninth homer off Lucas Luetge in the eighth. He drove in five runs in all, and he became the youngest player to hit for the cycle since Mel Ott in 1929. Trout has his average up to .293, and he's currently on pace to finish the season with 32 homers, 112 runs scored, 122 RBI and 32 steals.

Wil Nieves has just one hit since April 25.
Advice: The seldom-used 35-year-old has slashed .280/.321/.280 through 28 plate appearances. Nieves, who entered 2013 a .229/.274/.301 career hitter over nine major league seasons, will continue to play sparingly behind starter Miguel Montero.

Pablo Sandoval hit a walkoff homer off Yunesky Maya in the 10th inning Tuesday as the Giants beat the Nationals 4-2.
Advice: Maya wasn't exactly the Nationals' first choice to pitch in the 10th inning of a tie game, but he did manage to get one out before the two-run jack. That's something, right? Sandoval's blast to right-center was his eighth homer of the season. If he can stay healthy, he should surpass his career highs of 25 homers and 90 RBI established in 2009.

Jimmy Paredes went 3-for-3 with his first home run of the season but the Astros lost to the Royals on Tuesday.
Advice: Paredes' homer, a three-run shot, gave the Astros a lead in the fourth inning. He also added two singles on the night to bring his line to .268/.311/.439 through 14 games since being recalled. With the release of Rick Ankiel, it seems Paredes will continue to see plenty of playing time in the Houston outfield.

Evan Gattis hit his ninth home run of the season in the Braves' late win over the Twins on Tuesday.
Advice: It was another pinch-hit home run and it sent the game to extra innings. Gattis still has a weak .302 on-base percentage and doesn't play enough anymore to carry relevance in mixed fantasy leagues, but he should remain a dangerous bat off the Atlanta bench all year.

Danny Espinosa went hitless in a fourth straight game Tuesday, leaving him with a .159 average in 139 at-bats.
Advice: Maybe more patience would be warranted if Espinosa were healthy, but it's quite possible he needs surgery for the partial rotator cuff tear he suffered last year. Besides, he's just killing the Nationals offense right now. Not only is he batting .159, but he's walked just three times all year. His OBP stands at .186.

Daniel Descalso went 3-for-3 with his first career grand slam and an RBI double in the Cardinals' 10-2 rout of the Padres on Tuesday.
Advice: Descalso's slam followed an intentional walk to Jon Jay. Descalso entered the game with an ugly .197/.265/.289 line, and he probably wouldn't have been in the lineup if not for David Freese's thumb injury. The home run was his seventh in 813 major league at-bats.

Alex Gordon went 3-for-4 with a run scored to help the Royals come back and beat the Astros 7-3 on Tuesday.
Advice: Gordon is currently enjoying a nine-game hitting streak in which he's hitting .514 (18-for-35) with four doubles. He's now batting .352/.384/.536 through 42 games, and his move to the No. 3 hole seems to be permanent. The Royals' most consistent hitter and one of the hottest hitters in the league, the 29-year-old could be looking at a career year.

Eric Hosmer went 2-for-5 with two runs scored as the Royals beat the Astros on Tuesday.
Advice: The power is still missing, but Hosmer is now batting .271 with a .342 on-base percentage. The skill set suggests that he will start hitting the ball over the fence soon. He can break out at any time.

Xavier Paul has hit whenever he's been called upon by the Reds, slashing .270/.400/.405 over 90 plate appearances.
Advice: Since he was called up by the Reds last July, Paul has hit as well as any reserve outfielder, batting .294/.389/.438 with four homers and 20 RBI in 160 at-bats. Paul has cost Cincy four runs below replacement defensively in limited opportunities this year, so he'll have to keep his lumber warm to steal at-bats.

Chase Utley was a late scratch from Tuesday's lineup after feeling discomfort in his right side during batting practice.
Advice: He'll be re-evaluated on Wednesday before the Phillies determine how much time he might miss. If it's an oblique issue that Utley is dealing with, obviously there's a good chance it could lead to a trip to the disabled list. Freddy Galvis is taking his spot at second base Tuesday.
More: Jim Salisbury on Twitter

Jemile Weeks has been playing some shortstop at Triple-A Sacramento.
Advice: Weeks offered to learn the position in hopes that it would give him a better chance to be called up. He's actually appeared in more games as a shortstop (14) than he has as a second baseman (12) for Sacramento, and River Cats manager Steve Scarsone has told Bob Melvin that Weeks is "very playable" at the position. Weeks is batting .285/.413/.376 with two homers and eight steals at Triple-A.
More: Athletics.mlb.com

Coco Crisp is not in the Athletics' lineup Tuesday.
Advice: It's just a day of rest after he played in the first four games after being activated from the DL. Chris Young is in center field Tuesday.
More: John Shea on Twitter