Player Notes

David Freese launched a grand slam in Friday's 7-6 win over the Brewers.
Advice: Well, that's one way to bust out of a slump. Freese entered play Friday homerless over his first 27 games this season. With the grand slam, he notched his first RBI since May 2. The Cardinals and fantasy owners are hoping that this night will serve as a turning point for his season.

Martin Prado is batting .275 in May.
Advice: Slowly but surely, Prado is digging himself out of an awful early-season slump. In his first month with the Snakes, Prado slashed an anemic .217/.266/.348. Over 15 games this month, he's batting a reasonable .275/.339/.333. It's certainly not the start Arizona expected after acquiring Prado in the Justin Upton trade and subsequently signed him to a four-year, $40 million contract extension. Sporting his trademark multi-position eligibility and playing in cozy Chase Field, now might be the time to buy low. Prado entered the year a .319/.370/.447 career hitter in Arizona.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Kevin Youkilis (back) will take batting practice "pretty soon."
Advice: Youkilis has hit off a tee and taken soft-toss and is nearing the next step. The Yankees haven't set a timetable for his return, but it's looking like he'll probably be back sometime in late May or early June.
More: Newark Star-Ledger

Todd Frazier went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Monday, dropping his average back down to .224.
Advice: Frazier has six homers and 27 RBI, but he's probably not going to get that average up until he cuts back on the strikeouts. He's fanned 44 times in 43 games this year, compared to 103 times in 128 games last season.

Matt Dominguez went 2-for-4 and hit a three-run homer off Jeremy Guthrie as the Astros topped the Royals 6-5 on Monday.
Advice: Dominguez has four homers in 10 days after going his first 33 games without one. Unfortunately, that is all he's done in the 10 days; he has just two other hits and no walks besides the homers, and his average has dipped to .239. Still, it's a whole lot better than no homers.

Trevor Plouffe left Tuesday's game in the 10th inning after taking a knee to the head.
Advice: Plouffe was sliding into second base to break up a double play when Dan Uggla's knee caught him in the head. The third baseman was able to walk off the field without assistance but appeared to be a little woozy. He'll no doubt undergo concussion tests.
More: Rhett Bollinger on Twitter

Marco Scutaro went 3-for-5 with an RBI single and a run scored Friday against the Rockies.
Advice: Ho-hum, just another multi-hit night for the hottest hitter in the game. Scutaro now has a 16-game hitting streak and has raised his batting average from .215 to .327 in the process. The 37-year-old is not going to provide much in the way of pop or speed, but keep running him out there in all formats until he cools down.

Aramis Ramirez connected for a pair of three-run homers in Friday's loss to the Cardinals.
Advice: Ramirez did his best to keep the Brewers in the ballgame, but it ultimately wasn't enough to keep up with the Cardinals' offensive attack. The 34-year-old has already served a lengthy stint on the DL this season due to a knee injury, but if healthy he should be one of the most valuable fantasy third baseman once again.

Hanley Ramirez (hamstring) has been taking ground balls and hitting recently.
Advice: He's yet to test out his hamstring by running, which is no surprise since he's barely over two weeks into his 4-6 week timetable. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly stressed that the club will make sure Hanley's hamstring is fully healed before bringing him back.
More: Dodgers.mlb.com