MLB Player News

Gallo is absent from the lineup for Monday's contest against the Pirates, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Gallo started each of the Nationals' first three contests against a right-hander, but he went 0-for-12 with six strikeouts and will now take a seat versus lefty Marco Gonzales on Monday. Joey Meneses will handle first base in Gallo's stead.

Tellez is out of the lineup for Monday's game versus the Nationals.

The Pirates are facing a fifth straight left-handed starting pitcher to begin the season, and the lefty-hitting Tellez has now been on the bench on three occasions. Connor Joe will start at first base Monday in Tellez's stead.

Montero will serve as the Rockies' designated hitter and No. 8 batter in Monday's game against the Cubs, Luke Zahlmann of The Denver Gazette reports.

Montero has now started each of the Rockies' first five games of the season, with three starts coming at DH and two at first base. Charlie Blackmon has been playing more right field than expected early on and Kris Bryant not being confined to first base has allowed Montero everyday at-bats thus far. He has just two hits, but a 3:3 K:BB is encouraging for a player who drew just 15 walks all of last season.

Encarnacion-Strand went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's 6-5 victory over Washington.

The Reds made a dramatic comeback in the bottom of the ninth, plating three runs after the first two batters were retired to gain the win. After Will Benson tied the game with a two-run shot, Encarnacion-Strand walked it off with a solo blast. The homer was his first hit after going 0-for-12 to start the season.

Tellez went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run during Sunday's 9-7 victory over the Marlins.

Tellez earned the start against Marlins lefty starter Trevor Rogers and struck out three times prior to crushing a go-ahead three-run homer off right-handed reliever Vladimir Gutierrez in the seventh. It was the first homer of the season for Tellez, who started just two of the four games in Miami due to the Marlins' lefty-heavy rotation. The Pirates are scheduled to face a fifth-straight southpaw Monday in MacKenzie Gore of the Nationals, putting Tellez at risk of sitting for the third time in five games. However, Tellez is slated to be the primary first-basemen against righties, and as the Pirates' schedule normalizes, he will be in line for the bulk of the work.

Walker went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Sunday's win over the Rockies. He was also hit by a pitch

For the second time in three days, Walker went deep in the first inning against Colorado. The veteran first baseman drilled 30-plus homers with an OPS over .800 in each of the last two seasons and is off to a strong start in 2024. He's slashing .313/.421/.750 with three extra-base hits and five RBI through four games.

Flores exited Sunday's matchup with the Padres in the top of the second inning with a right shoulder contusion, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Flores was forced to leave Sunday's series finale with San Diego without even getting an at-bat after he went head over heels into the dugout trying to catch a foul ball in the bottom of the first inning. Luis Matos replaced him in the lineup. Flores will likely undergo additional testing, and more information on his status may be provided following Sunday's contest.

Freeman went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI versus the Cardinals in an extra-inning loss Saturday.

Freeman put the Dodgers on the board with a run-scoring single in the fifth inning, and he helped force the game into an extra frame by singling and scoring the tying run in the ninth. The All-Star first baseman is showing no signs of slowing down in his 15th big-league campaign, slashing .333/.500/.500 with a home run, four RBI and a 5:6 BB:K through 24 plate appearances. Freeman is in a great spot to produce batting behind Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani in a loaded Dodgers lineup.

Alonso went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 7-6 loss to the Brewers.

The first baseman took Abner Uribe deep in the ninth inning for his first homer of 2024, but the Mets couldn't find a tying run afterward. Alonso has belted at least 40 homers in each of the last two seasons, but last year's .217 batting average and .318 OBP muted the fantasy utility of his power. He'll look to deliver something closer to the .267/.348/.518 slash line he generated in 2021-22, especially with free agency looming after the season.

Hoskins went 3-for-4 with a walk, a home run, two runs scored and four RBI in Saturday's 7-6 win over the Mets.

The 31-year-old first baseman took Luis Severino deep in the third inning for his first homer of the season and as a Brewer. Hoskins missed all of 2023 due to an ACL tear, but he slugged 57 homers in 263 games over the prior two years for the Phillies while slashing .246/.333/.489, and he's expected to return to that level of performance now that he's healthy.