MLB Player News

Hiura went 1-for-2 with a home run, three RBI and a run scored Tuesday against the Pirates.

Hiura took Derek Holland yard in the sixth inning, homering to one of the deepest parts of PNC Park. It was his first first long ball of the season, though he has now collected at least one hit in three of his last four games.

Rizzo went 1-for-2 with a walk, a solo home run and three runs scored in Monday's 8-7 win over the Reds.

The veteran slugger has kicked 2020 off with a bang, going yard in three of the first four games. It's slightly disappointing that all three homers have come with the bases empty, but Rizzo made up for that Monday by coming around to score two additional times. As long as his back holds up, he should be able to continue staking an early claim to the NL home run crown during the shortened season.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Monday's 7-4 win over the Red Sox.

Smith's long ball came against Red Sox reliever Jeffrey Springs in the fourth inning, extending the Mets' lead to 7-0. Monday marked Smith's first start of the season -- he's behind Yoenis Cespedes for starts at designated hitter to begin the 2020 campaign.

Alonso went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Monday's 7-4 win over the Red Sox.

Alonso went deep off of Red Sox reliever Jeffrey Springs in the third inning. It was a much-needed long ball for the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, who had just one hit in 11 at-bats over the first three games of the season. Alonso set a rookie record and led the majors with 53 homers in 2019, so it's unlikely his bat will stay cool for long.

Walker started at designated hitter Monday and went 0-for-3 with a walk in a 6-2 loss to the Padres.

Walker, who was given a day off Sunday, returned to the lineup Monday. After a groin injury cropped up late in summer camp, Walker has been limited to three starts as the designated hitter. Ildemaro Vargas started at first base Monday after Jake Lamb started the first three games.

Toglia was added to the Rockies' 60-man player pool Monday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Toglia wasn't included on the 60-man roster during summer camp, but he'll head to the Rockies' alternate training site to develop among some of the club's top prospects. The 21-year-old is highly unlikely to appear in the majors this year, but he'll look to prepare for another season in the minors in 2021 after he hit .248/.369/.483 with nine home runs and 26 RBI over 41 games in his first season at the Rookie level in 2019.

Cooper (illness) was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Monday, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

Cooper was one of several Marlins to test positive for COVID-19 recently, and he'll officially be placed on the injured list as a result. Under MLB protocol, he'll have to produce two negative tests before he's allowed to rejoin the team. Jonathan Villar could take over as the primary designated hitter in Cooper's absence.

Naylor is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Diamondbacks.

The lefty-hitting Naylor was on the bench for the first two games of the series while Arizona brought southpaws to the hill, but his absence from the lineup in the series finale is more significant with the Diamondbacks starting a right-hander (Luke Weaver). At this stage, Naylor may not be locked in as a strong-side platoon player for the Padres, which could make it difficult to justify rostering him outside of NL-only leagues.

Cronenworth drove in a run on a double in his first big-league at-bat Sunday.

The 26-year-old entered the game as a pinch runner in the eighth inning and came around to score on a single by Greg Garcia. Cronenworth then got a chance to hit in the ninth, driving a clutch double to deep right field to bring home a run and narrow the Padres' deficit to one run. The stellar debut could weigh on the team's mind as it decides how (or if) to juggle the roster when Jorge Mateo (illness) is ready to play.

Rizzo went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's win over the Brewers.

That's two home runs in three games for Rizzo, a welcome sign given the back issues he dealt with during summer camp. The Cubs will likely use Victor Caratini some at first base to keep Rizzo fresh, but the latter looks healthy to begin the 2020 season and should post big numbers batting second in a strong Chicago lineup.