MLB Player News

France isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks.

France is expected to start at designated hitter for most of the Padres' games against left-handers this year, but he'll sit Saturday against southpaw Robbie Ray. The 26-year-old went 1-for-4 on Friday, but Wil Myers will take over at designated hitter with Edward Olivares making his MLB debut in right field.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs in a win over the Pirates on Friday.

Teammates Dexter Fowler, Tyler O'Neill and Paul DeJong took care of the big hits for the Cardinals, but Goldschimdt was effective setting the table by getting on base thrice. The slugger will look to complement his impressive power numbers this season with a more consistent on-base presence in a manner akin to Friday, as his Cardinals debut campaign in 2019 featured his lowest batting average (.260) since his initial big-league cup of coffee in 2011.

Hoskins went 1-for-3 with a walk in Friday's Opening Day loss to the Marlins.

The generally unimpressive line was one of the best on the day for the Phillies, who managed just five hits and three walks over the course of the contest. It's perhaps significant that Hoskins hit second, a spot he occupied just 16 times last year while serving as the cleanup man on 127 occasions. Hoskins hasn't slugged over .500 since his debut back in 2017, but he's produced on-base percentages of .354 and .364 the past two seasons, so the move up the order makes some sense.

Rizzo went 1-for-2 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored in Friday's 3-0 win over the Brewers.

Rizzo batted second and was productive in a game in which the Cubs only recorded five total hits. The slugging first baseman missed some time in summer camp due to a back issue, but he looks healthy to begin the season. The team might still get Victor Caratini some starts at first to keep Rizzo fresh during the 60-game sprint.

Walker (groin) went 2-for-4 with an RBI single in Friday's 7-2 loss to the Padres.

Walker served as the designated hitter in Friday's game after some doubt that he would be ready for Opening Day. The 29-year-old's contribution to the offense came when he knocked in Starling Marte in the ninth inning. Walker swatted 29 homers and supplied 73 RBI while posting a .259/.348/.476 batting line in his first full season in 2019. With the National League adopting the designated hitter in 2020, Walker's bat should be in the lineup almost every day.

Calhoun went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 7-2 loss to the Padres.

Calhoun sent an offering from Padres reliever Emilio Pagan to deep right-center to get the Diamondbacks on the board in the seventh inning. After a career-best 33 homers and a .467 slugging percentage with the Angels in 2019, Calhoun figures to be a fixture in the middle of manager Torey Lovullo's lineup. The power will have to be enough -- Calhoun hasn't hit over .250 since 2016.

Votto went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Friday's 7-1 win over the Tigers.

Both hits were off lefty Matthew Boyd. Votto had one home run against a left-handed pitcher all of last season (144 plate appearances), so this was an encouraging way to kick off the 2020 campaign for the veteran. He is batting in the two hole ahead of Eugenio Suarez and Nick Castellanos.

Walker (groin) will bat fifth and serve as the designated hitter in Friday's season opener against San Diego.

Walker had been battling a groin strain for over a week, though he remained confident about his readiness for Opening Day. That optimism turned out to be accurate, though he won't be taking the field just yet, with Jake Lamb getting the nod at first base. Whether that's the Diamondbacks' preferred alignment or if Walker will be back at first base soon remains to be seen.

Freeman (illness) was activated from the injured list Wednesday.

Despite a late start to summer camp due to COVID-19, Freeman was able to make the Opening Day roster and will presumably be in the three hole for Atlanta against Jacob deGrom on Friday. Freeman was open about his battle with COVID-19, telling FOX Sports that he prayed for his life at one point when his fever spiked to 104.5 degrees. Fortunately, Freeman now seems to be feeling back to his normal self, at least for the most part. He had three hits, including a homer and a double, in Monday's intrasquad game.

Cronenworth is part of the Padres' 30-man roster.

Cronenworth had been on the bubble for an Opening Day roster spot, but he got the nod Thursday in part due to the absence of Jorge Mateo (illness). Cronenworth is not expected to pitch this season, instead serving exclusively as a utility infielder.