MLB Player News

The Phillies added Listi to their 60-man roster pool Wednesday, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

A 26-year-old who has yet to reach the majors and is limited defensively to both corner-infield spots and left field, Listi isn't regarded as a significant prospect in the Philadelphia system. That said, he managed to turn in some serviceable power numbers between stops at Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2019, slashing a collective .252/.344/.434 with 19 home runs in 545 plate appearances. Listi will report to the Phillies' alternate training site in Lehigh Valley and could get a callup to the big club if it's without Rhys Hoskins and/or Jay Bruce for any period of time during the 60-game season.

Freeman got the start at designated hitter during Tuesday's loss to the Rays and went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts.

He wound up leaving seven men on base, and Freeman's inability to cash them in was huge in a 5-2 loss. The 30-year-old was one of the most high-profile COVID-19 cases in MLB during the ramp-up to the season, and while it was great to see him recover quickly enough to be in the Opening Day lineup, the time lost is clearly affecting him. Freeman has gone just 2-for-14 through Atlanta's first five games with a single RBI.

Walker started at first base and went 1-for-4 with two runs scored in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Rangers.

This was Walker's first start in the field after dealing with a groin injury late in camp, which limited him to DH-duty only early in the season. His return to first base relegated Jake Lamb to designated hitter. Walker is 4-for-15 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored over four games.

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.