MLB Player News

Walker should be in line for a regular role at first base as Jake Lamb has been sidelined six weeks with a Grade 2 left quad strain, Jack Magruder of The Sports Xchange reports.

Walker was already starting against lefties and will now presumably get the call against most righties as well. He's hitting .368 with three homers on the season so far this year.

Rizzo went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 9-4 loss to the Braves.

The Cubs went scoreless through eight innings before showing a little life in the ninth, which included Rizzo's two-run bomb, his second of the young season. The 29-year-old has hit at least 25 home runs and driven in at least 100 runs the past four seasons.

Montero will open the year with Double-A Springfield, Mike Rosenbaum of MLB.com reports.

This is a challenging assignment for Montero, but it's an assignment he earned after a dominant 2018 season at Low-A and a decent performance over the final month after a promotion to High-A. Montero operates with a pretty aggressive approach, but his elite hand-eye coordination has allowed that approach to work thus far. He is already a known commodity in dynasty leagues, but if he lays waste to Double-A pitchers in the same manner he dominated Low-A pitchers, his stock will continue to soar.

Walker started at first base and went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to San Diego.

The hot-hitting Walker got another start Wednesday, the fifth time he's started with a left-hander on the bump, but cooled off in the finale of Arizona's season-opening road trip. The game also featured the first start at third base for Jake Lamb, the batter with whom Walker has been sharing first base. Lamb suffered what's being called a strained quadriceps and is scheduled for an MRI. Pending Lamb's status, Walker is line for more starts at first.

Flores is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Padres.

Flores has started the past three games for the Diamondbacks, going 4-for-12 with a double, a walk and a pair of runs scored in those contests. Eduardo Escobar will cover the keystone in his absence, with Christian Walker and Jake Lamb manning first and third base, respectively.

Walker went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 8-5 win over the Padres.

Walker launched his third home run, and all three have come against right-handers even though Walker has started exclusively against lefties to this point. Manager Torey Lovullo says first base is not a platoon, but it looks like one. The manager is also having Jake Lamb take fielding practice at third base, so something's brewing on the right side of Arizona's infield.

Alonso sits for the first time this season Tuesday against the Marlins, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Alonso certainly hasn't done anything to suggest he should be removed from the lineup through his first four games, going 7-for-17 at the plate with three doubles and a homer. The Mets may simply want to keep Dominic Smith fresh.

Walker went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Monday's 10-3 win over the Padres.

Walker has come out of the gate hitting, going 6-for-11 with two home runs and two doubles in four games, presenting a challenge for manger Torey Lovullo: how to get both starting first baseman Jake Lamb and Walker, his backup, in the lineup at the same time. Lovullo began setting the stage Monday. Before Walker mashed another left-hander, Lamb took groundballs at third base during batting practice Monday, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. By having Lamb get comfortable at the hot corner, his old position, Lovullo is establishing a path forward to get Walker more playing time while keeping Lamb's bat in the lineup.

Alonso went 1-for-5 with a three-run homer in Monday's 7-3 win over Miami.

Alonso's home run, the first of his career, gave the Mets a four-run cushion after entering the ninth inning all tied up at 3-3. The highly-touted prospect is 7-for-17 with four extra-base hits to start his MLB career. He's absolutely worth a roster spot in all fantasy leagues right now.

Smith will draw the start at first base Tuesday against the Marlins, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Smith is 1-for-3 with two RBI, a walk and a run scored through the first three games of the season, and manager Mickey Callaway will elect to insert Smith's left-handed bat into the starting lineup with Jose Urena (knee) slated to toe the rubber for the opposition. Pete Alonso will likely take a seat as a result.