MLB Player News

Alonso hasn't been told as of Monday whether or not he'll make the Mets' Opening Day roster, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Reports from last week indicated that Alonso had made the team, but those now appear to be premature. Alonso's excellent spring, in which he's hit .358/.386/.642 with four homers, certainly suggests he deserves a roster spot, but it's possible that the Mets still haven't ruled out keeping him in the minors for a few weeks in order to manipulate his service time.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in a Grapefruit League win over the Braves on Sunday.

Fresh off signing a five-year, $130 million extension earlier in the weekend, Goldschmidt commemorated the milestone with his third round tripper of spring. The veteran slugger has wasted no time in acclimating to his new St. Louis digs, hitting .280 with three doubles, one triple, three homers and six RBI this spring.

Cooper appears to be the Marlins' Opening Day right fielder after Peter O'Brien was optioned to Triple-A New Orleans, Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald reports.

O'Brien could return to the majors if he proves he can make at least semi-consistent contact, but in the meantime Cooper will likely handle the bulk of the work in right. The 28-year-old is hitting .395 (17-for-43) this spring, but he hasn't gone yard and his .276/.325/.382 career line during his brief big-league career suggests he won't be adding much power to a fairly feeble Marlins lineup.

Hoskins (shoulder) is back in the lineup Monday against the Rays.

The minor shoulder issue that popped up early last week seemed to potentially threaten Hoskins' Opening Day availability, but he should be good to go, barring setbacks. He'll take his customary cleanup spot in the lineup Monday in a batting order which looks to be a copy of the one the Phillies will run out on Opening Day. With three new bats ahead of him (Andrew McCutchen, Jean Segura and Bryce Harper) and a fourth right behind him (J.T. Realmuto), Hoskins should be primed for a strong year in his third big-league season.

Walker has made the Opening Day roster, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Walker earned the roster spot with a productive spring, slashing .370/.434/.609 over 52 plate appearances. The team has said Jake Lamb will start at first base against lefties and righties, but he has a career 46 wRC+ in 412 plate appearances against southpaws, so it may not be long before the righty-hitting Walker is getting starts against lefties.

Manager Clint Hurdle said Bell will "absolutely" be the Pirates' cleanup hitter in 2019, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Bell has primarily hit fourth throughout his career, so this should be nothing new for him. The first baseman owns a .200/.231/.360 with a pair of homers through 17 games this spring. Bell is hoping for a bounce-back year in the power department after hitting just 12 homers last season (down from 26 long balls in 2017).

Hoskins (shoulder), who is not in the lineup Sunday against the Orioles, is planning to play Monday against the Rays, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Hoskins has been nursing a sore shoulder. The first baseman was able to take batting practice and hit off a high-velocity pitching machine Sunday, clearing the way for him to return for the team's final game of spring. Assuming everything goes off without a hitch Monday, Hoskins should be ready to go for Thursday's opener against the Braves.

Hoskins (shoulder) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

The Phillies continue to term Hoskins' shoulder soreness as mild, but the team would surely like to see the star slugger return to game action prior to Opening Day to feel more confident about his status. After Saturday, the Phillies will have only two more spring contests on the docket before the March 28 season opener versus the Braves, so Hoskins is running short on time to prove his health. Sean Rodriguez is drawing the start at first base Saturday, but Maikel Franco would be the top candidate to fill in at the position if Hoskins' absence should extend into the regular season.

Alonso will be on the Mets' Opening Day roster, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

The Mets have said they'll open the season with their best 25 players, and Alonso clearly fits in as part of that group. The old regime kept him in the minors late in the year for service-time reasons, but new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen apparently has other plans. Alonso has the potential to be a weapon this season after hitting a combined .285/.395/.579 with 36 homers in 132 games across the two highest levels of the minors last year.

Hoskins (shoulder) remains out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Yankees, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Hoskins has been out for a few days with mild shoulder soreness. It was initially reported that he could return Friday, but he'll wind up missing at least one more game. Maikel Franco will fill in for him at first base and would likely shift from third to first on a regular basis should Hoskins miss an extended period at any point this season.