MLB Player News

Bell went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 7-3 victory over the Marlins.

In addition to driving in three runs Sunday, Bell hit his fourth double of the year. While it remains to be seen if his .305 batting average will move back toward last season's mark of .255, Bell has started the season in stride and has posted a .797 OPS over 15 games.

Smith (quadriceps) has been activated from the 10-day disabled list and optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Smith has been nursing a quad injury since late February, which ruled him out of an Opening Day roster spot and essentially took away his spring. He's currently on a rehab assignment with the Las Vegas 51s, where Smith is 8-for-30 at the plate to begin the year. Smith will need more time in the minors to establish his timing and rhythm, and he's eventually expected to challenge for first-base reps at the major-league level. That position is currently occupied by a platoon of Adrian Gonzalez (.242) and Wilmer Flores (.190). This roster move is merely a formality to buy the Mets more time while Smith continues his rehab.

Rizzo (back) is expected to be activated from the disabled list Monday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Rizzo was placed on the disabled list April 9 but has progressed through his rehab schedule with no setbacks. Manager Joe Maddon said he expects Rizzo back in the lineup Monday, but the team will monitor his condition throughout the game, especially due to the cold temperature.

Smith (quad) is 8-for-30 (.267) with two home runs, four doubles, and six RBI over eight games since beginning a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas on April 5.

Smith posted a .905 OPS over 114 games with Las Vegas a year ago, and he has fared even better there early in 2018. The Mets can stash him on the disabled list for more than another week, but unless they are ready to pull the plug on Adrian Gonzalez just a month into the season, it seems likely Smith will remain with Las Vegas when activated in order to get regular at-bats.

Cabrera is not in the lineup Sunday against the Brewers.

Cabrera will receive a routine day of rest following 10 consecutive starts. Despite his 0-for-4 showing Saturday, the veteran second baseman is off to a spectacular start this season, slashing .321/.368/.566 through his first 13 games played. Jose Reyes will take over at second base and bat seventh in his stead.

Bour is not in the lineup Sunday against the Pirates, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

Bour will receive the afternoon off following nine consecutive starts at first base. The veteran is hitting just .216 over the first couple weeks of the season, so a day off may help him clear his head. Derek Dietrich will man first base in his absence.

Goldschmidt went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored Saturday against the Dodgers.

Goldschmidt enjoyed a productive performance Saturday, with the main damage coming on a two-run home run off left-hander Rich Hill in the third inning. He is breaking out of a slow start to the season with three home runs in his past four games. His value is still a bit muddled due to the humidor at Chase Field, but there is no doubt that he remains one of the best fantasy options at first base.

Bour went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Friday's win over the Pirates.

It's his third home run of the season, all coming in the last three games. Bour's .208 batting average should continue to rise as the season progresses, but with eight RBI in 13 games he's on his expected pace in terms of run production.

Cooper (wrist) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list Friday, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

There was a thought that Cooper may be able to return sometime in April given that he's only expected to be in a cast until around April 16, but Craig Davis of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that he actually received a new diagnosis of a partial tear of the tendon sheath in his right wrist. As a result, he's now expected to miss two months of action even though surgery isn't needed. J.B. Shuck will replace him on the active roster.

Santana is in the 98th percentile in hard-hit rate despite an ugly .150/.245/.375 slash line through his first 49 plate appearances, MLB.com reports.

Santana's slow start can be attributed to a .118 BABIP. Sometimes, a drop in BABIP can be caused by a decline in skills, leading to a hitter making weaker contact or popping the ball up more often. That's not the case for Santana, who is hitting the ball extremely hard. Unfortunately, he's been hitting the ball right at fielders, as he leads all of baseball in hard-hit outs with 16. Only one other hitter has more than 12. His other secondary statistics universally point to a turnaround, as his groundball rate of 27.8 percent is far below his 42.2 percent career average, while his 14.3 percent strikeout rate and 12.2 percent walk rate are right in line with the numbers he's posted over the past two seasons. Santana's owners certainly won't be happy with the numbers he's posted so far, but ultimately there's nothing going on here other than a lesson in small sample sizes. Expect a turnaround if he keeps crushing the ball like he has been so far.