MLB Player News

Beaty (undisclosed) will begin the 2018 season at Triple-A Oklahoma City, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports.

The 2017 Double-A Texas League MVP is dealing with an undisclosed injury, but it sounds like it isn't of the serious nature. Once ready, Beaty will join Triple-A after proving his worth at the Double-A level with a .326/.378/.505 triple-slash in 481 plate appearances.

Bell went 1-for-4 with his first homer of the season Wednesday against the Twins.

The first baseman is batting .400 in 20 at-bats and has at least one hit in each of Pittsburgh's first five games. Bell has also shown a willingness to run on the basepaths, though he's been thrown out on both of his stolen-base attempts. As a rookie last year, he hit only .255 in 159 games. Bell batted .303 in five minor-league campaigns, however, and could provide fantasy owners with a healthy boost in batting average in 2018.

Cooper was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a right wrist contusion, retroactive to April 2, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

He was hit on the wrist by a pitch March 30, and while he saw three at-bats in the games following, it sounds like this move did not come as a surprise to the Marlins beat writers. It was already confirmed that he did not suffer a fracture, so he may be able to return when first eligible April 13 (the Marlins are off April 12). Braxton Lee was recalled from Triple-A as a corresponding move. Lee will serve as the fourth outfielder while Cooper heals up.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said prior to Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Dodgers that Goldschmidt will receive occasional rest days in 2018, Jack Magruder of MLB.com reports. Specifically, Lovullo said he's targeting a games total "in the mid-150s" for Goldschmidt if the first baseman stays healthy for the full season.

Lovullo's pronouncement shouldn't alter Goldschmidt's fantasy outlook, as the slugger has played between 155 and 159 games the last three seasons, with a handful of his seven absences in 2017 due to a September elbow injury. The Diamondbacks' current schedule calls for the team to play no more than six consecutive games until the beginning of May, so it seems unlikely that Goldschmidt will be rested any time in the near future, especially with two of the team's top power bats (Steven Souza and Jake Lamb) on the disabled list. After an 0-for-3 showing Wednesday, Goldschmidt is batting just .059 with only one extra-base hit through six contests, though he has displayed a keen eye at the plate with a 9:6 BB:K.

Arias will open the year with Low-A Fort Wayne as the third youngest player in the Midwest League, Bill Center of MLB.com reports.

The advanced shortstop played 16 games with the TinCaps last year, hitting .242 with a 16:2 K:BB, so he will predictably take another crack at the level. Arias doesn't have any impressive offensive production to point to stateside, but he hit .271/.310/.486 with five home runs and a stolen base in 107 at-bats in the Australian Baseball League this past winter. He has good size (6-foot-1, 185 pounds) and could grow into being a power-hitting shortstop.

Hiura will DH a lot early in the season after experiencing minor elbow discomfort this spring, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

He saw a heavy dose of second base starts this spring and dealt with minor elbow discomfort on some specific throws. The organization is understandably being extra cautious with its top hitting prospect, and given the fact he is highly unlikely to reach the majors until 2019, this should not affect his stock in dynasty leagues. Hiura is opening the season in the Carolina League.

Smith (quadriceps) will make a rehab start with Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday, Betsy Helfand of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Smith started the season on the disabled list after straining his right quad in spring training and is expected to play five innings for Las Vegas. The 22-year-old will likely need to make at least a few appearances to work his way into full game readiness, but he still appears on track for a mid-April return from the DL, although remaining in Triple-A once healthy is a possibility.

Freeman has faced the lowest percentage of pitches in the zone among all hitters who have faced at least 50 pitches through Monday's games, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Just 30.1 percent of pitches thrown to Freeman have been in the zone, which ranks last in the group of 189 hitters. It's a continuation of a trend from last year, where Freeman's 42.9 percent rate ranked 308th out of the 314 hitters who faced at least 1,000 pitches. It's likely that Freeman will continue to get very few pitches to hit while Nick Markakis remains behind him in the lineup. He could see more pitches to hit once Ronald Acuna is up.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-4 with a double, three walks and two runs Monday in the Diamondbacks' 8-7 win over the Dodgers in 15 innings.

It's already the second three-walk game for Goldschmidt this season, boosting his on-base percentage to a lofty .450. Unfortunately for owners in traditional 5x5 formats, the double Goldschmidt notched was his first hit of the season, limiting him to just an .083 average thus far. There's little reason to think that Goldschmidt will be in store for a major downturn from the .297 mark he posted in the category a season ago, but his 1-for-12 start to the campaign is undoubtedly frustrating for those who invested a first-round pick into the 30-year-old.

Smith (quadriceps) will travel to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Smith opened the year on the DL due to a strained right quad, but is now back with the team and should be able to take regular at-bats soon. The young first baseman has a lot of work to do, but is expected to eventually be up with the big-league club to compete with Adrian Gonzalez and Wilmer Flores for reps.