MLB Player News

Voit, who went 1-for-4 with a run in Thursday's 3-3 Grapefruit League tie with the Twins, is hitting .412 (7-for-17) with two doubles, four RBI, two walks and three runs in six spring training games.

It's an excellent start to a pivotal exhibition season for Voit, who proactively undertook a number of initiatives this offseason designed to up his chances of sticking on the 25-man roster. The 27-year-old put in work at learning both corner infield spots, implemented a dietary regimen that led to a 15-pound weight loss and is currently working on a swing adjustment in spring training that's intended to increase his overall contact rate. Voit was serviceable in his first regular-season exposure to major-league pitching in 2017, slashing .246/.306/.430 with nine doubles, four home runs and 18 RBI across 124 plate appearances. However, a bloated 25.0 percent strikeout rate and a corresponding mediocre 73.0 percent contact rate conspired to cap his overall success with the bat, something Voit is hoping his new approach will go a long way towards correcting. If early returns are any indication, the revised swing is already paying dividends.

Smith was able to jog for the first time since suffering a strained right quadriceps last weekend, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

Following his jog, Smith said that he was doing well and that there was no setback to his initial injury. He was also able to hit and participate in a few drills. The Mets released a typical medical update Thursday which stated a "gradual return to baseball activity" for Smith. He will remain sidelined for the time being as Adrian Gonzalez figures to continue starting at first base.

Joseph is swapping between left field and right field in Tuesday's game against the Tigers, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The ploy could be an attempt to test out Joseph's versatility at multiple outfield positions, though it could also be an attempt to hide his glove in the spots least likely for a ball to be hit to. Either way, the fact that the Phillies are experimenting with Joseph indicates that they want to give him a fair shot at making the team this spring. He's currently not a favorite to win a bench role, but if he hits and takes reasonably well to the outfield, it would help his chances of sticking around.

Joseph is in the lineup as the left fielder Tuesday against the Tigers, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic Philadelphia reports.

Joseph has never played in the outfield at any point in his professional career. The breakout of Rhys Hoskins and the signing of Carlos Santana mean that Joseph is unlikely to make the roster as a first baseman this year. His outfield tryout seems like an effort to give him one last chance to stick on the roster, as there could be a role for him as a fifth outfielder and pinch hitter. Even in that role, however, his at-bats are likely to be limited, leaving him with little fantasy value barring an injury to a Phillies starter.

Manager Torey Lovullo said Goldschmidt could receive more days off in 2018, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

It should be noted that other managers have said the same thing about Goldschmidt in the past, but he's still managed to appear in more than 145 games in all but one of the last seven seasons -- the only time he failed to eclipse that total came in 2014, when a broken hand forced him to miss the final two months of the season. That said, even if Lovullo follows through with his plan to rest Goldschmidt more this season, it shouldn't have too much of an impact on the 30-year-old from a fantasy perspective as he still figures to see the lion's share of starts at first base.

Smith (quadriceps) had an MRI which revealed no issues Monday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Smith had strained his quadriceps Sunday, but appears to have not done serious harm. He is considered day-to-day. It's doubtful that this injury will have long-term effects, but any lost spring training at-bats could hurt him in his battle with Adrian Gonzalez for early season playing time at first base.

The Mets announced that Smith is dealing with a strained right quadriceps and will require an MRI on Monday, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Smith was already off to a poor start to the spring after he was scratched from the Mets' Grapefruit League opener due to tardiness, and the injury only further hurts his hopes of inching ahead of Adrian Gonzalez in their competition for the Opening Day first-base gig. The MRI should shed more light on the severity of Smith's injury, but it seems likely that he'll miss at least a few more Grapefruit League games, at the very least.

Voit is re-working his swing this spring in an attempt to reduce his launch angle, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

In an era when more and more players are trying to lift the ball in order to hit for more power, Voit is going in the opposite direction. He's reportedly making the change in order to become less susceptible to high fastballs, which have grown in frequency in order to combat the increasingly common uppercut swing path. Voit is somewhat of an odd player to be making this change, as his 11.6 degree average launch angle in 2017 wasn't remarkably high. He did have a somewhat high 25 percent strikeout rate though, and as a 27-year-old fighting to make the end of the major-league roster, he might be desperate to find anything that could take him to the next level. Swing changes are far from guaranteed to work, but if Voit's batted-ball profile looks different this spring, it may not be a fluke.

Shaw (shoulder) will DH and bat fifth in the order for Saturday's Cactus League game against the Dodgers, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 23-year-old prospect will be making his spring debut after putting together a slash line of .289/.328/.530 with 18 home runs and 50 RBI in 88 games with Triple-A Sacramento in 2017. He is coming off a minor shoulder injury that sidelined him during the Arizona Fall League, but he should be fully healthy heading into the spring. Even with an impressive showing in camp, Shaw will likely return to the Triple-A level once the regular season starts, but keep an eye out for his major-league debut later this summer.

Rizzo (personal) will take the field against the Rangers on Saturday for the club's second Cactus League contest, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Rizzo stepped away from the Cubs' camp for a few days in the wake of the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. where he graduated from in 2007. The first baseman returned to Chicago's spring training complex in Scottsdale, Ariz. and will ready to go moving forward.