MLB Player News

Goldschmidt went 0-for-2 with three walks and a stolen base in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Dodgers.

After supplying a disappointing 24 homers in 2016, Goldschmidt hasn't recovered in the power department through the first two weeks of the new season, with his slugging percentage down 40 points from last year. Fortunately for fantasy owners, Goldschmidt continues to display a patient eye at the plate and has amassed a .410 on-base percentage, which has provided him with plenty of running opportunities. He's already a perfect 4-for-4 on stolen-base attempts, putting him on pace for a second straight 30-plus-steal season.

Bour went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's win over the Mets.

His second-inning blast off Jacob deGrom, Bour's first homer of the season, was one of four home runs the Marlins hit on the day to account for all of their scoring. Bour also struck out three times, however, and his .154/.277/.282 slash line through 11 games leaves a lot to be desired. In shallower formats he's best left on your bench, or on the waiver wire, until he turns things around.

Bell is out of the lineup Sunday against the Cubs.

It will be the second time in three games Bell takes a seat, with David Freese moving over to first base this time while Josh Harrison mans the hot corner. Bell was 1-for-3 with a single in Saturday's game, but a .447 season OPS is not helping his case for everyday playing time.

Cabrera is not in the lineup Sunday against the Marlins. Per Newsday's Marc Carig, he is getting a planned day off.

Cabrera has started all 12 games for the Mets this year, so it's sensible to give the 31-year-old a regular day off at this point. Jose Reyes will move over to shortstop for the afternoon contest, while Neil Walker will move up to the two-spot in the batting order.

Freeman went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Friday's win over the Padres.

Through nine games this season, Freeman's slashing a robust .361/.425/.722 with three homers, although all three have been solo shots. Once Ender Inciarte and Dansby Swanson begin reaching base more often ahead of him, or manager Brian Snitker shakes up his batting order to get some more OBP at the top, expect Freeman to start racking up more RBI.

Joseph went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in a 3-2 loss to the Nationals on Friday.

The homer, Joseph's first of the season, came off a 95 mph fastball from Stephen Strasburg. The young slugger is off to a slow start with just four hits and 10 strikeouts in his first nine games. He has some time to get things going, but could be pushed for his job this summer if Rhys Hoskins keeps hitting at Triple-A and Joseph has not found his rhythm in the majors.

Bell is not in the starting lineup Friday against the Cubs, Adam Berry of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Bell is batting .143 in 28 at-bats. He's seeing more pitches per plate appearance (4.23) than he did as a rookie (4.06), but he could lose playing time in the short term if he doesn't find his stroke. The Pirates often remove him in favor of a late-inning defensive replacement at first base. Despite starting eight games, the 24-year-old has completed only three. John Jaso will get the nod at first base Friday at Wrigley Field.

Flores got the start at first base and went 2-for-7 with a solo home run, his second blast of the season, and a second run scored in Thursday's extra-inning win over the Marlins.

He shifted over to third base once Wei-Yin Chen was off the mound for Miami and Lucas Duda entered the game, but manager Terry Collins' decision to keep Jose Reyes on the bench might have prolonged the 16-inning marathon as Flores went 0-for-5 once Chen was out of the game, including grounding into an inning-ending double play in the ninth. The 25-year-old's primary value to the Mets remains as a lefty-killer, but if Reyes' early-season struggles continue Flores could see more action against right-handed pitching, giving him more run and RBI opportunities at the expense of his batting average.

Rizzo went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI during Thursday's win over Los Angeles.

This was Rizzo's second consecutive multi-hit game, and it appears his slow start (4-for-25 through the first six games) is in the rearview mirror. Expect the proven slugger to string together a heater sooner than later, as he's a key cog in the heart of a potent lineup, after all.

Hoskins is hitting .375/.464/.625 with one home run, three doubles and a 5:3 K:BB in 28 plate appearances at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

The freshly turned 24-year-old has made plenty of hard contact in his first week in the International League. The one ball he hit out was a pitcher's pitch, down and away, that Hoskins bent over and reached out for and was still able to loft out to dead center field. He is expected to spend most of the year at Triple-A, but if he continues to rake and the Phillies have an opening at first base this summer, he could be up sooner than anticipated.