MLB Player News

Bell went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Friday's victory over the Yankees.

Bell's second homer of the season gave the Pirates a 4-0 lead that they'd never relinquish. After starting out the first half of the month slowly, he's homered in each of his last two games while hitting safely in four straight, but until he puts together some sustained success, he'll likely remain on many leagues' waiver wires.

Freeman went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Phillies.

The lefty slugger clubbed his seventh bomb of the season off Jeremy Hellickson to bring the Braves within one run in a game they'd go on to lose. Freeman's been absolutely on fire during the entire month of April, and the 27-year-old is certainly a player who could be on his way to a massive season as he tries to follow up his 34-homer effort of 2016.

Flores (knee) is expected to be placed on the 10-day DL, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.

The Mets have yet to formally announce the move, but it sounds like Flores will need more than a week to recover from an infection in his knee joint. With Lucas Duda (elbow) also injured, it appears the team will lean on Jay Bruce at first base in the short term and a combination of Jose Reyes and T.J. Rivera at third base.

Joseph went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run during Thursday's win over the Mets.

It was just the second multi-hit game of the campaign for Joseph, and he now sports an underwhelming .208/.250/.313 slash line. He's primarily batted sixth this season and hit 21 home runs through just 347 plate appearances as a rookie last year, so there is power and RBI potential here. However, expecting a significant improvement in the batting average column is likely ill-advised.

Flores will be out at least two games after spending Wednesday night in the hospital due to an infection in his knee, The New York Daily News reports. "The infection is in the joint," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "These types of infections, that's where they go. I've unfortunately been around them, and they can be very bad unless they're taken care of immediately. So he's unavailable tonight [Thursday]. He may be unavailable tomorrow [Friday]. Depending on what it is and if they get it cleaned, he could be another day. But he won't be around for today and tomorrow."

Flores had been feeling discomfort in the knee for a couple of days before having it checked out. The timing is bad for the Mets, as Lucas Duda is also sidelined after hyper-extending his left elbow. Jay Bruce will fill in at first base while both Duda and Flores are out, but it appears at least the latter has avoided a more serious, and lengthy, absence.

Flores is dealing with an infection and is unavailable to play Thursday against the Phillies, Marc Carig of Newsday reports.

Lucas Duda is dealing with a hyperextended wrist, so had Flores been healthy, he would have likely filled in at first base for Thursday's contest. However, he's unavailable due to an unspecified infection. Consider him day-to-day for now.

Freeman went 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Wednesday's 14-4 loss to the Nats.

His third-inning solo shot off Joe Ross, his sixth homer of the season, set a new franchise record as Freeman reached base in his 12th consecutive plate appearance. The first baseman has been carrying the Atlanta offense so far, slashing .440/.533/.920 through 14 games, but it's a testament to how cold the top of the order has been that he's only got eight RBI.

Bell went 1-for-4 with a solo home run -- his first of the season -- during Wednesday's loss to St. Louis.

Pittsburgh is going to need Bell to continue making a difference at the dish after the 80-game ban of Starling Marte was announced Tuesday. Bell showed promise as a rookie last season, and especially by walking more times than he struck out (21:19 BB:K). He sports a mini three-game hitting streak (4-for-12), and with the potential of earning a consistent gig in the top half of the Pirates' lineup, Bell is going to be handed an opportunity to succeed.

Stassi will see time in left field along with Daniel Nava and Aaron Altherr while Howie Kendrick (abdomen) is sidelined, Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Kendrick might only need the minimum 10 days on the disabled list before he returns. That will present limited opportunities for playing time for Stassi and the others in left field. Nava has started in left field for the two games Kendrick has missed thus far.

Votto went 2-for-3 with a homer, two walks, two RBI and two runs against the Orioles on Tuesday.

After opening the season with a .158/.214/.368 line through the first 10 games, Votto has reminded fantasy owners about the perils of overreacting to early slumps; he's recovered to go 6-for-13 with a double, two homers and four walks in the last four contests. When all's said and done, Votto will very likely end up sitting on another high-20s homer total along with a batting average north of .300, as usual.