MLB Player News

Bell isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Cardinals, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Bell reached base safely in his first two games of the season to begin the week. He went 1-for-6 with three runs, three walks and two strikeouts during that time. However, he'll get a routine day off Wednesday with Ryan Zimmerman starting at first base, batting third.

The Rays optioned Padlo to their alternate training site Wednesday.

Tampa Bay will demote Padlo to clear a spot on the 26-man active roster for lefty Josh Fleming, who is slated to start Wednesday's game against the Rangers. During his first cup of coffee in the big leagues, Padlo saw action in three games and went hitless with a pair of walks over eight plate appearances.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer and a strikeout in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Phillies.

An 0-for-4 showing with two more whiffs in the nightcap put a damper on his day, but Smith still connected on his second homer of the year in the first inning of the matinee. The 25-year-old has fanned nine times in his first 23 at-bats this season, leading to a .217 batting average, but three of his five hits have gone for extra bases (one double and two homers, both of which have come against the Phillies' Chase Anderson).

Mountcastle went 3-for-6 with two doubles, a steal, an RBI and a run across both games of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Mariners.

He collected one two-bagger in each end of the twin bill to extend his hitting streak to five games and his doubles streak to three. Mountcastle is experiencing contact issues at the outset of his first full season in the majors, as he's hitting .227 (10-for-44) with a 2:18 BB:K, but half of his hits have gone for extra bases (four doubles and a homer).

France went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 4-3 win over the Orioles in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader.

He hammered a John Means pitch to left-center field in the first inning for his second homer of the year. France went 0-for-3 in the nightcap but drew a walk and scored a run, and on the season he sports a .293/.408/.488 slash line through 11 games.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two runs scored and three RBI on Tuesday against the Nationals.

Goldschmidt quickly got on track, taking Stephen Strasburg yard in his first at-bat for his first home run of the season. It was also his first extra-base hit since Opening Day, and he entered Tuesday's contest having gone just 5-for-34 at the dish since. Goldschmidt is only striking out a 17.4 percent clip, so this early season slump is likely just a small hiccup early on rather than a sign of things to come.

Tellez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Tuesday's win over the Yankees.

Tellez's first long ball of the season came against Lucas Luetge in the fifth inning. After starting out the year 0-for-21, the 26-year-old is batting just .069/.129/.172 across nine games.

Rizzo went 2-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Brewers.

While Rizzo didn't score a run or drive anyone in, it was still a productive day for the veteran first baseman. Perhaps this will help him get going, as he's still batting just .162 even after the two-hit performance. Before Tuesday, Rizzo had gone 0-for-11 across his last three games. He's too talented to stay down for much longer, so fantasy managers may want to see if they can buy low before a full-blown hot streak.

Dalbec went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI during Tuesday's 4-2 win at Minnesota.

The 25-year-old delivered RBI doubles during the fifth and eighth innings to flip a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead for Boston. Dalbec is 5-for-28 with three doubles, three RBI and 10 strikeouts through eight games this season.

White is out of the lineup for Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader at Baltimore.

The 24-year-old started the matinee and will take a seat after going 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored. Jose Marmolejos will start at first base and bat cleanup in the nightcap with White on the bench.