MLB Player News

Cooper (wrist) is back in the lineup Sunday against the Cubs, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Cooper started the first two games of the season in right field but was held out Saturday after a hit batsman forced an early exit Friday. Fortunately for Cooper, he avoided the worst-case scenario and his MRI came back clean. It was reported Saturday that he would avoid the disabled list, and with him manning first base Sunday, the injury appears to not be a long-term concern. He'll take over at first for Justin Bour, who is being held out of action against a lefty after three straight starts.

Cooper is expected to avoid the disabled list after tests revealed he didn't fracture his right wrist when it was hit by a pitch Friday, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Cameron Maybin was assigned the start in right field Saturday in place of Cooper, who should be considered day-to-day, with what the club called a contusion, despite being plunked by Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks. The journeyman, who's off to a 1-for-4 start to the season, will occupy a starting outfield spot when healthy, per Frisaro, and could re-enter the lineup soon.

Gurriel (hand) will likely return to action when first eligible Tuesday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic Houston reports. "All signs are pointing in a great direction for him," manager A.J. Hinch said.

Gurriel remains ahead of schedule in his return from February hand surgery. The 33-year-old was able to avoid a stint on the disabled list to open the season, and he could be cleared to make his season debut Tuesday -- which is the first day he's eligible to return from his five-game suspension -- if everything goes well in a set of minor-league games he's scheduled to appear in over the next few days. Once active, Gurriel will serve as the team's primary first baseman.

Joseph cleared waivers Friday and is currently considering whether to remain in the Rangers organization, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Joseph was designated for assignment Thursday and was previously optioned to Double-A Frisco. The 26-year-old has the ability to elect free agency after being outrighted twice in the past month and could garner some interest with a .247/.297/.757 slash line and 43 home runs in 810 at-bats for the Phillies over the past two seasons.

Cron is out of the lineup against the Red Sox on Saturday.

With right-hander Rick Porcello taking the mound, Cron will retreat in favor of Brad Miller at first base. He could be back on the bench again for Sunday's series finale with another right-hander (Hector Velazquez) set to pitch.

Freeman went 0-for-2 with three walks and a run scored in Friday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Phillies.

He's now drawn six free passes on the young season, setting a Braves franchise record for walks through two games in the process. It's a potentially ominous sign for Freeman's fantasy value, as he's one of the only proven bats in the lineup and opposition pitchers figure to work around him every chance they get until another Atlanta hitter makes them pay for their caution. Ronald Acuna's promotion in a couple of weeks could help remedy the situation, but as long as the likes of Nick Markakis and Kurt Suzuki are hitting directly behind Freeman as they were Friday, the first baseman could see very few hittable pitches.

Cabrera will bat at the top of the order and start at second base for Saturday's game.

Cabrera served out of the cleanup spot during Thursday's Opening Day victory, going 0-for-4 with one walk and one run scored. With Brandon Nimmo out of the lineup in favor of Juan Lagares, manager Mickey Callaway will give Cabrera a chance at the leadoff role.

Santana went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and three RBI to help the Phillies to a 5-4 extra-inning victory over the Braves on Friday.

Santana bagged his first home run for his new team with a game-tying solo shot in the fifth inning. He sports only a .249 career batting average. but the veteran is still a useful fantasy asset. He's never had an on-base percentage lower than .351 in his career and has walked at least 88 times in each of the last seven seasons. While that certainly means Santana is most valuable in leagues with an OBP category, his 20-plus home run power and abilities as a run producer mean he figures to remain a steady option in other formats as well.

Hoskins went 2-for-5 with his first home run of the season in Philadelphia's 5-4 extra-inning victory over the Braves on Friday.

Hoskins has picked up right where he left off last year, stroking four hits in his first eight at-bats, including Friday's second-inning blast off Mike Foltynewicz that marked his first round tripper of the new campaign. Hoskins put together one of the most prodigious displays of power from a newcomer in MLB history last season, cranking 18 home runs and slugging .618 in his first 34 games after he was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley in August. If he can even come close to sustaining that type of output over the course of an entire season, the upside here is scary.

Bell went 3-for-6 with three RBI against the Tigers on Friday.

His situational hitting skills were on full display against Detroit. He reached out across the plate to drive the ball to right-center for a sacrifice fly and also collected an opposite-field RBI single. Bell did make an fielding error on a grounder at first base, but the team is willing to look past his defensive shortcomings. He's slated to hit cleanup exclusively and looks to build upon a rookie season that included 26 homers and 90 RBI.