MLB Player News

Cron, who went 1-for-3 in Thursday's 5-2 Grapefruit League loss to the Orioles, is hitting .333 (4-for-12) with a double, a home run, two RBI and two runs over his first four spring training games.

The offseason acquisition has gotten plenty of reps to open the exhibition slate, logging a trio of plate appearances in each contest while Brad Miller (toe) remains sidelined. Cron is reportedly set for a full-time role in the coming season, which would afford him ample opportunity to bounce back from a career-low .248 average and .437 slugging percentage in 2017. Despite the downturn in those numbers, Cron clawed his way to 16 homers for the third straight campaign, and putting a significant dent in his career-high 25.9 percent strikeout rate from last season would go a long way to propping his metrics back up.

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.

Gurriel's surgery to remove the hook of the hamate bone in his left hand was successful and the procedure typically requires a 5-to-6 week recovery time, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic Houston reports.

If this timetable holds, Gurriel will open the season on the 10-day disabled list and will be ready for game action in mid-April. However, he'll also need to serve a five-game suspension once he's medically cleared, so a late-April return seems like a prudent estimation. The injury was pre-existing, according to general manager Jeff Luhnow, but it was non-symptomatic until earlier this week. Marwin Gonzalez is capable of playing first base, as are Tyler White, A.J. Reed and J.D. Davis, though it sounds like Gurriel won't miss enough time for any of those players to see their stock boosted significantly.

Gurriel will have surgery Thursday to remove the hook of the hamate bone in his left hand and is without a timetable to return, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Gurriel was scratched earlier in the week with discomfort, and now it turns out he will miss significant time due to this procedure. It seems inevitable that he opens the year on the 10-day disabled list. Even after trading away Colin Moran, the Astros have a lot of corner-infield depth. In addition to Marwin Gonzalez, who is a lock to make the 25-man roster, Tyler White, A.J. Reed and J.D. Davis are all big-league ready and can all handle first base, so at least one of them figures to break camp in the majors while Gurriel recovers. He will still need to serve a five-game suspension for offensive actions during the postseason, so he will not be able to return to game action immediately after getting activated from the disabled list.

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.

Gurriel (suspension) is returning to Houston on Tuesday to have his left hand examined, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Gurriel was initially scratched from Monday's game against the Marlins with what was described as left wrist discomfort. It now appears to be a hand injury and may be more serious than originally reported. The veteran first baseman will already be missing the first five games of the regular season for making a racially inappropriate gesture towards Yu Darvish during the World Series. If he's forced to miss more time, Tyler White or A.J. Reed could earn an expanded role with the big-league club in April.

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.

Stassi is day-to-day with back spasms, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Stassi was expected to play in Monday's game against the Cardinals before the issue cropped up. While the ailment shouldn't keep him sidelined for too long, the Twins will likely play it safe with the 28-year-old given how early it is in camp. Stassi is expected to open the season with Triple-A Rochester, though he could earn a promotion to the majors in summer if he impresses with the Red Wings.

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.