MLB Player News

Montero is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cubs.

Montero started each of the first five games this season, but he'll take a seat for the sixth contest. Charlie Blackmon will be in the designated hitter spot, Kris Bryant will play right field and Michael Toglia will handle first base.

Schanuel went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and two walks in Monday's 7-4 victory versus the Marlins.

Schanuel hit the first of the Angels' back-to-back jacks in the sixth inning, with Mike Trout following with a massive blast of his own. Schanuel has quietly put together an impressive on-base streak of 33 games dating back to his MLB debut last season. Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com, it's the third-longest on-base streak to begin a career in league history.

Naylor went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 5-4 loss to the Mariners.

Naylor's eighth-inning blast got the Guardians within a run, but the comeback fell short. He's hit safely in each of his first four games of the season, and he's knocked in a run in each of the last two. The first baseman is 6-for-16 with two doubles, a home run and three runs scored. Naylor may not get every start at first versus southpaws -- he's been in the lineup for one of the Guardians' two games versus a lefty starter, with David Fry taking first in the other.

Torkelson went 0-for-4 in Monday's 5-0 win over the Mets.

The season has just got started, so Torkelson's early struggles should be taken with a grain of salt. However, it is hard to ignore his 3-for-17 start to the year, a dreary line that's carried over from spring training. On a positive note, the 24-year-old has been making consistent contact, striking out just three times thus far. Torkelson went down on strikes 171 times in 684 plate appearances last year, and he should be able to build on a strong 2023 if he can dramatically lower that number while maintaining his power.

Casas went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and a double in Monday's 9-0 win over Oakland.

With Justin Turner now in Toronto, Casas should pick up more starts against lefty arms this season. The 24-year-old first baseman has yet to display his power upside with no home runs through five games this season, but Casas should have a chance to build off his 24-homer campaign in 2023 with the additional opportunities he projects to see.

Freeman went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and two RBI against the Giants in an 8-3 victory Monday.

Freeman is off to a hot start to the campaign, slashing .360/.500/.520 over 32 plate appearances. He's collected a pair of three-hit performances over his past three games, though only one of the hits during that span has gone for extra bases. Freeman has driven in six runs through seven games and should get ample opportunity to produce throughout the season with Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani hitting ahead of him.

Steer went 2-for-5 with a double, home run, four RBI and two runs in Monday's win over the Phillies.

Steer stepped to the plate in the top of the 10th inning Monday against Connor Brogdon and hit a go-ahead 383-foot home run to give Cincinnati the lead for good. It was Steer's first career grand slam. The second-year Red looks to build upon his strong rookie campaign last season in which he slashed .271/.356/.464 with 23 home runs and 86 RBI.

Mountcastle went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Monday's win over the Royals.

Mountcastle crushed a two-run 408-foot home run off Michael Wacha in the fourth inning for his first of the season. The Orioles first baseman struggled in spring training with a .243/.256/.324 slash line and no homers, so this round-tripper was likely a welcome sight. Mountcastle will have to hit to keep his lineup spot in Baltimore with the bevy of young bats continuing to develop under general manager Mike Elias' watch.

Flores was added to the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Dodgers, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

It appeared that Flores would be held out of Monday's contest after taking a tumble Sunday afternoon, but he worked out before the game and ultimately got the green light. He'll man first base and bat fifth.

Flores (shoulder) is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Dodgers, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Flores injured his shoulder Sunday after tumbling into the dugout trying to catch a foul ball in the first inning. Tyler Fitzgerald will draw the start at first base and bat ninth in Monday's game against Dodgers left-hander James Paxton.