MLB Player News

Gurriel batted ninth in the order and went 1-for-3 with a double in Monday's 6-0 loss to the Mariners.

The double was Gurriel's third hit (and first extra-base hit) in 24 at-bats to open the year. That explains why the first baseman is hitting up the rear of the order. He's handled the transition to first base in the field well, but his bat is lagging. They'll give him some leash, but the Astros have a couple promising first basemen at Triple-A Fresno, Tyler White and A.J. Reed, both of whom have some MLB experience. There are options if manager A.J. Hinch wants to make a change at first.

Gurriel is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.

With Gurriel off to a 2-for-18 start at the plate to open 2017, manager A.J. Hinch will give the Cuban import a day off to clear his mind. Utility man Marwin Gonzalez will replace him at first base and bat eighth in the lineup. All but one of Gurriel's five starts on the season have come against left-handed pitching, so if he fails to turn it around in the near future, it's not of the question for him to fall into a stricter platoon at first base with the switch-hitting Gonzalez.

Cron is out of the lineup Saturday against the Mariners.

With this off day, Cron will have started four of the Angels' first six games of the season. He has gone 4-for-15 over that span with zero extra-base hits. Jefry Marte will start at first base and hit seventh against righty Felix Hernandez.

Carter figures to be in line for at least another start at first base Sunday as Greg Bird (foot/ankle) won't be able to return until Monday at the earliest, MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reports.

Bird is day-to-day, and while the Yankees hope to have him back for Monday's series opener in Baltimore, it is far from a lock. This means Carter's playing time will see a short-term spike, although he remains pretty volatile in weekly leagues, given the timing of Bird's injury.

Carter is batting cleanup and starting at first base for Saturday's game against Baltimore, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

It will mark Carter's first career start as a Yankee after being acquired by the team during the offseason. The slugger compiled 41 home runs and 94 RBI over 160 games with Milwaukee last season, but will need to improve his batting average if if he is to see more regular playing time. Greg Bird will get the day off.

Calhoun went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and a double in a 5-1 win over the Mariners on Friday.

Calhoun's power to all fields was on display in this one, as he launched a ground-rule double to left in his first at-bat before his two-run homer to center in the seventh inning put the game out of reach. His .348 on-base percentage last season was a career high, and despite seeing his home runs drop off from 2015, his slugging percentage rose due to his 35 doubles, which were also a personal best. Calhoun is off to a great start to 2017 and carries a 1.008 OPS through five games.

Rodriguez (ankle) went 2-for-6 with a solo home run and two strikeouts in the first game of the year for Triple-A Columbus.

He suffered a sprained ankle while in big-league camp this spring, but the injury did not cost him any time in the minor-league regular season. It's hard to envision Rodrigurez carving out an everyday role in the big leagues, considering he hits right-handed, offers little defensive value at first base and posted strikeout rates north of 32 percent in two stops at Double-A, but he could profile as a lefty masher off the bench.

Diaz went 2-for-4 and scored twice in Wednesday's win over the Rangers.

In addition to crossing the plate for the second and third times this season, Diaz also struck out for the third consecutive contest. He's off to a decent start while holding down the extra infield spot with Jason Kipnis (shoulder) out, but there may not be enough opportunities to feed Diaz once the former returns.

Cron went 2-for-4 with a run in Wednesday's 5-0 win over the A's.

Cron was back in the lineup Wednesday after getting the night off Tuesday with southpaw Sean Manaea on the mound. The 27-year-old first baseman scored the first run of the game for the Angels when he came home on a second-inning Andrelton Simmons double, and he's now reached safely in four of his eight 2017 plate appearances. Cron should have plenty of RBI opportunities this season if he can stay healthy, considering he'll usually follow the potent trio of Kole Calhoun, Mike Trout and Albert Pujols in the order. He amassed career highs in doubles (25), triples (2), RBI (69) and batting average (.278) last season while matching a personal-best 16 home runs.

Calhoun went 3-for-5 with a run in Wednesday's 5-0 victory over the A's.

Calhoun was a table-setter out of the No. 2 hole and initiated Jharel Cotton's fifth-inning exit with the first of three consecutive singles by the Angels. The 29-year-old outfielder eventually came around to score on an Albert Pujols single for the final run of the night, and he's opened the 2017 season by hitting safely and scoring in each of the first three games.