MLB Player News

Montero went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Thursday's 7-2 victory over the Padres.

Montero put the icing on the cake for the Rockies in the seventh inning, slamming a solo homer for the final run in a 7-2 win. The third baseman went deep six times in 185 plate appearances in his rookie 2022 campaign, and he hit 28 homers between Double-A and Triple-A in 2021. He appears to be Colorado's primary third baseman, so he could have some sneaky fantasy appeal given that he plays half of his games at Coors Field.

Cron went 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double and five total RBI in Thursday's 7-2 win against San Diego.

Cron was arguably the offensive standout of Opening Day, as he was the only player in the league to go deep twice. The veteran first baseman put the Rockies on the board with a first-inning single, gave the team a 4-2 lead with a fifth-inning three-run homer and went deep again with a solo shot in the seventh. Cron has hit 25-plut homers in each of his last four full seasons (excluding the shortened 2020 campaign), and he appears well on his way to putting up big power numbers again in 2023.

Cooper went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 5-3 loss against the Mets.

Cooper got the Opening Day start at first base, batting third against Mets ace Max Scherzer. He only notched one hit, but that hit was a two-run shot off Scherzer to tie the game (briefly) in the sixth inning. Injuries have ravaged his career, but Cooper has shown over the years that he can be productive when he's upright.

Bohm went 3-for-4 with a double, a two-run home run, three RBI and two runs scored Thursday against the Rangers.

Despite a number of key absences, Bohm was still hitting seventh in the Phillies' Opening Day lineup. Despite that, he played a major role in the team's offensive output as he slugged a two-run home run off Jacob deGrom in the second inning. Three frames later he delivered an RBI single. Bohm took a step forward in his production in 2022, and he'll be looking to make the next leap in his development in the current campaign.

Steer went 1-for-2 with two walks and a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Pirates.

Starting at third base, batting seventh, Steer provided the Reds' only long ball on the afternoon. He was lifted for a pinch runner after grounding into a force out in the bottom of the eighth inning. The 25-year-old has a lot to prove at the major-league level, but it's nice to see the patience and power show up early, carrying over from a strong spring.

Hoskins had successful surgery to repair his left ACL on Thursday.

The announced recovery time was seven-to-nine months, which all but rules Hoskins out for the entire 2023 campaign. He'll head into the offseason as a free agent.

Gurriel had his contract selected by the Marlins on Thursday.

Gurriel signed a minor-league deal with Miami in early March and is positioned for a bench role to begin the 2023 season.

Hall is starting at first base and batting cleanup in the Phillies' season opener Thursday against the Rangers.

It sure looks like Hall stands to benefit most in terms of playing time with the Phillies recently losing Rhys Hoskins (knee) for the year. Hall, 27, put up an encouraging .804 OPS with nine home runs and eight doubles over his first 41 major-league games in 2022. He's worth rostering in most applicable fantasy formats heading into the 2023 campaign.

Flores will start at third base and bat third in Thursday's game against the Yankees, Danny Emerman of KNBR 680 San Francisco reports.

Even though the Yankees are bringing a right-hander (Gerrit Cole) to the hill Opening Day along with the fact that he slashed just .206/.250/.294 in 12 Cactus League games, the righty-hitting Flores will end up drawing the Giants' first start at third base over David Villar. Though all signs pointed to Villar seeing the bulk of the playing time at the hot corner this season after a strong finish to his rookie campaign in 2022, Flores looks like he'll at least be part of a timeshare at the position, if not the preferred option early on.

The Reds placed Votto (shoulder/biceps) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Votto is expected to report to Triple-A Louisville on Friday to begin a minor-league rehab assignment, and he could be activated off the IL as soon as he's first eligible in early April. Cincinnati just wanted to slow-play his recovery from surgery last August to repair a torn left rotator cuff and torn left biceps muscle.