MLB Player News

Flores will start at second base and hit leadoff Sunday against the Dodgers.

Flores has never hit atop the order in his career but will get the chance Sunday. After riding the bench for two consecutive games, Flores will draw the start against right-hander Walker Buehler.

Cooper (calf) has been placed on the 10-day injured list, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Cooper was experiencing tightness in his calf and was out of Saturday's lineup. He did appear as a pinch hitter later that day, but apparently his recovery was not progressing as hoped. The 28-year-old drew two starts this season prior to the injury, going hitless in seven at-bats.

Freeman went 4-for-5 with with two doubles and two RBI as the Braves fell to the Phillies on Saturday.

Freeman had four of the Braves' ten hits and is now batting .625 through three games.

Alonso went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI, one run scored and one walk during Saturday's 11-8 win over the Nationals.

Alonso followed his one-hit debut Thursday with a couple of extra-base hits Saturday as the Mets scored seven runs across the eighth and ninth innings. The 24-year-old is off to a nice start as he is 4-for-8 in his first two big-league games.

Flores is on the bench for the second straight game Saturday against the Dodgers.

Flores started on Opening Day at second base with a lefty on the mound. He's since sat twice against righties, with Ketel Marte playing second and Jarrod Dyson entering the lineup in center field on both occasions. It's possible that Flores and Dyson will be platooning this season.

Cooper, who is not in the starting lineup Saturday, is experiencing some tightness in his calf, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic reports.

It's worth pointing out Cooper is evidently available to pinch hit, which would seem to suggest the injury isn't serious. The 28-year-old has started both of the past two contests but failed to record a hit in any of his six at-bats. Rosell Herrera will get the start Saturday and hit seventh in the order.

Walker hit a three-run homer as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning of Arizona's 5-4 extra-innings win over the Dodgers on Friday.

The Diamondbacks were lifeless until Walker's bomb tied the game. It was the second homer in as many games for the backup first baseman and raises the issue of whether manager Torey Lovullo will manipulate the lineup to get his bat in there more often. One clear solution is to occasionally move starting first baseman Jake Lamb to third base, his natural position, but Lovullo put an end to that speculation for now, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports. "I think we're going to put that idea on hold where we'll move [Lamb] across the diamond," Lovullo said. "We have definitely discussed it. It has come up. And yes, it would be nice to get both of those guys in there. But for the short-term time being, I think we're going to stand pat at first base." The manager said, after Walker's surprising Opening Day start, during which he homered and doubled, that there is not a strict platoon at first base.

Goldschmidt went 4-for-5 with a walk, three home runs and five RBI in Friday's 9-5 win over the Brewers.

The walk was intentional, as Milwaukee gave him a free pass in the ninth inning rather than giving Goldschmidt a chance to tie the major-league record with his fourth homer of the game. The Cards' big offseason acquisition is already paying dividends, and the 31-year-old first baseman is off to a quick start as he looks for his fifth career 30-HR campaign.

Flores isn't in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Dodgers.

Flores doubled and scored in Thursday's season opener but will take a seat in favor of Ketel Marte for the second game of 2019. Flores is expected to see plenty of time at the keystone this year, although the Diamondbacks have elected to shake up their lineup on opening weekend.

Shaw will open the season at Double-A Richmond, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

It was assumed when Shaw was optioned in mid-March that Triple-A Sacramento would be his destination, as he spent the bulk of the last two seasons at that level and hadn't played at Double-A since 2017. There's no immediate apparent reason why he'd be demoted one extra level, but this likely doesn't change his timeline for returning to the big leagues, as the Giants could easily call him up straight from Double-A should they decide he's ready to go.