MLB Player News

Hoskins (shoulder) is back in the lineup Monday against the Rays.

The minor shoulder issue that popped up early last week seemed to potentially threaten Hoskins' Opening Day availability, but he should be good to go, barring setbacks. He'll take his customary cleanup spot in the lineup Monday in a batting order which looks to be a copy of the one the Phillies will run out on Opening Day. With three new bats ahead of him (Andrew McCutchen, Jean Segura and Bryce Harper) and a fourth right behind him (J.T. Realmuto), Hoskins should be primed for a strong year in his third big-league season.

Walker has made the Opening Day roster, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Walker earned the roster spot with a productive spring, slashing .370/.434/.609 over 52 plate appearances. The team has said Jake Lamb will start at first base against lefties and righties, but he has a career 46 wRC+ in 412 plate appearances against southpaws, so it may not be long before the righty-hitting Walker is getting starts against lefties.

Manager Clint Hurdle said Bell will "absolutely" be the Pirates' cleanup hitter in 2019, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Bell has primarily hit fourth throughout his career, so this should be nothing new for him. The first baseman owns a .200/.231/.360 with a pair of homers through 17 games this spring. Bell is hoping for a bounce-back year in the power department after hitting just 12 homers last season (down from 26 long balls in 2017).

Hoskins (shoulder), who is not in the lineup Sunday against the Orioles, is planning to play Monday against the Rays, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Hoskins has been nursing a sore shoulder. The first baseman was able to take batting practice and hit off a high-velocity pitching machine Sunday, clearing the way for him to return for the team's final game of spring. Assuming everything goes off without a hitch Monday, Hoskins should be ready to go for Thursday's opener against the Braves.

Hoskins (shoulder) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

The Phillies continue to term Hoskins' shoulder soreness as mild, but the team would surely like to see the star slugger return to game action prior to Opening Day to feel more confident about his status. After Saturday, the Phillies will have only two more spring contests on the docket before the March 28 season opener versus the Braves, so Hoskins is running short on time to prove his health. Sean Rodriguez is drawing the start at first base Saturday, but Maikel Franco would be the top candidate to fill in at the position if Hoskins' absence should extend into the regular season.

Alonso will be on the Mets' Opening Day roster, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

The Mets have said they'll open the season with their best 25 players, and Alonso clearly fits in as part of that group. The old regime kept him in the minors late in the year for service-time reasons, but new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen apparently has other plans. Alonso has the potential to be a weapon this season after hitting a combined .285/.395/.579 with 36 homers in 132 games across the two highest levels of the minors last year.

Hoskins (shoulder) remains out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Yankees, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Hoskins has been out for a few days with mild shoulder soreness. It was initially reported that he could return Friday, but he'll wind up missing at least one more game. Maikel Franco will fill in for him at first base and would likely shift from third to first on a regular basis should Hoskins miss an extended period at any point this season.

McBride will head to minor-league camp Tuesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

McBride doesn't appear to be particularly close to returning to the big leagues, as the 33-year-old has a 28 wRC+ in 92 career games. He'll likely spend the season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, his hometown team.

Goldschmidt and the Cardinals are expected to agree on a contract extension Thursday worth approximately $130 million over five years, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The Cardinals traded for Goldschmidt over the offseason with just one year remaining on his deal, presumably with the intention of convincing him to stick around long term. The deal closes off the possibility of the first baseman leaving for a more hitter-friendly home park in the offseason, but it will keep him in an organization that should be able to put a quality lineup around him for the next several years.

Rizzo entered Wednesday's Cactus League action slashing .303/.395/.515 with two home runs and seven RBI through 14 games.

Rizzo has been the model of consistency in Chicago, as he enters 2019 with four straight seasons with at least 100 RBI. The 29-year-old also had an OPS of at least .846 with at least 25 home runs in each of those campaigns. Those low-water marks actually came last season, representing a down season by Rizzo's lofty standards but still great production for fantasy owners.