MLB Player News

Hiura will open the season at Triple-A San Antonio, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Hiura will still travel with the Brewers as the team continues its exhibition slate, but he's been told he won't make the Opening Day roster. That's hardly a surprise, as he's yet to reach Triple-A, but if his strong performances as a prospect suggest he'll have a chance to make an impact at the top level at some point this season.

Manager Gabe Kapler said that Hoskins is dealing with mild shoulder soreness and will be held out of the Phillies' Grapefruit League lineups until at least Friday's game against the Yankees, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

It's not ideal that Hoskins is hurting with Opening Day just over a week away, but Kapler noted that the slugger is merely being rested for precautionary purposes. At this juncture, the Phillies aren't concerned about Hoskins' availability for the start of the season, though Maikel Franco would be next in line for reps at first base in the event the 26-year-old doesn't progress as quickly as anticipated.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run Monday against the Phillies.

Goldschmidt launched an offering from Zach Eflin over the left-field wall in the bottom of the fifth inning to record his first home run of spring training with his new club. The long ball was his third extra-base hit, and he is now 10-for-36 with seven walks in Grapefruit League action.

Votto is hitting only .100/.438/.100 in 20 spring training at-bats so far. He doesn't have an extra-base hit yet, but has drawn 12 walks.

It's one of the stranger spring training lines so far, but it comes with the caveat that it's been with a tiny sample, and at a time where Votto has been toying with his swing. It might raise a concern only because Votto is coming off a year where he didn't hit for power, but he's also traditionally a slow starter. There hasn't been any reported injuries this spring.

Hoskins is hitting a modest .235/.333/.353 through 13 spring games.

Hoskins' role as the Phillies' everyday first baseman won't be threatened by a slight spring slump. In their three games in the lineup together, new signee Bryce Harper has hit third, with Hoskins batting cleanup. Hoskins should enjoy an improved lineup around him this season, with three new bats (Andrew McCutchen, Jean Segura and Harper) hitting in front of him and plenty of protection behind him in the form of J.T. Realmuto. He'll also no longer have to deal with the distraction of learning left field.

Alonso went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

His fourth blast of the spring came off Henderson Alvarez, who's attempting to make a comeback after tossing only 37 big-league innings over the last four seasons. Alonso also struck out twice, giving him a 3:10 BB:K through 16 games, but his .347/.385/.673 slash line still pops. Meanwhile, Dominic Smith -- who got the start at DH in Sunday's contest -- went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Smith may get the nod on Opening Day if the Mets look to play service-time games with Alonso, but it should only be a few weeks before his prodigious power is a part of the Mets' everyday lineup.

Hiura went 1-for-2 with a three-run double in Sunday's spring game against the Dodgers.

Hiura just missed a grand slam when he hit a go-ahead, bases-clearing double in the eighth inning of Sunday's contest, but he still raised his RBI total to 13 and OPS to .921. Despite the hot spring, Hiura is bound to open the season in the minor leagues, as the Brewers are stocked with veterans in the infield and Hiura has not yet seen action above the Double-A level. Still, he remains the club's top prospect and has a chance to make his big-league debut this season. Exactly when that could occur will depend on several items, though, with all of service-time deadlines, injuries, and how well Hiura hits over the next few months factoring into the decision.

Bell hit his second homer of the spring in Friday's game against the Rays.

He struck out in his other three at-bats and is hitting .182 in Grapefruit League action. Bell continues to struggle defensively but has little competition for the first base job. Lonnie Chisenhall and Francisco Cervelli will likely serve as his backups. It's easy envisioning a rebound in power from Bell in 2019 - he hit 12 homers last season after belting 26 in 2017 - but it's important to note that he never hit more than 14 home runs in the minors.

Walker went 2-for-3 with a double, a triple and a run scored Thursday against San Francisco.

Walker tripled in the second inning and scored the game's first run, and then he smacked a ground-rule double in the fourth. The 27-year-old continues to have a solid spring and sports a .355 average with a home run, 11 RBI and five runs scored. Walker's chances of breaking camp with the Diamondbacks took a slight hit with the addition of Adam Jones this week. Prior to signing Jones, there was room for Walker and outfielder Socrates Brito, both of whom are out of options, plus carrying three catchers. However, the arrival of Jones has forced management to re-evaluate the need to carry three catchers, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. If the Diamondbacks retain two catchers, they can keep both Walker and Brito.

Solano (head) is listed among the Giants' available reserves for Thursday's Cactus League game against the Reds, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Solano suffered a scare earlier this month when he was struck in the helmet by a pitch, but the veteran infielder's health no longer looks to be in any question. The non-roster invitee is a longshot to break camp with the Giants and will likely be reassigned to the minors in the near future.