MLB Player News

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.

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.