MLB Player News

Smith will be called up by the Mets prior to Friday's game against the Phillies, MLB.com's Anthony DiComo reports.

Smith has been knocking on the door of his major-league debut for quite some time now, and with Lucas Duda and Jay Bruce on other clubs, the No. 2 prospect in New York's system will finally get his opportunity. In 114 games with Triple-A Las Vegas this season, Smith is hitting .330/.386/.519 with an OPS of .905. Additionally, he's swatted 16 home runs and plated 76 runners while providing a viable glove at first base. He will be plugged into the lineup for Friday's contest upon his arrival, and is likely to maintain an everyday role with the Mets throughout the rest of the season.

Cabrera is not in Thursday's lineup against the Phillies.

Cabrera will remain on the bench for the second straight game after starting the previous seven contests. In his place, Neil Walker draws the start at third, batting second. Since the All-Star break, Cabrera is hitting .277/.324/.383 with one home run and 10 RBI.

Hoskins was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Hoskins has deserved a promotion for a couple months now, but the Phillies have been reluctant to pull the plug on Tommy Joseph at first base. To that end, Hoskins has played his last three games in left field for the Iron Pigs, and figures to see the bulk of his starts there in Philadelphia, while spelling Joseph at first base roughly once a week. Hoskins has done everything in his power to silence doubters this season, putting up better numbers despite moving from the hitter-friendly park at Double-A Reading to a more neutral environment at Lehigh Valley. He upped his ISO from .285 to .297 and significantly improved his strikeout rate, down from 21.2 percent to 15.8 percent, while also slightly improving his walk rate to 13.5 percent. While scouts are somewhat concerned about his ability to hit offspeed pitches, it's possible that Hoskins goes on a quick tear if he gets fastballs early in the count in his first tour of the National League. He is worth picking up in standard leagues and should have already been rostered in deeper mixers and NL-only leagues. The 24-year-old will make his major-league debut Thursday in left field, batting seventh in the order.

Bell will start at first base and bat cleanup in Thursday's matinee against the Tigers.

He had two of Pittsburgh's three hits Wednesday and also reached base with a walk. Bell hasn't started two of the last four games with opponents starting southpaws, as he's slashing .228/.301/.457 in 92 at-bats against left-handed pitching. Overall, he carries an .803 OPS through 113 games and has seen nearly the same number of pitches (4.05 per plate appearance) as he did last season (4.06) -- both impressive numbers. Bell has never faced Thursday's righty starter Drew VerHagen, who's allowed a career slash line of .306/.410/.459 to left-handed hitters.

Hoskins will join the Phillies prior to Thursday's game against the Mets, MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports.

The top prospect has been tearing it up at the Triple-A level this season with Lehigh Valley, hitting .284/.385/.581 with 29 home runs, 91 RBI and a .966 OPS. During Wednesday's game against Norfolk, Hoskins went 3-for-5 with one home run, five RBI and two runs, and should get an opportunity immediately with the big-league club during this weekend's series. Although the 24-year-old is typically stationed at first base, he may be in line to receive some time in left field while Aaron Altherr is on the DL with a hamstring injury. This will mark Hoskins' big-league debut after he spent the last three years moving up through the minor-league system.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Dodgers.

Goldschmidt's 443-foot blast to center field -- his 26th of the season -- temporarily tied things up in the fourth inning, but the Diamondbacks had little success mustering further rallies on the night against the Dodgers starter Alex Wood and relievers Josh Fields and Kenley Jansen. Though the All-Star first baseman has cooled down a bit with four consecutive 1-for-4 showings, he's still been able to take his production to greater heights since the All-Star break, submitting a 1.129 OPS while driving in 23 runs in 24 games.

Flores went 1-for-3 with a solo home run during Wednesday's loss to Texas.

It was the 13th homer of the year for Flores and his seventh against left-handed pitchers. It's worth noting that he entered Wednesday's game with an impressive .400 wOBA against southpaws dating back to last season and only built on that mark with the long fly. Flores is receiving consistent at-bats and sports a solid .281/.314/.492 slash line. His positional eligibility is also a nice fantasy bonus.

Rizzo is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Giants.

Manager Joe Maddon will give Rizzo the day off after eight straight starts with left-hander Madison Bumgarner on the hill. In his place, Willson Contreras slides over to first while Alex Avila sets up behind the plate.

Hoskins could be called up to join the Phillies as soon as Thursday, Matt Gelb and Matt Breen of Philly.com report.

Manager Pete Mackanin said he's excited to see Hoskins' bat. He added that Tommy Joseph has done well enough to warrant regular playing time over the rest of the season, but with Aaron Altherr (hamstring) expected to miss several weeks, it sounds like the Phillies will try Hoskins in left field. Hoskins made his first start at the position with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday. The 24-year-old has handled International League pitching easily, slashing .280/.383/.571 with 28 homers and 86 RBI, and should be a target in nearly all formats if he's unowned.

Cabrera is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Rangers.

Cabrera will receive a standard day off after starting the past seven games and finally snapping his three-game hitless skid with a double Tuesday. In his place, Neil Walker draws the start at third, batting sixth.