MLB Player News

Freeman went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Friday's win over the Padres.

Through nine games this season, Freeman's slashing a robust .361/.425/.722 with three homers, although all three have been solo shots. Once Ender Inciarte and Dansby Swanson begin reaching base more often ahead of him, or manager Brian Snitker shakes up his batting order to get some more OBP at the top, expect Freeman to start racking up more RBI.

Joseph went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in a 3-2 loss to the Nationals on Friday.

The homer, Joseph's first of the season, came off a 95 mph fastball from Stephen Strasburg. The young slugger is off to a slow start with just four hits and 10 strikeouts in his first nine games. He has some time to get things going, but could be pushed for his job this summer if Rhys Hoskins keeps hitting at Triple-A and Joseph has not found his rhythm in the majors.

Bell is not in the starting lineup Friday against the Cubs, Adam Berry of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Bell is batting .143 in 28 at-bats. He's seeing more pitches per plate appearance (4.23) than he did as a rookie (4.06), but he could lose playing time in the short term if he doesn't find his stroke. The Pirates often remove him in favor of a late-inning defensive replacement at first base. Despite starting eight games, the 24-year-old has completed only three. John Jaso will get the nod at first base Friday at Wrigley Field.

Flores got the start at first base and went 2-for-7 with a solo home run, his second blast of the season, and a second run scored in Thursday's extra-inning win over the Marlins.

He shifted over to third base once Wei-Yin Chen was off the mound for Miami and Lucas Duda entered the game, but manager Terry Collins' decision to keep Jose Reyes on the bench might have prolonged the 16-inning marathon as Flores went 0-for-5 once Chen was out of the game, including grounding into an inning-ending double play in the ninth. The 25-year-old's primary value to the Mets remains as a lefty-killer, but if Reyes' early-season struggles continue Flores could see more action against right-handed pitching, giving him more run and RBI opportunities at the expense of his batting average.

Rizzo went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI during Thursday's win over Los Angeles.

This was Rizzo's second consecutive multi-hit game, and it appears his slow start (4-for-25 through the first six games) is in the rearview mirror. Expect the proven slugger to string together a heater sooner than later, as he's a key cog in the heart of a potent lineup, after all.

Hoskins is hitting .375/.464/.625 with one home run, three doubles and a 5:3 K:BB in 28 plate appearances at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

The freshly turned 24-year-old has made plenty of hard contact in his first week in the International League. The one ball he hit out was a pitcher's pitch, down and away, that Hoskins bent over and reached out for and was still able to loft out to dead center field. He is expected to spend most of the year at Triple-A, but if he continues to rake and the Phillies have an opening at first base this summer, he could be up sooner than anticipated.

Bour is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Braves, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Left-handed pitching has been a trouble spot for Bour throughout his career, so it's not surprising that he'll be excluded from the lineup with southpaw Jaime Garcia on the hill. Tyler Moore will cover first base in Bour's stead and bat sixth in the order.

Smith went 4-for-6 with a home run, three RBI and four runs scored in Triple-A Las Vegas' rout of Fresno on Tuesday.

The homer was his first at the level, but as expected, Smith is enjoying hitting in the friendly parks of the Pacific Coast League, slashing .440/.462/.680 through his first six games this season. In a loaded lineup that also includes top Mets prospects Amed Rosario and Gavin Cecchini, the 21-year-old first baseman could finally put up numbers in 2017 that seem worthy of his sweet swing and prospect pedigree.

Cabrera went 4-for-6 with a double, a homer, two RBI and three runs in Tuesday's 14-4 victory over the Phillies.

Although Cabrera's hit safely in all but one game this year, this was still a noteworthy breakout for him, as it was his first homer of the year and his first multi-hit game since April 3. Despite missing some time to injury, Cabrera enjoyed one of his finest MLB seasons last year, hitting a surprising .280 with 23 homers and a career-best .810 OPS. It's a lot to ask for him to replicate those numbers, but Cabrera is a capable hand both at the plate and in the field, so he'll continue holding down shortstop as the Mets groom top prospect Amed Rosario in the minors.

Votto went 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout in Monday's win over the Pirates, dropping his line for the season down to .192/.250/.500 over 28 plate appearances.

There's plenty of reasons not to be alarmed by Votto's slow start, the most obvious being the small sample. He's also only struck out three times, and he's recovered from slow starts before. MLB.com's Bob Cohn reports that Votto is swinging at more pitches, and doing so earlier in the count than he's accustomed to doing.