MLB Player News

The Mets have considered moving Cabrera to third base and Jose Reyes to shortstop, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Cabrera is hitting just .248/.327/.366 on the year, and ongoing knee issues may be contributing to declining work in the field. Manager Terry Collins recently said Reyes "hates" manning third base, though the 33-year-old infielder disputes that notion. However, the club is hesitant to force Cabrera to switch positions because it's believed he's against the idea. If New York tries the swap even for a brief stretch, though, it could cement both players' dual eligibility for this and, if it sticks, next season.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Thursday's loss to Washington.

The home run was Goldschmidt's fifth of the season, and he's now up to 22 runs, 21 RBI and eight stolen bases with a .311/.454/.524 slash line for the campaign. The dip in his slugging percentage is mildly concerning, and it might be the continuation of a trend after Goldschmidt hit just 24 long flies last year. However, his five-category profile remains extremely valuable, and he's a power outburst away from silencing those doubts.

Votto went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs during Thursday's win over Pittsburgh.

It's been a monster start to the season for Votto, as the first baseman is up to 22 runs, nine home runs and 24 RBI with a .270/.375/.610 slash line. Considering he's historically been a slow starter and a better hitter in the second half, 2017 is shaping up to be another banner campaign for Votto.

Hoskins is hitting .333/.429/.643 with seven home runs in 84 at-bats for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Hoskins leads the International League in home runs and is showing that last year's power outburst wasn't just a product of playing half his games in a homer-friendly ballpark at Double-A Reading. He's also cut back on his strikeout rate thus far, going from 21.2 percent last season to 16.3 percent this year while also seeing his walk rate tick up a point. Tommy Joseph has struggled to get things going this season, but a change at first base in Philly doesn't seem imminent. If Hoskins keeps hitting he could get a look in the majors this summer, assuming Joseph doesn't come out of his funk.

Joseph is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Cubs, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia reports.

Joseph had benefited from a three-game stretch of starts against left-handed starting pitching, during which he went 2-for-10 with a homer and four RBI. That good fortune will come to an end Wednesday with right-hander Jake Arrieta on the bump for the Cubs, and Phillies manager Pete Mackanin will move Joseph to the bench in favor of the lefty-hitting Brock Stassi as a result. Joseph still projects to see most of the starts against right-handed pitching, but his miserable .192/.250/.315 batting line through 80 plate appearances on the season likely gives him a shorter leash than he had heading into the campaign.

Flores (knee) was activated from the 10-day disabled list Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Flores had been unavailable for the Mets over the last two weeks due to the knee issue, which he acknowledged was a staph infection, according to Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record. The 25-year-old was fortunate to avoid surgery to address the infection, and after checking out fine during a three-game rehab stint in the minors, it looks like he'll be available off the bench for Wednesday's game against the Braves. Flores could enter the starting nine for the series finale Thursday.

Flores (knee) will join the Mets in Atlanta for Wednesday's game against the Braves, James Wagner of The New York Times reports.

The report doesn't specify whether Flores will be activated from the 10-day disabled list ahead of Wednesday's game, but that sounds like a good bet after the infielder recently wrapped up a successful three-game rehab stint with High-A St. Lucie and Triple-A Las Vegas, batting 5-for-12 with a homer, three RBI and five runs. The Mets have a void at first base with Lucas Duda (elbow) still on the DL, so Flores could push T.J. Rivera for at-bats at the position once he's formally activated.

Freeman went 1-for-3 with two walks and a two-run home run in Tuesday's win over the Mets.

The homer was his 10th of the season, and Freeman shows no signs of slowing down after his epic April. The first baseman now has a magnificent .378/.491/.811 slash line on the year and has scored 25 runs in 25 games to go along with his 16 RBI.

Flores (knee) is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, Betsy Helfand of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

It seems as if the infection in Flores' knee has subsided for the most part, although Tuesday's game action should give a better indication of how healthy he really is. If all goes well in Las Vegas, the utility man could return to big-league action sometime in the next week.

Joseph went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer and two runs scored in Monday's 10-2 drubbing of the Cubs.

It was a good time for Joseph's second home run of the season, as he'd been losing valuable playing time at first base to Brock Stassi because of his early-season slump. Joseph raised his average to .183 on Monday, but he has 22 strikeouts and just five walks in 77 plate appearances. While there's no denying the 25-year-old has thump in his bat, the Phillies' platoon at first makes him attractive only in deep mixed and NL-only leagues.