MLB Player News

Smith was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Friday.

Smith picked the wrong time to finally figure things out at the plate. He's hitting .333/.459/.400 but has only started four games due to the emergence of Pete Alonso. Adeiny Hechavarria's contract was selected in a corresponding move after the veteran exercised an opt-out in his contract, forcing the Mets to release him or promote him. The organization elected to keep Hechavarria on the payroll, to Smith's detriment.

Rizzo went 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in a 4-0 win over the Cardinals on Friday.

Rizzo's third-inning shot off Jack Flaherty provided all the runs Kyle Hendricks would need, and he contributed two singles and a walk. The 29-year-old first baseman is hitting .252 with eight home runs and 23 RBI and has now homered four times in his last five games.

O'Hearn is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Tigers.

O'Hearn will be stationed on the bench for the third time in the last four games as left-hander Matthew Boyd is set to take the mound for Detroit. Hunter Dozier takes over at first base for the Royals while Kelvin Gutierrez starts at third base.

Calhoun went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk to help the Angels to a 6-2 victory over the Blue Jays on Thursday.

Calhoun typically hits leadoff against right-handers, but he was dropped down to sixth in the order thanks to his early-season struggles. He responded by cranking a second-inning two-run shot off Aaron Sanchez. He's hitting just .204 with a .297 on-base percentage, but the 31-year-old is at least providing decent power, as this was eighth home run to go along with six doubles and eight RBI over 113 at-bats.

Manager Charlie Montoyo told MLB Network Radio that Guerrero will not be in the lineup Thursday against the Angels.

Guerrero has started all five games since earning a promotion at the end of April, going 3-for-18 with a double and 3:6 BB:K during those contests. He'll head to the bench for Thursday's series finale as the skipper looks to "give him a day off to relax" ahead of the team's upcoming weekend series against the Rangers.

France went 2-for-4 with a triple, two runs and an RBI to help the Padres to an 11-2 win over the Braves on Thursday.

The 24-year-old chipped in on a huge day for the San Diego offense with a pair of hits and his first career triple, a nice breakout showing after he started his stint at the big-league level 2-for-13. He should continue to see regular work at the hot corner with Fernando Tatis Jr. (hamstring) on the injured list and will look to build on his torrid hitting at Triple-A El Paso, where he was slashing a blistering .423/.500/.885 in 78 at-bats.

Hiura hit his eighth home run of the season in a game with Triple-A San Antonio on Wednesday.

Triple-A pitchers have had little success against Hiura in his first stop at the level, as he owns a robust .312/.350/.688 slash line in an even 100 plate appearances over 26 games. Hiura had some struggles making contact early on, striking out 24 times over San Antonio's first 15 games, but he has shown rapid progress in that area, striking out just eight times over his last 11 contests. There isn't a spot open for Hiura at the MLB level just yet, but his numbers and adjustments indicate he is just about ready to take his cuts against big-league pitchers, and he could force the Brewers' hand a bit at some point soon.

Goldschmidt is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Nationals, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Goldschmidt will be one of four Cardinals regulars resting on getaway day, with Yadier Molina, Paul DeJong and Dexter Fowler (illness) joining him on the bench. Matt Carpenter will move across the diamond to cover first base in place of Goldschmidt, who has produced only one extra-base hit (a double) and one RBI over his last eight starts.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-5 with a run in a win over the Nationals on Wednesday.

Goldschmidt opened the new month on a positive note after going 1-for-14 over his previous three games. The veteran slugger has a solid .264/.350/.512 line through 137 plate appearances, but his 26.3 percent strikeout rate is an aspect of his game with plenty of room for improvement.

O'Hearn is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rays.

The Royals have routinely withheld O'Hearn from the lineup against left-handed pitchers this season, but he'll pick up a rare rest versus a righty (Charlie Morton) on Thursday. Since opening the season with a five-game hitting streak, O'Hearn has slashed a miserable .116/.262/.261 and could be in danger of losing out on a strong-side platoon role.