MLB Player News

Alonso hasn't been told as of Monday whether or not he'll make the Mets' Opening Day roster, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Reports from last week indicated that Alonso had made the team, but those now appear to be premature. Alonso's excellent spring, in which he's hit .358/.386/.642 with four homers, certainly suggests he deserves a roster spot, but it's possible that the Mets still haven't ruled out keeping him in the minors for a few weeks in order to manipulate his service time.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in a Grapefruit League win over the Braves on Sunday.

Fresh off signing a five-year, $130 million extension earlier in the weekend, Goldschmidt commemorated the milestone with his third round tripper of spring. The veteran slugger has wasted no time in acclimating to his new St. Louis digs, hitting .280 with three doubles, one triple, three homers and six RBI this spring.

Bour walked three times and scored a pair of runs across four plate appearances Sunday in the Angels' 8-4 exhibition win over the Dodgers.

Bour posted a career-best 14.7 percent walk rate in 2018, so the three free passes he took Sunday shouldn't be viewed as a major outlier. The 30-year-old's combination of plate discipline and power make him an underrated asset in deeper mixed and AL-only leagues, and he should at the very least have a clear path to steady action for the first month of the season while Shohei Ohtani (elbow) is on the injured list.

Cooper appears to be the Marlins' Opening Day right fielder after Peter O'Brien was optioned to Triple-A New Orleans, Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald reports.

O'Brien could return to the majors if he proves he can make at least semi-consistent contact, but in the meantime Cooper will likely handle the bulk of the work in right. The 28-year-old is hitting .395 (17-for-43) this spring, but he hasn't gone yard and his .276/.325/.382 career line during his brief big-league career suggests he won't be adding much power to a fairly feeble Marlins lineup.

Hoskins (shoulder) is back in the lineup Monday against the Rays.

The minor shoulder issue that popped up early last week seemed to potentially threaten Hoskins' Opening Day availability, but he should be good to go, barring setbacks. He'll take his customary cleanup spot in the lineup Monday in a batting order which looks to be a copy of the one the Phillies will run out on Opening Day. With three new bats ahead of him (Andrew McCutchen, Jean Segura and Bryce Harper) and a fourth right behind him (J.T. Realmuto), Hoskins should be primed for a strong year in his third big-league season.

Walker has made the Opening Day roster, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Walker earned the roster spot with a productive spring, slashing .370/.434/.609 over 52 plate appearances. The team has said Jake Lamb will start at first base against lefties and righties, but he has a career 46 wRC+ in 412 plate appearances against southpaws, so it may not be long before the righty-hitting Walker is getting starts against lefties.

Manager Clint Hurdle said Bell will "absolutely" be the Pirates' cleanup hitter in 2019, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Bell has primarily hit fourth throughout his career, so this should be nothing new for him. The first baseman owns a .200/.231/.360 with a pair of homers through 17 games this spring. Bell is hoping for a bounce-back year in the power department after hitting just 12 homers last season (down from 26 long balls in 2017).

Hoskins (shoulder), who is not in the lineup Sunday against the Orioles, is planning to play Monday against the Rays, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Hoskins has been nursing a sore shoulder. The first baseman was able to take batting practice and hit off a high-velocity pitching machine Sunday, clearing the way for him to return for the team's final game of spring. Assuming everything goes off without a hitch Monday, Hoskins should be ready to go for Thursday's opener against the Braves.

Tellez was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Tellez received his first cup of coffee in the majors in September and hit well with a .314/.329/.614 slash line and four home runs in 73 plate appearances, though he did strike out 21 times. The 24-year-old always figured to begin the season at Buffalo, but he didn't make the decision an easy one with five home runs and a .908 OPS this spring.

Diaz will be one of three players filling in at third base during Matt Duffy's (hamstring) stay on the injured list, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Duffy will miss at least the first seven games of the season as a result of his troublesome hamstring injury. Diaz and the versatile duo of Daniel Robertson and Joey Wendle are all slated to help man the hot corner during his absence. Given the nature of soft-tissue injuries and the fits and starts Duffy has already endured with the hamstring this spring, there's also a chance the veteran infielder is sidelined for more than just the minimum time. Whenever Diaz does shift across the infield from first base, Ji-Man Choi or Brandon Lowe will likely slot into the latter position.