MLB Player News

Cooper is starting in right field and poised to serve as the Marlins' cleanup hitter in the early going this season, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic reports. "He's a guy that hits righties and lefties and there's potential double power and that's a guy that drives in runs," manager Don Mattingly said when explaining why Cooper is his cleanup hitter.

This is an awful lineup, but Cooper will at least be in a better position to drive in runs than if he were hitting fifth or sixth. He doesn't offer a ton of upside, given his lack of plus power, but he could be serviceable in deeper formats.

Tellez was listed on the Blue Jays' official 25-man roster for Opening Day, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo earlier in the week, but following the trade of Kendrys Morales to Oakland, the Jays have decided to bring Tellez back to the majors to begin the season. At-bats could be tough to come by in the early going with Justin Smoak entrenched at first base and Teoscar Hernandez the favorite for DH duties, but if Tellez takes advantage of his opportunities, he could stick around even after Vlad Guerrero Jr. (oblique) needs a roster spot. Tellez hit a pedestrian .270/.340/.425 with 13 homers in 112 games at Triple-A last year before raking in September with the Jays, slashing .314/.329/.614 with four home runs in 73 plate appearances.

Goldschmidt is hitting second Thursday against the Brewers.

The Cardinals will put their best hitter in the two hole, putting an end to any thoughts that they might give that spot to Dexter Fowler in an effort to get him off to a hot start. Matt Carpenter is leading off while Paul DeJong and Marcell Ozuna hit third and fourth, respectively.

Voit will serve as the Yankees' designated hitter and bat out of the cleanup spot Thursday against the Orioles.

Manager Aaron Boone announced a day earlier that Voit would handle DH duties in the opener while Greg Bird would man first base, but the two players could move between the two spots liberally in the early weeks of the season while Aaron Hicks (back) is on the injured list. The more notable development is that Voit is being deployed as the No. 4 hitter, a favorable arrangement in any lineup but especially so with superstars Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton hitting directly in front of him. If Boone sticks with this lineup configuration on a permanent basis, Voit could be in store for a huge RBI total in 2019.

Alonso is starting at first base and hitting second Opening Day against the Nationals.

Not only did the Mets surprise everyone by putting Alonso on the Opening Day roster, but they are also giving him a prestigious spot in the lineup. He will hit behind Brandon Nimmo and in front of Robinson Cano and Michael Conforto. It is worth noting that Alonso doesn't even have the platoon advantage against righty Max Scherzer, so he should theoretically stick in the No. 2 spot for now.

Blandino (knee) was placed on the 10-day IL.

He had surgery to reconstruct a torn ACL and MCL in July of 2018, and is still working his way back. If he beats Scooter Gennett (groin) back, Blandino could get time at the keystone, but he could also be optioned to Triple-A.

Tellez has a clearer path to big-league playing time after Kendrys Morales was traded to the A's, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.

Tellez is still expected to open the season in the minors, while Anthony Alford is set to break camp with the big club in place of Morales. That said, the 24-year-old could make his way to the majors sooner than expected following Morales' departure, especially if Teoscar Hernandez or Billy McKinney struggle at all. Tellez impressed through 20 appearances this spring, hitting .280/.308/.600 with five homers and 11 RBI.

Guerrero (oblique) will continue rehabbing in Florida for another week or so before the Blue Jays determine the next step in his recovery, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Guerrero is reportedly ahead of schedule in his recovery from an oblique strain; if everything checks out OK next week, the third baseman could be ready to go for the start of the Triple-A season. The expectation is that the youngster will be promoted to the Blue Jays once he has his timing down and the team secures an extra year of control.

General manager Brodie Van Wagenen confirmed Wednesday that Smith would be included on the Mets' Opening Day roster, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Smith played his way onto the active roster with a stellar spring (.831 OPS in 61 plate appearances), but top prospect Pete Alonso (1.006 OPS in 75 plate appearances) was even better. The Mets confirmed Wednesday that Alonso would also stick around with the big club, and the organization probably wouldn't have made that decision if they didn't intend for the 24-year-old to play on everyday basis. Unless Alonso flops in his first taste of the big leagues, Smith will likely head to Triple-A Syracuse once the team gets Jed Lowrie (knee) or Todd Frazier (oblique) back from the injured list.

Voit will serve as the Yankees' designated hitter in Thursday's season opener against the Orioles, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

With Aaron Hicks (back) beginning the season on the injured list, Voit and Greg Bird were already assured starting roles at either first base or DH. The Yankees have likely chosen to deploy Bird at first base initially for defensive reasons, but how both Voit and Bird perform at the plate will ultimately carry more weight regarding which of the two emerges as the primary option at the position once the team is at full strength. Manager Aaron Boone hasn't revealed the batting order for the opener, but if the Yankees' Grapefruit League lineups are any indication, Voit could slot in as the team's cleanup hitter.