MLB Player News

Smith (quadriceps) will travel to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Smith opened the year on the DL due to a strained right quad, but is now back with the team and should be able to take regular at-bats soon. The young first baseman has a lot of work to do, but is expected to eventually be up with the big-league club to compete with Adrian Gonzalez and Wilmer Flores for reps.

Cron is out of the lineup Sunday against the Red Sox, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Cron will ride the pine for back-to-back games against opposing right-handers, suggesting that he may be the soft side of a platoon at first base with Brad Miller. With a 1-for-7 showing at the plate through three games, Miller hasn't exactly established himself as a lineup mainstay yet, so it isn't out of the question that Cron eventually emerges as the primary option at the position.

Bour is not in the lineup Sunday against the Cubs, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Bour started the first three games of the season at first base, where he went 1-for-13 at the plate, but will take a seat with tough southpaw Jose Quintana on the hill for the opposing Cubs. Garrett Cooper will be called upon to man first base in his stead.

Cooper (wrist) is back in the lineup Sunday against the Cubs, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Cooper started the first two games of the season in right field but was held out Saturday after a hit batsman forced an early exit Friday. Fortunately for Cooper, he avoided the worst-case scenario and his MRI came back clean. It was reported Saturday that he would avoid the disabled list, and with him manning first base Sunday, the injury appears to not be a long-term concern. He'll take over at first for Justin Bour, who is being held out of action against a lefty after three straight starts.

Cooper is expected to avoid the disabled list after tests revealed he didn't fracture his right wrist when it was hit by a pitch Friday, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Cameron Maybin was assigned the start in right field Saturday in place of Cooper, who should be considered day-to-day, with what the club called a contusion, despite being plunked by Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks. The journeyman, who's off to a 1-for-4 start to the season, will occupy a starting outfield spot when healthy, per Frisaro, and could re-enter the lineup soon.

Gurriel (hand) will likely return to action when first eligible Tuesday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic Houston reports. "All signs are pointing in a great direction for him," manager A.J. Hinch said.

Gurriel remains ahead of schedule in his return from February hand surgery. The 33-year-old was able to avoid a stint on the disabled list to open the season, and he could be cleared to make his season debut Tuesday -- which is the first day he's eligible to return from his five-game suspension -- if everything goes well in a set of minor-league games he's scheduled to appear in over the next few days. Once active, Gurriel will serve as the team's primary first baseman.

Joseph cleared waivers Friday and is currently considering whether to remain in the Rangers organization, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Joseph was designated for assignment Thursday and was previously optioned to Double-A Frisco. The 26-year-old has the ability to elect free agency after being outrighted twice in the past month and could garner some interest with a .247/.297/.757 slash line and 43 home runs in 810 at-bats for the Phillies over the past two seasons.

Cron is out of the lineup against the Red Sox on Saturday.

With right-hander Rick Porcello taking the mound, Cron will retreat in favor of Brad Miller at first base. He could be back on the bench again for Sunday's series finale with another right-hander (Hector Velazquez) set to pitch.

Freeman went 0-for-2 with three walks and a run scored in Friday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Phillies.

He's now drawn six free passes on the young season, setting a Braves franchise record for walks through two games in the process. It's a potentially ominous sign for Freeman's fantasy value, as he's one of the only proven bats in the lineup and opposition pitchers figure to work around him every chance they get until another Atlanta hitter makes them pay for their caution. Ronald Acuna's promotion in a couple of weeks could help remedy the situation, but as long as the likes of Nick Markakis and Kurt Suzuki are hitting directly behind Freeman as they were Friday, the first baseman could see very few hittable pitches.

Cabrera will bat at the top of the order and start at second base for Saturday's game.

Cabrera served out of the cleanup spot during Thursday's Opening Day victory, going 0-for-4 with one walk and one run scored. With Brandon Nimmo out of the lineup in favor of Juan Lagares, manager Mickey Callaway will give Cabrera a chance at the leadoff role.