MLB Player News

Santana went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and three RBI to help the Phillies to a 5-4 extra-inning victory over the Braves on Friday.

Santana bagged his first home run for his new team with a game-tying solo shot in the fifth inning. He sports only a .249 career batting average. but the veteran is still a useful fantasy asset. He's never had an on-base percentage lower than .351 in his career and has walked at least 88 times in each of the last seven seasons. While that certainly means Santana is most valuable in leagues with an OBP category, his 20-plus home run power and abilities as a run producer mean he figures to remain a steady option in other formats as well.

Hoskins went 2-for-5 with his first home run of the season in Philadelphia's 5-4 extra-inning victory over the Braves on Friday.

Hoskins has picked up right where he left off last year, stroking four hits in his first eight at-bats, including Friday's second-inning blast off Mike Foltynewicz that marked his first round tripper of the new campaign. Hoskins put together one of the most prodigious displays of power from a newcomer in MLB history last season, cranking 18 home runs and slugging .618 in his first 34 games after he was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley in August. If he can even come close to sustaining that type of output over the course of an entire season, the upside here is scary.

Bell went 3-for-6 with three RBI against the Tigers on Friday.

His situational hitting skills were on full display against Detroit. He reached out across the plate to drive the ball to right-center for a sacrifice fly and also collected an opposite-field RBI single. Bell did make an fielding error on a grounder at first base, but the team is willing to look past his defensive shortcomings. He's slated to hit cleanup exclusively and looks to build upon a rookie season that included 26 homers and 90 RBI.

Cooper was hit by a pitch and exited Friday night's game against the Cubs, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Cooper was hit on the right wrist and was replaced by Cameron Maybin. Craig Davis of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports the 27-year-old suffered a wrist contusion and is currently considered day-to-day.

Olson went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Thursday's 6-5 extra-inning Opening Day win over the Angels.

The 383-foot shot to right in the fifth inning knotted the game at 4-4 and was the unquestioned highlight of Olson's afternoon, as he went down on strikes in three of his other four at-bats. The whiffs were a recurring theme during the spring (18 strikeouts in 64 plate appearances) and in 2017 (27.8 percent strikeout rate over 216 plate appearances), as well, so it's an inauspicious start for the Athletics' everyday first baseman in that regard. However, prodigious power helps cover a lot of blemishes, and the fact Olson wasted no time in notching his first round tripper could be an early sign he's ready to build handsomely on his torrid 24-homer outburst from last season.

Cooper got the start in right field Thursday, going 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in an 8-4 loss to the Cubs.

With lefty Jon Lester on the hill for the reigning NL Central champs, Cooper got the start in right field over Cameron Maybin, but as both players hit right-handed the position is unlikely to develop into a true platoon. As the season progresses, expect Cooper to get spotted in at both outfield corners and at first base when the Marlins' starter needs a breather, but Maybin's checkered injury history does offer a path to more consistent playing time for Cooper at some point.

Goldschmidt went 0-for-2 with three walks and a run in Thursday's 8-2 win over the Rockies.

Goldschmidt's season debut wasn't an especially helpful one for fantasy owners outside of leagues that count on-base percentage, but the three walks at least suggest the first baseman is seeing the ball well coming out of spring training. Though the installation of a humidor at Chase Field this season could inhibit Goldschmidt's power output to some extent, the 30-year-old is still expected to finish among the top fantasy producers at his position thanks to his above-average contributions across all five major fantasy categories.

Calhoun went 3-for-5 with a triple, a home run and a trio of runs scored in Thursday's Opening Day loss to the Athletics.

Calhoun got the offense going early Thursday, tripling in his first at-bat and following that up with his first homer of the 2018 campaign. The Angels lowered their right field fence this offseason, and we got a taste of the benefit that change could have for the club's only everyday left-handed batter. The 30-year-old should be a decent source of HR and RBI batting fifth or sixth in the Halos' improved offense.

Freeman went 1-for-2 with a home run, three walks, two RBI, and three runs scored Thursday against the Phillies.

Freeman is one of the best hitters in the game, and the full stat-line he produced on Thursday is an illustration of that. One significant boost to his value is his ability to hit against left-handed pitching, he posted an .881 OPS against them in 126 at-bats last season, and his home run Thursday came against left-handed reliever Hoby Milner. Without drastic splits, Freeman should always remain in fantasy lineups.

Abreu went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in Thursday's Opening Day win over the Royals.

His two-run shot off Danny Duffy in the fourth inning opened the scoring for the 2018 White Sox as he delivered a hanging changeup over the left field fence. Abreu dealt with some hamstring issues late in spring training, but he proved to be no worse for the wear Thursday. He and the White Sox have a scheduled day off Friday before returning to action Saturday against Ian Kennedy and the Royals.