MLB Player News

Stassi (back) went 2-for-2 against the Phillies on Monday.

Stassi was sidelined with back spasms in late February, but he was able to return to action and picked up right where he left off. He's now 4-for-7 (.571) on the spring. Regardless of what he does in Grapefruit League games, Stassi is expected to spend 2018 as organizational depth at Triple-A Rochester.

Gurriel (hand) is back in camp Monday and took part in a light workout, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Gurriel is expected to miss the first few weeks of the season after undergoing surgery to remove the hook of the hamate bone in his left hand Wednesday. He reportedly went through his workout with no pain. Marwin Gonzalez is the most likely candidate to fill in at first base until Gurriel returns.

Smith (quad) is scheduled to take batting practice Sunday, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Smith resumed jogging three days ago for the first time since the injury, and hitting the cages is a step in the right direction. Though he's expected to take a back seat to Adrian Gonzalez in the first base battle, Smith could certainly help his case for reps with an early return to game action.

Gurriel (hand) will rejoin the team Sunday after undergoing surgery earlier in the week, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Gurriel had the hook of the hamate bone removed from his left hand and will miss 5-6 weeks, putting him on a mid-to-late-April return. The Astros have plenty of candidates to take his spot at first base, though we expect to see Marwin Gonzalez get the most at-bats.

Cabrera is a candidate to hit leadoff this season, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports. "He keeps getting hits to start off the game, so that is good," new Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. "He is definitely going to be considered for [leadoff]."

The team doesn't have any obvious leadoff hitters in its projected Opening Day lineup, making Cabrera as likely an option as any from among a group that includes Brandon Nimmo, Todd Frazier and Jose Reyes. Cabrera's .331 career OBP isn't ideal, but he posted a .351 figure last season and his fantasy value would get a bump if the veteran infielder does claim a spot at the top of the batting order.

Voit, who went 1-for-4 with a run in Thursday's 3-3 Grapefruit League tie with the Twins, is hitting .412 (7-for-17) with two doubles, four RBI, two walks and three runs in six spring training games.

It's an excellent start to a pivotal exhibition season for Voit, who proactively undertook a number of initiatives this offseason designed to up his chances of sticking on the 25-man roster. The 27-year-old put in work at learning both corner infield spots, implemented a dietary regimen that led to a 15-pound weight loss and is currently working on a swing adjustment in spring training that's intended to increase his overall contact rate. Voit was serviceable in his first regular-season exposure to major-league pitching in 2017, slashing .246/.306/.430 with nine doubles, four home runs and 18 RBI across 124 plate appearances. However, a bloated 25.0 percent strikeout rate and a corresponding mediocre 73.0 percent contact rate conspired to cap his overall success with the bat, something Voit is hoping his new approach will go a long way towards correcting. If early returns are any indication, the revised swing is already paying dividends.

Cron, who went 1-for-3 in Thursday's 5-2 Grapefruit League loss to the Orioles, is hitting .333 (4-for-12) with a double, a home run, two RBI and two runs over his first four spring training games.

The offseason acquisition has gotten plenty of reps to open the exhibition slate, logging a trio of plate appearances in each contest while Brad Miller (toe) remains sidelined. Cron is reportedly set for a full-time role in the coming season, which would afford him ample opportunity to bounce back from a career-low .248 average and .437 slugging percentage in 2017. Despite the downturn in those numbers, Cron clawed his way to 16 homers for the third straight campaign, and putting a significant dent in his career-high 25.9 percent strikeout rate from last season would go a long way to propping his metrics back up.

Smith was able to jog for the first time since suffering a strained right quadriceps last weekend, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

Following his jog, Smith said that he was doing well and that there was no setback to his initial injury. He was also able to hit and participate in a few drills. The Mets released a typical medical update Thursday which stated a "gradual return to baseball activity" for Smith. He will remain sidelined for the time being as Adrian Gonzalez figures to continue starting at first base.

Gurriel's surgery to remove the hook of the hamate bone in his left hand was successful and the procedure typically requires a 5-to-6 week recovery time, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic Houston reports.

If this timetable holds, Gurriel will open the season on the 10-day disabled list and will be ready for game action in mid-April. However, he'll also need to serve a five-game suspension once he's medically cleared, so a late-April return seems like a prudent estimation. The injury was pre-existing, according to general manager Jeff Luhnow, but it was non-symptomatic until earlier this week. Marwin Gonzalez is capable of playing first base, as are Tyler White, A.J. Reed and J.D. Davis, though it sounds like Gurriel won't miss enough time for any of those players to see their stock boosted significantly.

Gurriel will have surgery Thursday to remove the hook of the hamate bone in his left hand and is without a timetable to return, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Gurriel was scratched earlier in the week with discomfort, and now it turns out he will miss significant time due to this procedure. It seems inevitable that he opens the year on the 10-day disabled list. Even after trading away Colin Moran, the Astros have a lot of corner-infield depth. In addition to Marwin Gonzalez, who is a lock to make the 25-man roster, Tyler White, A.J. Reed and J.D. Davis are all big-league ready and can all handle first base, so at least one of them figures to break camp in the majors while Gurriel recovers. He will still need to serve a five-game suspension for offensive actions during the postseason, so he will not be able to return to game action immediately after getting activated from the disabled list.