MLB Player News

Gurriel is out of the lineup Friday against the A's.

Marwin Gonzalez will get an opportunity at first base against right-hander Kendall Graveman. Gurriel got off to a bit of a rocky start this season, going 2-for-21 in his first six games, but he's picked it up with six hits in his last three games (five singles). He remains the primary first baseman for Houston.

Cron is not in the lineup Friday against the Royals, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

Cron has become part of a platoon with Jeffry Marte in the early going, so the former will head to the bench with southpaw Danny Duffy toeing the rubber for Kansas City. Look for Cron to resume his normal role in the lineup Saturday when right-hander Nathan Karns takes the hill.

Cron came off the bench Thursday, going 0-for-1 in his only plate appearance against the Rangers.

It appeared that a strict platoon was developing at first base with Cron and Jeffry Marte. However, manager Mike Scioscia benched the lefty against the right-handed Yu Darvish on Thursday. The 27-year-old Cron is batting .304 (7-for-23) in seven games this season, so the benching is a bit puzzling. He was still worth rostering for his power on the strong side of a first base platoon, but after Thursday's lineup construction, it is unclear what Scioscia has in mind regarding playing time, making it hard to roster either first baseman for the time being.

Bell is not in the starting lineup Friday against the Cubs, Adam Berry of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Bell is batting .143 in 28 at-bats. He's seeing more pitches per plate appearance (4.23) than he did as a rookie (4.06), but he could lose playing time in the short term if he doesn't find his stroke. The Pirates often remove him in favor of a late-inning defensive replacement at first base. Despite starting eight games, the 24-year-old has completed only three. John Jaso will get the nod at first base Friday at Wrigley Field.

Flores got the start at first base and went 2-for-7 with a solo home run, his second blast of the season, and a second run scored in Thursday's extra-inning win over the Marlins.

He shifted over to third base once Wei-Yin Chen was off the mound for Miami and Lucas Duda entered the game, but manager Terry Collins' decision to keep Jose Reyes on the bench might have prolonged the 16-inning marathon as Flores went 0-for-5 once Chen was out of the game, including grounding into an inning-ending double play in the ninth. The 25-year-old's primary value to the Mets remains as a lefty-killer, but if Reyes' early-season struggles continue Flores could see more action against right-handed pitching, giving him more run and RBI opportunities at the expense of his batting average.

Abreu went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI during Thursday's win over the Indians.

It's been a pedestrian start for the first baseman, as Abreu has just two runs, four RBI and one extra-base hit. He's still looking for his first home run of the season and sports a .250/.294/.281 slash line. It's too early to count him out, but it's also worth noting that the 30-year-old slugger has seen his home run total, slugging percentage and wOBA drop in consecutive years since his impressive rookie campaign in 2014.

Rizzo went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI during Thursday's win over Los Angeles.

This was Rizzo's second consecutive multi-hit game, and it appears his slow start (4-for-25 through the first six games) is in the rearview mirror. Expect the proven slugger to string together a heater sooner than later, as he's a key cog in the heart of a potent lineup, after all.

Hoskins is hitting .375/.464/.625 with one home run, three doubles and a 5:3 K:BB in 28 plate appearances at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

The freshly turned 24-year-old has made plenty of hard contact in his first week in the International League. The one ball he hit out was a pitcher's pitch, down and away, that Hoskins bent over and reached out for and was still able to loft out to dead center field. He is expected to spend most of the year at Triple-A, but if he continues to rake and the Phillies have an opening at first base this summer, he could be up sooner than anticipated.

Bour is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Braves, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Left-handed pitching has been a trouble spot for Bour throughout his career, so it's not surprising that he'll be excluded from the lineup with southpaw Jaime Garcia on the hill. Tyler Moore will cover first base in Bour's stead and bat sixth in the order.

Smith went 4-for-6 with a home run, three RBI and four runs scored in Triple-A Las Vegas' rout of Fresno on Tuesday.

The homer was his first at the level, but as expected, Smith is enjoying hitting in the friendly parks of the Pacific Coast League, slashing .440/.462/.680 through his first six games this season. In a loaded lineup that also includes top Mets prospects Amed Rosario and Gavin Cecchini, the 21-year-old first baseman could finally put up numbers in 2017 that seem worthy of his sweet swing and prospect pedigree.