MLB Player News

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.

Cabrera went 4-for-6 with a double, a homer, two RBI and three runs in Tuesday's 14-4 victory over the Phillies.

Although Cabrera's hit safely in all but one game this year, this was still a noteworthy breakout for him, as it was his first homer of the year and his first multi-hit game since April 3. Despite missing some time to injury, Cabrera enjoyed one of his finest MLB seasons last year, hitting a surprising .280 with 23 homers and a career-best .810 OPS. It's a lot to ask for him to replicate those numbers, but Cabrera is a capable hand both at the plate and in the field, so he'll continue holding down shortstop as the Mets groom top prospect Amed Rosario in the minors.

Votto went 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout in Monday's win over the Pirates, dropping his line for the season down to .192/.250/.500 over 28 plate appearances.

There's plenty of reasons not to be alarmed by Votto's slow start, the most obvious being the small sample. He's also only struck out three times, and he's recovered from slow starts before. MLB.com's Bob Cohn reports that Votto is swinging at more pitches, and doing so earlier in the count than he's accustomed to doing.

Cron is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Rangers.

Cron has been solid at the plate after playing in five games and has gone 6-for-19 (.316) over said outings. However, he'll head to the bench Tuesday while Jefry Marte starts at first base.

Rizzo went 1-for-4 with the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning in Monday's 3-2 win over the Dodgers.

Believe it or not, it was Rizzo's first RBI of the year, as he's off to a slow start with a .172 average in his first seven games. The hit was a well-earned one, though, coming off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen. Rizzo is also still searching for his first long ball of the 2017 season, but the All-Star first baseman should get it going soon. He remains one of the most consistent on-base and power forces in the league.

Gurriel batted ninth in the order and went 1-for-3 with a double in Monday's 6-0 loss to the Mariners.

The double was Gurriel's third hit (and first extra-base hit) in 24 at-bats to open the year. That explains why the first baseman is hitting up the rear of the order. He's handled the transition to first base in the field well, but his bat is lagging. They'll give him some leash, but the Astros have a couple promising first basemen at Triple-A Fresno, Tyler White and A.J. Reed, both of whom have some MLB experience. There are options if manager A.J. Hinch wants to make a change at first.

Stassi went 1-for-4 with a ninth-inning homer -- his first hit major-league hit -- in Monday's 4-3 loss to the Mets.

He got the start at first base and hit seventh. Stassi had gone 0-for-4 with three walks in his first few MLB games, and he's not likely to get too many at-bats behind Tommy Joseph. The 27-year-old rookie has never quite been a stud in the minors, so don't let your expectations get too high, but he may be able to carve out some value in NL-only leagues.

Joseph is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia reports.

With the Phillies due to face a tough right-hander in Jacob deGrom, Philadelphia manager Pete Mackanin will hold Joseph out for the second time this season, allowing the lefty-hitting Brock Stassi to pick up a start at first base. Joseph doesn't look to be in danger of falling into a platoon just yet, but he'll need to pick up the pace after getting off to a slow start -- 2-for-20 with eight strikeouts in six games.

Freeman went 4-for-5 with two home runs, two RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base in Sunday's 6-5 loss to the Pirates.

The Braves were swept in dramatic fashion, but it was due in no part to the performance of Freeman, who stole a base and scored in the first inning before launching solo homers in the fifth and seventh. He entered the game with a .238 average and no home runs or RBI, but perhaps this outburst can get him going as he looks to carry a large burden for what was last year one of baseball's worst offenses and could continue that weakness in 2017.

Gurriel is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.

With Gurriel off to a 2-for-18 start at the plate to open 2017, manager A.J. Hinch will give the Cuban import a day off to clear his mind. Utility man Marwin Gonzalez will replace him at first base and bat eighth in the lineup. All but one of Gurriel's five starts on the season have come against left-handed pitching, so if he fails to turn it around in the near future, it's not of the question for him to fall into a stricter platoon at first base with the switch-hitting Gonzalez.