MLB Player News

Mountcastle went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Monday's win over the Royals.

Mountcastle crushed a two-run 408-foot home run off Michael Wacha in the fourth inning for his first of the season. The Orioles first baseman struggled in spring training with a .243/.256/.324 slash line and no homers, so this round-tripper was likely a welcome sight. Mountcastle will have to hit to keep his lineup spot in Baltimore with the bevy of young bats continuing to develop under general manager Mike Elias' watch.

Flores was added to the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Dodgers, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

It appeared that Flores would be held out of Monday's contest after taking a tumble Sunday afternoon, but he worked out before the game and ultimately got the green light. He'll man first base and bat fifth.

Flores (shoulder) is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Dodgers, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Flores injured his shoulder Sunday after tumbling into the dugout trying to catch a foul ball in the first inning. Tyler Fitzgerald will draw the start at first base and bat ninth in Monday's game against Dodgers left-hander James Paxton.

Abreu (hand) will start at first base and bat sixth in Monday's game versus the Blue Jays, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Abreu was out of the lineup Sunday due to lingering soreness in his hand as a result of a hit-by-pitch Saturday, but he's feeling well enough to give it a go Monday. The veteran first baseman has yet to pick up a base hit this season.

Sano is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Marlins, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.

Sano served as the Angels' designated hitter for the first two games of the season, but he went just 1-for-6 with four strikeouts between those contests and now finds himself on the bench for the second straight day. Given that he's signed to a modest one-year, $1 million deal and offers no defensive utility, Sano could soon find himself off the roster if he doesn't pick up the pace at the plate in the near future. For now, Sano looks like he'll be part of a committee at DH rather than a clear everyday player.

Gallo is absent from the lineup for Monday's contest against the Pirates, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Gallo started each of the Nationals' first three contests against a right-hander, but he went 0-for-12 with six strikeouts and will now take a seat versus lefty Marco Gonzales on Monday. Joey Meneses will handle first base in Gallo's stead.

Tellez is out of the lineup for Monday's game versus the Nationals.

The Pirates are facing a fifth straight left-handed starting pitcher to begin the season, and the lefty-hitting Tellez has now been on the bench on three occasions. Connor Joe will start at first base Monday in Tellez's stead.

Montero will serve as the Rockies' designated hitter and No. 8 batter in Monday's game against the Cubs, Luke Zahlmann of The Denver Gazette reports.

Montero has now started each of the Rockies' first five games of the season, with three starts coming at DH and two at first base. Charlie Blackmon has been playing more right field than expected early on and Kris Bryant not being confined to first base has allowed Montero everyday at-bats thus far. He has just two hits, but a 3:3 K:BB is encouraging for a player who drew just 15 walks all of last season.

France went 2-for-4 in a loss to the Red Sox on Sunday.

The pair of singles still left France in search of his first extra-base hit of the new campaign, but they did extend his hitting streak to three games. France had implemented several tweaks to his mechanics at the plate this offseason, and they appeared to pay off during Cactus League play in the form of a .364 average and .897 OPS across 50 plate appearances.

Santana went 1-for-3 with a double in Sunday's loss at Kansas City. He's started all three games this season at first base and is 3-for-11 with a walk.

Santana may get more playing time with Royce Lewis out a month or more with a quad injury as Alex Kirilloff has been used in the outfield the last two games with Willi Castro playing more third base. Santana did not bat leadoff against a left-handed starter in the season opener but could still be an option to lead off against southpaws as had been talked about in spring training. Santana looks set to play against both right-handed and left-handed pitching at first base with an occasional game at DH, while Kirilloff primarily will be used at DH and in the outfield and sit against most lefties.