MLB Player News

Albies went 1-for-5 with a home run, one run scored, one RBI, and one strikeout Thursday against the Phillies.

Albies is one of the youngest and most exciting players in the league, and he began his age 21 season with a home run. Offering a power and speed combination sometimes likened to Jose Altuve, Albies showed only his ability to steal bases for much of his minor-league career. That changed in 2017, however, as he combined to hit 15 home runs across Triple-A and the major-league level. He flashed that power again on Opening Day, which will do nothing to slow the excitement surrounding his potential.

Rosario will hit ninth, with pitcher Noah Syndergaard hitting eighth, in the Mets' Opening Day lineup, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

This actually counts as a bit of good news for the young shortstop's fantasy value, as hitting in front of Brandon Nimmo -- and, eventually, Michael Conforto (shoulder) -- should allow Rosario to see better pitches and give him more opportunities to use his speed. The 22-year-old didn't produce much offense in his big-league debut last season, but his .328/.367/.466 slash line with seven homers and 19 steals in 94 games for Triple-A Las Vegas in 2017 gives a glimpse of his upside.

Manager Clint Hurdle revealed Tuesday that Frazier would serve as the Pirates' designated hitter and leadoff man in the team's season opener Thursday in Detroit, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Frazier, who will reprise the super-utility role he filled last season, is expected to be deployed at the top of the order in most of his starts this season. Playing time may be a little more difficult to come by when the Pirates are at full strength and don't have the DH spot available, but Frazier's multi-position versatility should at least afford him two or three starts per week.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday that Tomlinson claimed a spot on the Opening Day roster as a utility man, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Tomlinson faced competition from Josh Rutledge for the utility role during spring training, but the former entered camp as the heavy favorite for those duties and never relinquished his early edge in the job battle. With left-handed hitters in Brandon Belt, Joe Panik and Brandon Crawford atop the depth chart at three of the four infield spots, Tomlinson projects to receive regular starts against southpaws early on in the season.

General manager Neal Huntington said Sunday that Frazier will likely bat leadoff whenever he's slated to start, AT&T SportsNet reports.

Huntington made his comments during Monday's television broadcast. Frazier, who will begin 2018 as a backup to both second base and left field, is expected to serve as the team's designated hitter for the season's first three games in Detroit. He may be Pittsburgh's best pure hitter, but he'll have to wait for injuries to strike to see regular playing time (aside from interleague play).

Marte and the Diamondbacks agreed to an extension Monday, Robert Murray of FanRagSports.com reports.

The extension is for five years and $24 million and includes two option years worth a total of $22 million, bringing the potential total value to seven years and $46 million. The extension demonstrates the team's commitment to Marte, who appears to be in line for an everyday second base role. The 24-year-old has a .265/.319/.361 slash line in 249 career games, with eight homers and 22 steals. His fantasy appeal is limited by his lack of power, though he makes a lot of hard contact on the ground and could be in line for a breakout if some of those hard grounders become hard flyballs.

Hernandez has made an effort to improve his approach against right-handed pitching this spring, Pedro Moura of The Athletic reports.

Known for hitting lefties well (.270/.364/.518 career slash line against southpaws), Hernandez has showed a significant improvement against righties this spring, smacking all four of his exhibition home runs off right-handed pitchers. While he'll still be considered a regular against lefties this season, the super-utility man's improved approach against same-handed hurlers could result in more than a platoon role at the keystone if Chase Utley struggles out of the gate while the infielders combine to fill in for Justin Turner (wrist).

Marte was deployed as the starting second baseman and No. 6 hitter in Tuesday's 6-5 exhibition loss to the Angels in what could be a preview of the Diamondbacks' Opening Day lineup, Owen Perkins of MLB.com reports.

Following his promotion to the big leagues in late June, Marte secured a starting gig and ran with it, finishing the 2017 campaign with a strong .260/.345/.395 line across 255 plate appearances. While Marte wasn't as aggressive on the bases as he had been in the past, stealing just three bags in four attempts, he showed more power than expected, racking up 17 extra-base hits in less than a half season of work. Don't expect Marte to see his involvement pick up dramatically in the run game based on his projected spot in the bottom half of the order, but his full-time role should make him a serviceable source of counting stats from the middle infield.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Hernandez could be used on the short side of a platoon at second base with Chase Utley to begin the season with Justin Turner (wrist) set to miss multiple weeks, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Turner's absence due to the fractured wrist creates an opening at third base that will primarily be filled by Logan Forsythe, which clears up the keystone for the lefty-hitting Utley and the righty-hitting Hernandez. The news doesn't really change Hernandez's outlook much, as the Dodgers have always made a concerted effort to give the 26-year-old starts against southpaws while deploying him at a number of positions. Hernandez's stellar .270/.364/.518 career line against lefties makes him an appealing DFS play nearly every time he's in the lineup for those matchups.

The Mets optioned Guillorme to their minor-league camp Tuesday.

A glove-first prospect, Guillorme doesn't offer much appeal in dynasty formats due to his lack of power and impact on the basepaths. He's expected to open the campaign at Double-A Binghamton or Triple-A Las Vegas.