MLB Player News

Lester went 3-for-4 with two triples, one RBI and one run scored in Tuesday's Grapefruit League win over the Pirates.

Lester had struggled earlier in the spring, but he's now hitting .387 (12-for-31) with four extra-base hits and nine RBI through 13 contests. He's gotten a long look so far, but the fact that the 28-year-old is on a minor-league deal and has just two major-league games under his belt presents a tough path to the majors.

Guerrero said Wednesday that with his recent knee injury behind him, he's open to rejoining Team Dominican Republic should they advance in the World Baseball Classic, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

A decision will be made after Guerrero has a conversation with Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider. It seems unlikely Toronto would clear their star to leave camp given he just returned from a knee injury which cost him nearly two weeks of action. It could also be a moot point, as the Dominican Republic needs to defeat Puerto Rico on Wednesday in order to advance.

Guerrero (knee) is starting Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reports.

The young slugger hasn't seen game action since March 3 due to knee inflammation, but he's been cleared to take the field after ramping up his running program over the past couple days. Guerrero will now have two weeks of exhibition games to get ready for Opening Day versus the Cardinals on March 30.

White was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma by the Mariners on Tuesday, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.

White will head to Triple-A as expected to receive regular at-bats after missing the majority of the 2021 and 2022 seasons due to injury. The former top prospect has struggled mightily at the highest level, but his strong defense at first could make him an option for the Mariners if he stays healthy and handles Triple-A pitching.

Rizzo (back) is back in the Yankees' Grapefruit League lineup Tuesday versus the Blue Jays, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

Rizzo had to be scratched from Sunday's lineup with a back issue, but he took batting practice Monday and is at first base and hitting third Tuesday. The veteran's back has given his problems off and on the last few years and will likely require maintenance days in 2023, but it's not much of a concern right now.

O'Hearn (knee) is feeling better but is expected to miss a few more days of action, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

O'Hearn's right knee remains swollen and is "still pretty sore," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. The former Royal has a real shot to make the Opening Day roster, so he can't afford to miss too much more time.

France is hitting .259 (7-for-27) with a double, a solo home run, an additional RBI, two walks, one hit-by-pitch and four runs across 10 Cactus League games.

France enters 2023 looking to build on the career-high 20 home runs and 83 RBI he totaled last season across 140 games, and he's off to a solid start with the bat in Cactus League play. The 28-year-old has also struck out just three times in 30 spring plate appearances overall, certainly an encouraging early sign for his chances of trying to further whittle down what was already a career-low 15.4 percent strikeout rate in 2022.

Rizzo (back) took batting practice Monday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Rizzo has been down for a couple days due to a back injury that has given him trouble off and on for a few years now. He's expected to be fine, though, and could return to Grapefruit League action as soon as Tuesday.

Beaty went 3-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI in Sunday's Cactus League game versus the Guardians.

Beaty is hitting .409 (9-for-22) across eight Cactus League games. The 29-year-old is in camp on a minor-league contract, so he still has an uphill battle to get onto the Opening Day roster, but he's making a strong case at the plate thus far. He started in left field Sunday and could be an option for the corner infield and corner outfield spots, similar to Hunter Dozier. At this point, it appears Beaty will likely need to prove himself with Triple-A Omaha before potentially getting the call back to the majors. He hit just .093/.170/.163 across 47 plate appearances with the Padres last year.

Kirilloff (wrist) was spotted taking part in live batting practice Monday on the back fields at Twins camp, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The activity is a sign that Kirilloff is making progress as he ramps up following surgery last August to shorten the ulnar bone in his right wrist and clean up scar tissue, but the Twins haven't yet pinpointed a date for the 25-year-old to make his spring debut. With Opening Day just over two weeks away, Kirilloff would likely need to get in a game no later than next week for the Twins to feel confident about his chances of breaking camp with the big club. Kirilloff has a minor-league option remaining, so the Twins could have him report to Triple-A St. Paul to begin the season in order to continue his ramp-up process rather than stashing him on the injured list.