MLB Player News

Cron finished Grapefruit League play with a .346/.452/.731 slash line and three home runs in 12 games.

Cron had a similarly strong spring with Minnesota in 2019 and then got off to a hot start for the Twins before a thumb injury derailed him in the latter part of the season. The first baseman had offseason thumb surgery and is reportedly fully healthy, so he could provide strong offensive numbers for the Tigers when the 2020 season is able to begin.

Wade was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Thursday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

As expected, Wade is headed to the minors to open the season, leaving Jake Cave and Willians Astudillo to compete for Minnesota's final roster spot. In 11 appearances before spring training was put on hold, Wade put together a .286/.423/.381 slash line.

The Rays optioned Lowe to Triple-A Durham on Thursday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Lowe has nothing left to prove in the minors, but the Rays' wealth of corner infielders and left-handed options off the bench made it an uphill battle for him to crack the Opening Day roster. The 24-year-old may need an injury to either Ji-Man Choi or Yoshitomo Tsutsugo before he gets another opportunity to handle the large side of a platoon with the big club.

Voit is projected to be the Yankees' starter at first base when the regular season begins, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Voit entered spring training as the favorite for the first base job and played well enough to nail down the role, hitting .267 with a home run and two RBI over 30 at-bats in Grapefruit League play. The 29-year-old will look to bounce back from a rough end to the 2019 campaign that included sports hernia surgery in August and a subsequent 1-for-32 slump to close out the regular season.

Diaz is expected to open the season as the Rays' primary leadoff option against left-handed pitching, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Diaz only hit at the top of the order in one of his 11 Grapefruit League starts, but the Rays are apparently inclined to deploy him in the short side of a leadoff platoon with the lefty-hitting Austin Meadows. Considering Diaz slotted anywhere between second and fourth in his other 10 spring starts, he looks set to occupy a prominent lineup spot against righties in most games as well, though he'll be a candidate to sit on days when manager Kevin Cash wants to clear room at a corner-infield spot for Joey Wendle or Yoshi Tsutsugo.

Lowe hit .227 (5-for-22) with two doubles, two RBI, two walks and one run across 11 Grapefruit League games during spring training.

Lowe arrived in camp approximately 20 pounds lighter, but as his spring line indicates, that hasn't yet translated to increased success at the plate. The 24-year-old did make a strong case for himself over his 50-game major-league debut last season, slashing .263/.325/.454 with 15 extra-base hits (eight doubles, seven home runs), 19 RBI, 13 walks and 24 runs across 169 plate appearances. Lowe put in time at first base (21 games), third base (four games) and designated hitter (17 games) in 2019; that versatility should help keep his chances of securing an Opening Day roster spot relatively strong, although the offseason arrivals of Jose Martinez and Yoshi Tsutsugo does make it more of a challenge.

Santana hit the ball up the middle at the highest rate of his career in 2019, contributing to his strong campaign at the plate, Joe Noga of Cleveland.com reports.

Santana recorded a .364 BABIP when he hit the ball up the middle, helping him to career-best .281 batting average. He remained one of the most shifted against players in 2019, but he credited the change in batted ball profile to a more consistent routine at the plate with the help of an assistant within the organization, Victor Rodriguez. Now entering his age-34 season, it may be difficult for Santana to replicate his 135 wRC+ from last season, though it is encouraging that he purposefully changed his approach at the dish.

Vaughn batted .304/.448/.522 with three extra-base hits and five RBI over 23 spring at-bats.

Vaughn showed off his advanced bat and plate discipline during the Cactus League. The 21-year-old first baseman projects to hit for average and power while working counts and getting on base at healthy clips. Jose Abreu at first base and Edwin Encarnacion at DH are blocking Vaughn in 2020, but Chicago's first-round pick (third overall) in the 2019 draft could be around in September and the postseason, should the White Sox qualify. A 2021 placement in Chicago seems likely.

Mountcastle was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

Mountcastle is an interesting prospect, though he didn't appear to be a favor to break camp with the team, and his uninspiring .235/.235/.412 slash line in 34 spring plate appearances didn't exactly help his case. After hitting .312/.344/.527 with 25 homers in 127 games for Norfolk last season, however, he doesn't have a whole lot left to prove in the minors.

Kirilloff hit .429 with two home runs and a 3:1 K:BB in 22 plate appearances in big-league camp.

Manager Rocco Baldelli noted that Kirilloff looks 100 percent healthy and has really impressed in his at-bats, per Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. A wrist injury robbed Kirilloff of part of the 2019 season and impacted his performance when he did report to Double-A Pensacola. However, he finished strong and picked up where he left off in spring training. The Twins don't have an immediate need at first base, left field or right field, but Kirilloff does not appear to need much more seasoning in the minors before he is ready to help the big-league club.