MLB Player News

Mountcastle (hand) is getting close to joining a minor-league affiliate, Steve Melewski of MASN Sports reports.

Mountcastle has been sidelined all season with a hairline fracture in his right hand, but he's inching closer to making his 2018 debut. The top prospect has been playing in games at extended spring training over the past couple of days, and if he continues to do so with no issues, he should be cleared to join a minor-league affiliate in the coming weeks. He's still looking at a mid-May return.

Stassi was placed on the temporarily inactive list for Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, Brandon Warne of The Athletic Minnesota reports.

No word has come forth as to why he's inactive, but the minor-league rules regarding inactivity are relatively loose. Stassi was batting .226 with two homers and 10 RBI prior to this move.

Guerrero went 2-for-4 with a triple, walk and two runs for Double-A New Hampshire in its 7-2 win over Reading on Monday.

After setting the Midwest and Florida State Leagues ablaze as an 18-year-old in 2017, Guerrero entered the season as a clear top-five prospect in all of baseball due to his unmatched hit and power tools. Based on how Guerrero has performed since moving to New Hampshire this season, it appears safe to conclude that he'll be a consensus No. 1 for all prospect hounds once Ronald Acuna and Shohei Ohtani log enough at-bats and innings, respectively, in the majors to exhaust their eligibility. Guerrero has raised his long-term ceiling to even more ridiculous heights by supplying a 1.024 OPS and posting a 10:10 BB:K in 96 plate appearances at Double-A. The third baseman already looks like he might be capable of holding his own in the majors, but a promotion to the Blue Jays in 2018 may be contingent on the team staying in the thick of postseason contention.

Cron went 1-for-4 with a go-ahead, two-run home run in a win over the Tigers on Monday.

Cron blasted a Shane Greene offering 401 feet to right center with Denard Span aboard in the ninth inning, breaking up a pitchers' duel and giving the Rays a 2-0 lead. The round tripper extended Cron's hitting streak to eight games, a span during which he's racked up five of his seven homers on the season.

Calhoun is out of the lineup Sunday against the Yankees.

Calhoun is hitting just .160 against southpaws this season. With the left-handed CC Sabathia taking the mound for the Yankees, Calhoun will head to the bench and give way to Chris Young in right field.

Cron went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run in a win over the Red Sox on Friday.

Cron's April hit parade continues, as he's now hit safely in five straight games and in 13 of his last 14 contests overall. Additionally, although he saw a four-game streak of multiple RBI snapped Friday, he's still driven in an impressive team-high 17 runs during the month.

Abreu (illness) will play first base and bat third against the Royals on Friday.

Abreu will return to the field after missing Thursday's game due to illness. The 31-year-old shouldn't face any limitations moving forward as it appears he's feeling fine and fully recovered from this ailment. Over 21 games this season, Abreu is hitting .286/.348/.536 with six home runs and 12 RBI.

Cron went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run Thursday against the Orioles.

Cron remained hot, blasting his fourth home run in as many days. He is seeing regular playing time and he has taken advantage by posting a .517 slugging percentage through 87 at-bats. Like many of the mid-career breakouts over the past few seasons, Cron has elevated his flyball rate, so he could continue to hit for plenty of power throughout the season even if his current pace does not continue.

Abreu (illness) is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Royals.

Abreu is still battling an illness that forced him to leave Wednesday's game in the fourth inning, so he'll get the night off while Matt Davidson picks up a start at first base in his stead. He should continue to be considered day-to-day.

Gillaspie was sent off the 40-man roster and outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday.

Gillaspie is hitting .214/.263/.229 with one extra-base hit and five RBI in 18 games for Charlotte this season. This move further illustrates that Gillaspie is still far away from earning a call up to the major-league level.