MLB Player News

Hoskins is making progress in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

Hoskins underwent the procedure in early October and was given an uncertain timeline in regards to whether or not he'd be ready to play by Opening Day. Per Montemurro's report, Hoskins may be slightly behind his original schedule, though manager Joe Girardi remains optimistic that the first baseman will be ready for the start of the season. Barring setbacks, it doesn't appear as though he'd be set for a lengthy stay on the sidelines if he does end up forced to open the year on the injured list.

Cooper agreed to a one-year, $1.8 million contract with the Marlins on Wednesday, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

He can earn up to $2.05 million with performance bonuses. Jesus Aguilar is also back on a one-year deal, so ideally the designated hitter will remain in the National League going forward. Cooper may have flown under the radar last season, but his .283/.353/.500 slash line and six home runs in 34 games was pretty impressive. He should enter the year with near everyday playing time and a spot in the middle of Miami's lineup.

Shaw was designated for assignment Friday.

Shaw has essentially mastered Triple-A at this point, but the Giants seem to think he is a Quadruple-A hitter, as he has never been given much of a chance at the big-league level. He will offer organizational depth going forward if he goes unclaimed on waivers.

Freeman was named the 2020 National League Most Valuable Player on Thursday.

Freeman is Atlanta's first MVP since 1999 as he received 28 of 30 first-place votes, while Mookie Betts received the other two votes and finished in second in the voting. Freeman appeared in all 60 games during the shortened 2020 season, slashing .341/.462/.640 with 13 home runs, 53 RBI, 45 walks and 37 strikeouts.

Rizzo's option was picked up by the Cubs on Saturday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Rizzo will earn $16.5 million in 2021. Even after a disappointing season that saw him hit just .222/.342/.414, and even with a depressed market predicted for this winter, the decision was likely an easy one for the Cubs, as they bring back a team leader who has a long track record of success for the club. Just 31 years old, there's reason to believe Rizzo will demonstrate next season that his 2020 struggles were more of a small-sample blip than the start of a dramatic aging curve. It's certainly not out of the question that he could return to something close to his form from 2019, when he hit .293/.405/.520 with 27 homers.

Goldschmidt underwent a procedure to remove a bone spur from his right elbow after the end of the season, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

It's unclear how long the 33-year-old had been battling the issue, but he waited until the Cardinals were eliminated before undergoing surgery. Goldschmidt finished the shortened campaign with a .304/.417/.466 slash line, six homers, 13 doubles, 31 runs and 21 RBI while playing all 58 games. President John Mozeliak didn't offer a specific recovery timeline, but the veteran slugger shouldn't have any issues being ready for the start of spring training in February.

Freeman went 2-for-5 with a double, one run and two RBI during Thursday's win over the Dodgers in Game 4 of the NLCS.

The veteran first baseman gave the Braves a 2-1 lead during the sixth inning with an RBI double off Clayton Kershaw, and he brought home an insurance run during eighth with an RBI single. Freeman is in the midst of a five-game hit streak, going 8-for-18 with two homers, one double, five runs, six RBI and three walks during that stretch.

Freeman feels good after being hit in the elbow by a pitch Tuesday and is starting Game 3 of the NLCS against the Dodgers on Wednesday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Freeman was hit by a pitch on his right elbow, but manager Brian Snitker said that his star player felt good Wednesday. He received treatment from the training staff overnight and will play first base and bat second for Wednesday's contest.

Freeman went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo homer in Monday's NLCS Game 1 win against the Dodgers.

Freeman opened the scoring in the top of the first, taking Walker Buehler deep. The homer was his third in 20 career postseason games. He's hitting just .182 in six playoff games this season, though his six walks give him a strong .379 on-base percentage.

Hoskins will be sidelined for the next four-to-six months after undergoing surgery on his left (non-throwing) elbow Friday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Hoskins missed the last two weeks of the season due to a UCL injury, and the Phillies certainly missed him, as they won just one of their final eight contests to miss the playoffs by a single game. According to Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports, Hoskins had a procedure called an internal brace repair of his ulna collateral ligament, which carries a recovery time between four-to-six months. If he's closer to the four-month end of his timeline, he could well be a full participant at the start of spring training. If he winds up closer to the six-month end, he'd be ready to go right around Opening Day and could wind up making at least a brief trip to the injured list.