MLB Player News

Blandino is nursing a right thigh injury, but the Reds do not believe it's serious at this point, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The 23-year-old went 5-for-20 with a homer in 10 Cactus League games before leaving to play for Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic. It's uncertain when Blandino may return to action, but the Reds will be cautious. Blandino made the jump to Double-A last season after batting .294/.370/.438 with seven homers and seven steals in 80 games with High-A Daytona to begin the year.

Wilkins was optioned to minor league camp Saturday.

Wilkins spent most of last season at the Triple-A level, and that's likely where he'll spend the bulk of 2016 after failing to crack the Brewers' 25-man roster.

The Pirates reassigned Bell to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday. "For me, it's becoming the best player I can be no matter where I'm playing," Bell told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "If it's in Triple-A all year I have to continue to grow and be better for it. If I do get that call this year I want to be ready for it."

Bell went 3-for-19 with four walks and seven strikeouts in Grapefruit League action. He'll continue to work on his defensive transition from the outfield to first base. Bell got his first taste of Triple-A play in 2015, batting .347/.441/.504 in 121 at-bats and will look to gain further experience before potentially making his big-league debut later in the summer.

Howard went 2-for-4 with his first home run of the spring Thursday against the Rays.

The home run is notable because it came off lefty Matt Moore. Manager Pete Mackanin said Howard will open the year in a platoon with Darin Ruf at first base if he does not show improvement against lefties. Thus far this spring, Howard is 3-for-6 with two doubles, a home run, one strikeout and no walks against lefties. It's a small sample size, but if Howard keeps it up he might be able to open the year with a chance for some additional at-bats. He has hit just .184 with 22 home runs against lefties since the start of the 2012 season.

Rizzo returned to the lineup Thursday and went 0-for-1 with a walk, run, and stolen base.

Rizzo missed a game after being hit by a pitch Tuesday, but the injury was minor. His lofty position on most cheatsheets should be unaffected by this week's events.

Mets manager Terry Collins predicted Thursday that Cabrera (knee) will be available for Opening Day, Adam Rubin of ESPN reports.

Cabrera was diagnosed with a strained patella tendon last week, with reports initially suggesting that he'd likely have to start his season on the disabled list. It now seems he has a chance to be ready for Opening Day, though there hasn't been any update regarding when he might return to Grapefruit League action. Once healthy, Cabrera should get most of the playing time at shortstop, but he does have some competition in the form of Wilmer Flores.

Goldschmidt is just 5-for-23 (.217) in Cactus League play, with no home runs and three RBI.

The usual caveat about not putting too much stock into spring numbers applies here. Goldschmidt is a career .295 hitter with a .865 OPS in the regular season's opening month, so he usually gets rolling right away. Expect Goldschmidt to be a top fantasy contributor this year, barring injury.

Rizzo left Tuesday's spring training game after being hit by pitch, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

It sounds as though it's more of a precautionary measure, as Rizzo was just grazed by the pitch. He should be able to return to action by the end of the week, if not sooner, but the club will likely offer up more details if it's longer than that.

Blandino will primarily play second base this season in the Reds' farm system.

The Reds drafted him to play shortstop, and he spent most of his time at Stanford at third base, though Blandino did play 12 games at second base last season. "I worked at second base in practice so it wasn't a completely foreign position to me," Blandino said. "In the Arizona Fall League, I got the opportunity to play primarily at second base and put a lot of work in there. I think being able to show versatility on defense is a huge asset. As long as you can produce offensively, being able to go out there and find a spot anywhere in the infield is important to help your team."

Freeman (wrist) is no longer dealing with any soreness and is expected to play Sunday, Mark Berman of MLB.com reports.

Freeman had been battling soreness in his right hand/wrist area, but he said he woke up Saturday morning feeling completely fine and is confident he's moved past the issue.