MLB Player News

Rizzo agreed to a contract with the Yankees on Tuesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

It's a two-year deal worth $32 million that includes an opt out after the first year, per Rogers, as Rizzo will return to the Yankees after being acquired from the Cubs ahead of the 2021 trade deadline. New York was also in the mix to sign Freddie Freeman but will instead bring back a familiar face. Rizzo hit .248/.344/.440 with 22 home runs and 61 RBI in 141 total games last year, and he'll be back with the Yankees for at least one full season.

Olson signed an eight-year, $168 million extension with Atlanta on Tuesday.

Atlanta seemed unwilling to pay the market rate to bring back franchise icon Freddie Freeman, but they're evidently willing to pay top dollar to keep Olson in town through 2029 after acquiring him from Oakland in exchange for four prospects Monday. Olson is 4.5 years younger than Freeman and is in a similar tier of elite talents at first base. Last season was a breakout year for him, at least in terms of making contact, as his 16.8 percent strikeout rate was nearly 10 percentage points lower than the career 26.1 percent mark he carried into the season. He didn't sacrifice any power to get there, homering 39 times, and he could easily push for his first 40-homer campaign this season now that he's no longer calling the pitcher-friendly Oakland Coliseum home.

White (hip) has been operating at full strength since reporting to optional workouts ahead of spring training on Friday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

White saw his 2021 season cut short after only 30 games, logging his last action of the campaign on May 13. The 25-year-old eventually underwent hip surgery in July, which did give him a head start on his recovery. White was taking part in baseball activities by early November, so the news that he's apparently headed for a restriction-free camp isn't necessarily surprising.

Naylor said Monday that he's "close to 100 percent, if not 100 percent" in his recovery from the surgery he underwent July 3 to address multiple fractures and ligament tearing in his lower right leg, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.

Naylor has been taking batting practice in the early days of the Guardians' big-league camp and looks like he'll soon add all other activities to his training regimen in the coming days. The Guardians will likely wait and see how he progresses over the next few weeks before determining whether Naylor will be ready to go for Opening Day, but he looks to be trending in the right direction. Before sustaining the season-ending injury, Naylor logged 249 plate appearances for Cleveland and hit .253 with seven home runs, 28 runs and 21 RBI.

Atlanta acquired Olson from the Athletics on Monday in exchange for outfielder Cristian Pache, catcher Shea Langeliers and pitching prospects Joey Estes and Ryan Cusick, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Just minutes before Passan's report, Buster Olney of ESPN relayed that the Yankees and Dodgers were moving aggressively to acquire Olson, but the rebuilding Athletics apparently found Atlanta's offer the most enticing. The addition of Olson fills a major hole at first base for Atlanta, which had been vacant since longtime franchise cornerstone Freddie Freeman hit free agency earlier in the winter. The move likely confirms that Freeman will be playing elsewhere in 2022, but Olson is about as high quality of a replacement as Atlanta could have found. Not only did the 27-year-old get on base at a .371 clip while mashing a career-high 37 home runs in 2021, but the two-time Gold Glove winner also offered premium defense at first base. With the move from Oakland to Atlanta, Olson not only finds himself in a better lineup, but he'll also benefit from the change in his home park.

Alonso said that he was involved in a "brutal" car accident Sunday, but he escaped without any injuries and plans to resume working out with the Mets on Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Alonso was present at camp one day after the accident, telling reporters that he feels thankful to survive after his car flipped over three times. Fortunately, it sounds like no other individuals were hurt in the accident. The 27-year-old enters his fourth MLB season entrenched as the Mets' everyday first baseman and will be looking to build on a 2021 campaign in which he slashed .262/.344/.519 with 37 home runs, 94 RBI, 81 runs and three stolen bases.

Walker worked on altering his swing path and trained himself to react better to how he is being pitched, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Walker's breakout age-28 season in 2019 put him on the fantasy map, but the first baseman hit just .244 with 10 homers in 445 plate appearances last season. It was uncertain whether the Diamondbacks would bring him back, but the organization eventually tendered his contract, and Walker is motivated to prove 2021 was an aberration. "I've traditionally been a right-center, opposite-field thought-process guy and for a while that was that was where I needed to be and that worked," Walker said. "I think as our bodies change and the league learns about you and there's more data and more at-bats to use against you, it almost seems silly to try to be the same guy every single year, every single at-bat." Walker enters spring training as Arizona's primary first baseman, but Pavin Smith earned an opportunity as an everyday player in 2021. Smith could settle in at right field, where he held his own last season, so Walker could remain the starter at first base. With the designated hitter becoming a reality in the National League this season, there are a couple of potential spots in the batting order for Walker.

Voit's status with the Yankees is in question after the team acquired Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Twins on Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The Yankees were able to bolster their infield without giving up any prospects in Sunday's trade, so the team is in position to acquire a left-handed hitting first baseman via trade or free agency. If that occurs, Voit could be the odd man out in the team's infield since DJ LeMahieu should also see time at first base. The 31-year-old Voit appeared in 68 games for the Yankees while battling injuries last year, and he hit .239 with 11 home runs, 35 RBI and 26 runs.

Hiura will begin seeing some time in the outfield this spring, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. "He's got to earn spots right now and so we're looking for ways for him to be more valuable to the roster," manager Craig Counsell said Sunday.

Hiura's poor defense at second base and first base made him a potential designated hitter candidate, but the Brewers would likely also want to give Christian Yelich, among others, starts at DH, so it would behoove Hiura to have an avenue into the lineup beyond DH. His sprint speed is roughly league average and his arm is notoriously bad, so it seems unlikely that Hiura will fare much better in the outfield than he did on the right side of the infield.

Naylor (ankle) took batting practice Saturday and appeared to perform well, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Naylor's 2021 season was cut short after a broken ankle in late June required season-ending surgery. The Guardians have yet to officially announce if he'll be ready for Opening Day -- he has a lot of progress to make in his recovery, but his first steps in the spring are encouraging. He'll be competing for a reserve role as an outfielder and could also occasionally draw starts at first and as the designated hitter if he can make the team out of spring training.