MLB Player News

Flores' $3.5 million club option for 2022 was picked up by the Giants on Sunday, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Flores will remain in San Francisco for a third straight year after he slashed .262/.335/.447 with 18 homers, 57 runs and 53 RBI across 139 appearances in 2021. The 30-year-old will likely serve as a utility man once again in 2022.

The Astros intend to exercise Gurriel's team option for the 2022 season, Gurriel tweeted from his personal account Thursday.

Gurriel's club option is worth $8 million, an increase of 1.5 million from his 2021 salary. He performed well as the Astros' regular first baseman last season, logging a 134 wRC+ and .363 wOBA while also winning the American League batting title. He projects to return to a full-time role once again, and his contact-heavy approach at the plate could help him maintain steady production despite entering his age-37 campaign.

Blandino was outrighted to Triple-A Louisville on Thursday.

Blandino was sent to the minors in mid-August after he was reinstated from the 60-day injured list, and he'll now lose his spot on the 40-man roster. The 28-year-old appeared in 43 major-league games in 2021 and hit .200 with nine runs and five RBI.

The Diamondbacks declined Calhoun's $9 million club option for 2022 on Wednesday, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Calhoun played in only 51 games for Arizona during the 2021 season while battling injuries, and he struggled when available with a .235/.297/.373 slash line, five homers, 17 RBI and 17 runs in 182 plate appearances. The 34-year-old may need to settle for a minor-league deal during the offseason.

Freeman went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double and a strikeout in Tuesday's 7-0 win over the Astros in Game 6 of the World Series.

Freeman recorded hits in each of his six appearances in the World Series, and he homered in back-to-back games en route to Atlanta's first championship since 1995. The 32-year-old slashed .318/.360/.636 with two home runs, a double and five RBI during the World Series.

Torkelson's sprained ankle will rule him out for the remainder of the Arizona Fall League, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

The 2020 first overall pick was one of the top players to watch in the Fall League after he hit .267/.383/.552 across the three highest levels of the minors in his first professional season, but his fall season was cut short after 29 plate appearances due to an ankle injury. Previous reports suggested he could be back before the end of the fall schedule, but he'll instead rest and prepare for spring training.

Freeman went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 11-2 loss to the Dodgers in Game 5 of the NLCS.

Freeman put Atlanta up 2-0 in the first inning, but that was the team's only offense for the game. He now has hits in each of his last three games while also going yard in consecutive contests. Overall this postseason, Freeman is hitting .303 across 39 plate appearances.

Torkelson suffered an ankle sprain while playing in the Arizona Fall League and is expected to miss "a significant amount of time," Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Torkelson was absent from batting practice Thursday morning after being removed from Wednesday's game. Though initial reports suggest he's in for an extended absence, it was also noted that he could return prior to the end of Arizona Fall League action. Prior to the injury, Torkelson had collected nine hits in 29 plate appearances with two doubles while playing for Salt River. Regardless of whether he retakes the field in Arizona, the issue should not effect Torkelson's ability to participate in spring training barring any setback or change in diagnosis.

Freeman went 2-for-4 with a homer, a double, two runs, two RBI, a walk and a strikeout in Wednesday's 9-2 win over the Dodgers in Game 4 of the NLCS.

Freeman went 0-for-8 with seven strikeouts across the first two games of the NLCS, but he's turned things around at Dodger Stadium with multi-hit performances in each of the last two contests. During those two appearances, the 32-year-old has gone 5-for-8 with a home run, a double, three runs, two RBI and two walks.

Voit (knee) is expected to be ready for spring training, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Voit missed the tail end of the season with left knee inflammation. The issue was expected to keep him out for multiple weeks if the Yankees advanced in the playoffs, but it evidently isn't an injury which is expected to be still bothering him in February.