MLB Player News

Diaz is 1-for-5 with a walk and two RBI across his first three Grapefruit League games.

Diaz reported to spring camp a bit lighter than last season with a goal of improving his agility in the field, but he's still packing plenty of muscle and hoping to significantly improve on his average of one home run per 69 plate appearances in 2020. In contrast, Diaz averaged one round tripper per 24.8 plate appearances in 2019 while slugging a career-high 14 homers; a similar ratio of power production in 2021 would certainly go a long way toward boosting the overall potency of a Rays squad that was in the middle of the pack with just 80 home runs across 60 games a year ago.

Casas (undisclosed) is going through intake screening to return to the Red Sox's spring facility, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

The 21-year-old was in Boston earlier this week being evaluated for a non-baseball medical issue, but he apparently checked out fine and is in the process of rejoining big-league camp. Casas was at the alternate training site last season and spent most of 2019 at the Low-A level, where he had a .254/.349/.474 slash line with 19 home runs in 118 games.

Bour signed a minor-league contract with the Giants on Friday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

The 32-year-old spent the 2020 campaign in Japan with the Hanshin Tigers and had a .245/.344/.424 slash line with 17 homers in 102 games. Even with starting first baseman Brandon Belt (heel) limited to open camp, Bour won't be invited to major-league spring training and will report to minor-league camp April 1, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Freeman will make his spring debut in Friday's exhibition game against the Twins.

Freeman's arrival at camp was delayed due to the birth of his child, but he joined Atlanta last weekend and is ready to see his first action of the spring. Freeman, the reigning NL MVP, said Tuesday that he anticipates hitting third in 2021, and he will do just that Friday.

O'Hearn went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Thursday against the Reds.

O'Hearn has put on quite a display of power early on this spring, slugging three homers in four exhibition games. He's unlikely to find significant playing time once the regular season starts due to the addition of Carlos Santana, though he's making a case for a bench spot with his early performance.

France, who went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in a Cactus League tie with the Rockies on Thursday, is 3-for-6 overall in his first three spring games.

The promising 26-year-old also has a double among his three hits and has already logged time at both second base and third base in addition to the designated hitter role he's projected to primarily fill in 2021. France is the heir apparent at third base for the Mariners if he can prove himself at the plate over a full season, and the combination of his early spring returns and the .309/.371/.469 line he produced over 89 plate appearances in Seattle in 2020 support the notion he'll be up to the task.

Calhoun said Thursday that his expected recovery timeline from knee surgery was 4-to-6 weeks, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Calhoun underwent surgery to address a torn meniscus Wednesday. The timeline implies that he should be able to return sometime in April, though he's still very likely to need at least a brief trip to the injured list. The Diamondbacks have a slew of options that will get at-bats in right field during the rest of spring training, including Tim Locastro (illness), Wyatt Mathisen, Pavin Smith, Trayce Thompson, Josh VanMeter, Daulton Varsho and Andrew Young.

Casas is in Boston on Thursday getting a non-baseball medical issue checked out, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

With the nature of the issue unclear, it's difficult to say when Casas will return to the field. He was invited to big-league camp but has played just two games above Low-A, so he wasn't going to push for a roster spot even if he was healthy all spring.

Smith is expected to see his first game action of the spring Thursday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The 25-year-old will ease in as the DH before taking the field defensively Saturday. Smith will likely spend most of his time in left field during Grapefruit League action, as the Mets feel the stress fracture he suffered in his foot in 2019 was a result of moving back and forth between first base and the outfield. "This time, we want him to spend more time in left," manager Luis Rojas said Wednesday. "We'll gradually put him in the spot where he can start coming into games. Doing his drills and then he's gonna get to play on the field later." Over the last two seasons, Smith has posted a dynamic .299/.366/.571 slash line through 139 games with 21 homers, so finding a regular spot for him in the lineup will be a priority for the club in camp.

Hoskins (elbow) will make his spring debut Thursday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Hoskins has not taken the field since being cleared to play in late February, but he is set to do just that Thursday. While he will serve as the designated hitter, he will get a chance to get in his first at-bats of the spring. Barring any issues, Hoskins will have plenty of time to get up to full speed before Opening Day.