MLB Player News

Tigers manager AJ Hinch said that Torkelson won't play in Sunday's Grapefruit League opener versus the Phillies and will be limited in workouts for the next few days after slicing his right index finger at his rental home in Lakeland, Fla. on Wednesday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 first-year player draft required stitches to seal the wound, which Hinch described as "very mild." The injury doesn't appear to be anything that will jeopardize Torkelson's availability for the start of the minor-league season, but those hoping to get a glimpse of the power-hitting corner infielder in his first professional game action may have to wait until late next week.

Gurriel showed up to spring training noticeably slimmer, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Gurriel was having a fine 2020, with a .300/373/.556 slash line through the middle of August, before his season cratered (.452 OPS over final 34 games). The frustration extended into the postseason when he went 5-for-44. He attributed the production drop off to a lack of conditioning, so the 36-year-old was motivated to shed 15 pounds in the offseason. "I feel a ton better physically compared to where I was at last year," Gurriel said. "The biggest difference is I have the ability and the time physically to train, which I didn't have the last year because of the pandemic." The Astros brought back Gurriel for one more season with a club option for 2022, hoping he reverts to the form he showed in 2019 when the first baseman slugged .541 with an .884 OPS. That will go a long way to filling the gap due to the loss of George Springer.

Guerrero revealed Wednesday that he lost 42 pounds during the offseason, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports. "It was fun ... wasn't difficult," Guerrero said of his physical transformation. "I feel quicker on all aspects of my game right now ... defensively and offensively."

Reports had surfaced throughout the offseason indicating that Guerrero had made a commitment to improving his conditioning, but it wasn't until Wednesday that he detailed the extent of his weight loss, which puts him in the target range of 240 to 245 pounds that the Blue Jays asked him to report at this spring. The lighter frame should help Guerrero in his efforts to be a usable option at either corner-infield spot in 2021; he was used exclusively at first base and designated hitter in 2020. Guerrero is still likely to be a below-average defender at third base and probably won't be used there frequently with Cavan Biggio sitting atop the depth chart, but if he can at least play enough at the position to regain eligibility in fantasy leagues, it would be a nice boost to his value. More importantly, though, Guerrero must show some growth as a power hitter to justify his draft-day price; he produced a modest nine home runs in 60 games last season, with an inability to consistently get loft on his swing (54.6 percent groundball rate) being the main culprit.

Olson is intent on making up for a poor 2020 season and believes he identified several mechanical issues with his swing over the offseason, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. "To put it bluntly, I stunk last year, in my opinion," Olson said. "There were definitely things wrong with the swing that I was going out there with every day. I don't think that represents in any way the caliber of player that I think that I am."

The slugging first baseman still demonstrated plenty of pop with 14 home runs and 19 extra-base hits overall across 245 plate appearances in 2020, but his .195 average and .310 on-base percentage left plenty to be desired. So, too, did his career-worst 31.4 percent strikeout rate, which Olson believes was largely the result of leaving his bat "too horizontal" in his setup, which led to issues with his timing when subsequently completing his swing. Olson worked with hitting coach Darren Bush via virtual sessions during the offseason to address that and other issues, and consequently, the 26-year-old heads into spring training confident he can return to the caliber of play that led to a .267/.351/.545 line with 36 home runs and 91 RBI in 2019.

The White Sox announced Wednesday that Abreu is being held out of spring training after testing positive for COVID-19, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Per James Fegan of The Athletic, general manager Rick Hahn relayed that Abreu believes he contracted the virus in January, but the first baseman has been "completely asymptomatic" and "feels great." Even so, Abreu is expected to remain away from the team for the next several days in compliance with MLB intake protocols. Manager Tony La Russa said that he's hopeful that Abreu could return to the team by Monday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports. Whether his absence impacts his availability for the start of the regular season remains to be seen.

Smith (not injury related) arrived at spring training Wednesday, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.

Smith's arrival at camp was slightly delayed due to a non-physical issue, but he'll join the team for workouts Wednesday. Even after his brief absence, Smith should have plenty of time to prepare for the regular season.

Noda was acquired by the Dodgers from the Blue Jays on Tuesday to complete the trade for Ross Stripling, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Stripling was traded to the Blue Jays in August for a pair of players to be named later, and Noda will be the second player the Dodgers receive to complete the deal. The 24-year-old last played in 2019 at the High-A level and had a .238/.372/.418 slash line with 13 homers and 14 stolen bases in 117 games.

France projects to get the bulk of playing time at designated hitter this season before eventually transitioning to third base full-time, likely in 2022, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

A trade deadline acquisition from the Padres last summer, France made quite the impression with a .309/.371/.469 line, five doubles, a triple, two home runs and 13 RBI across 89 plate appearances. The Mariners are intent on getting his bat into the lineup on an everyday basis, hence the 26-year-old being ticketed for designated hitter work while Kyle Seager likely plays out his final Mariners season at the hot corner. With Seattle holding a $15 million option on Seager for 2022, France can presumably seal the veteran's fate by continuing to produce at a caliber similar to his late 2020 run during the coming campaign.

Cooper is expected to split playing time at first base with Jesus Aguilar to begin the season, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports.

"In general, we feel like we are going to get both of those guys a lot of at-bats with a combination of first base and outfield," manager Don Mattingly said. "Days off for different guys. We want both of these guys in the lineup as much as possible." The 30-year-old Cooper could also see reps in right field, but the offseason addition of Adam Duvall will likely limit how much time is available for other players in right. As a result, it might take a trade, or the last-minute re-introduction of the DH to the National League, for either Cooper or Aguilar to see anything close to a full-time role, even before considering the potential presence of prospect Lewin Diaz in the mix. Cooper certainly earned a significant role in Miami after posting a .281/.347/.459 slash line in 141 games over the last two seasons.

Freeman has yet to arrive at camp for Atlanta after his wife gave birth to their third child Sunday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

"Not a big deal at all," manager Brian Snitker said. "Most of the time, he gets hot the first 10 days then gets bored for 10 days and gets it back going. Not worried about him at all. I'll be honest with you, he doesn't need to be here." Freeman, who is heading into the final season of his current contract, is expected to report later this week and will then need a couple days to get through the league's COVID-19 protocols before he'll be able to get on the field, leaving him plenty of time to prepare for the regular season.