MLB Player News

Mountcastle was added to the Orioles' 60-man roster Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Mountcastle was expected to join the Orioles' player pool, but he was officially able to join the team for workouts Wednesday along with teammate Mason Williams after they cleared intake testing. Mountcastle will work with the major-league club before a secondary training site is opened for the team. The 23-year-old advanced to Triple-A Norfolk last season, where he hit .312/.344/.527 with 25 home runs and 83 RBI, and he could potentially make his debut in the majors at some point in 2020.

Mountcastle is expected to be added to the Orioles' 60-man player pool before the start of the season, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

Connolly notes that Mountcastle won't be promoted to the majors until the team has manipulated his service time (at least seven days at the satellite camp) to gain an extra year of control, and it is not even a given that he will be up at that point. However, it is still the expectation that Mountcastle will make his debut at some point this season. He hit .235/.235/.412 with one home run and a 9:0 K:BB in 34 plate appearances this spring and is limited to left field, first base and designated hitter.

Rizzo didn't participate in Tuesday's intrasquad game due to lower back tightness, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The 30-year-old has battled intermittent back issues throughout his career, so it's not much of a surprise to see the Cubs being cautious early in summer camp. Still, it's a somewhat worrying development following the extended hiatus, especially with scheduled off days at a premium during the shortened 60-game season. Rizzo may lay low for a couple days but hopefully will make a relatively quick return to the field. Manager David Ross plans to bat his first baseman second in the order, with Kris Bryant batting leadoff.

O'Hearn tested positive for coronavirus Tuesday, Andersen Pickard of MLBDailyDish.com reports.

O'Hearn is reportedly asymptomatic, but he'll nevertheless have to isolate until he tests negative twice. If he remains asymptomatic, he'll at least be able to stay in shape while quarantined, but the loss of practice time could still keep him from being ready to play on Opening Day, which is less than three weeks away.

Lowe has put in work at third base in summer camp thus far, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Manager Kevin Cash still envisions primarily deploying Lowe at first base when he's on the field, but he's also interested in finding ways to insert the promising 25-year-old in the lineup more frequently. Lowe put in a total of nine games at third base between Triple-A Durham and the Rays last season, compared to a combined 93 at first. Cash commented Monday that Lowe has looked serviceable at the hot corner thus far but still "needs more work."

Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said Tuesday that Dalbec tested positive for COVID-19, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Dalbec didn't report to summer camp while awaiting the results of his intake testing, which have now been made available. Roenicke notes that Dalbec is currently asymptomatic, but he'll still need to self-isolate at home and receive two negative test results before being cleared to join the Red Sox. The slugging third baseman has yet to make his MLB debut and isn't expected to make a major impact for the big club in 2020 unless the team's corner-infield depth is tested.

Voit lost 13 pounds during the shutdown of play, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

Voit attributes his reduced weight to his wife's clean cooking and extra cardio. The first baseman indicated that he feels lighter and quicker, which could help him improve his defense at first base. That was a focus of Voit's during the offseason and could be a critical factor in helping the 29-year-old maintain an everyday role during the abbreviated season.

Calhoun tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Calhoun is asymptomatic and feeling great. The test results explain why the outfielder has been absent from the Diamondbacks' initial summer camp workouts. Arizona teammate David Peralta, who was experiencing symptoms, tested negative four times before being able to join the team Monday, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com.

Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said Monday that Dalbec has yet to take part in workouts at summer camp while he awaits the results of his COVID-19 test, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Dalbec is expected to receive his results within a few days, and so long as he tests negative, he'll be able to join the main group for training. The 25-year-old has yet to debut at the MLB level and may not get a shot at an everyday role with Boston in 2020 unless top third baseman Rafael Devers misses time at some point.

The Braves placed Freeman (illness) on the 10-day injured list Saturday.

Freeman was one of four Braves players revealed Saturday to have tested positive for COVID-19, but only he and reliever Will Smith will head to the IL for now. Of the four players to test positive, Freeman's health situation appears to be the most serious, as his wife, Chelsea, posted via her personal Instagram account that the four-time All-Star "has had body aches, headaches, chills and a high fever since Thursday." Per Mark Bowman of MLB.com, manager Brian Snitker revealed that Freeman was feeling "much stronger" Sunday, but the first baseman will need to be asymptomatic for at least 72 hours before he can take another test as he seeks the first of the two negative results he'll need to receive clearance to play. It's unclear at this point if Freeman will be back to full health when the Braves open their season July 23 or 24.