MLB Player News
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Bobby Dalbec 1B | CHW
Red Sox's Bobby Dalbec: Not yet at camp
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.
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Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Braves' Freddie Freeman: Lands on IL
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.
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Elehuris Montero 1B | COL
Cardinals' Elehuris Montero: Fourth Cardinal with COVID-19
The Cardinals announced Sunday that Montero tested positive for COVID-19.
Montero is the fourth known Cardinals player -- and the second player who traveled back to the United States from the Dominican Republic ahead of summer camp -- to test positive for the coronavirus. Fortunately for the 22-year-old, he's not currently experiencing any symptoms of the virus, so he should be able to rejoin the Cardinals after a period of self-isolation and after two negative test results. Though the Cardinals include the infielder in their 60-man roster pool, he wasn't considered a prime candidate to crack the team's 30-man Opening Day unit.
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Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Braves' Freddie Freeman: Tests positive for COVID-19
Manager Brian Snitker said Saturday that Freeman tested positive for COVID-19, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Freeman and three of his teammates tested positive for COVID-19. The 30-year-old is reportedly battling a fever, and Snitker said that it's "going to be awhile" before Freeman is able to report to camp, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
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Paul Goldschmidt 1B | NYY
Cardinals' Paul Goldschmidt: Elbow much better after layoff
Goldschmidt, who was present for the Cardinals' first day of summer camp Friday, reports his previously sore right elbow is feeling much better following the long layoff, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. "I was able to take some time off and give it some rest and get treatment on it for awhile," Goldschmidt said during a video conference at Busch Stadium on Friday. "It's 100 percent now. I'm not sure if it would have been if we rolled right into the season. Hopefully that's one positive, personally."
The extended suspension of all official baseball activities carried a silver lining for several injured players, with Goldschmidt one prominent example. The 32-year-old remained in South Florida for the last three months, which not only gave him access to the Cardinals' spring training facility in Jupiter for treatment, but also enabled him to work out with the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. The fact he was able to get at-bats against two of the game's elite pitchers should certainly have him ready to jump back into batting practice against his own team's pitchers.
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Nate Lowe DH | CLE
Rays' Nate Lowe: Takes BP in first day of camp
Lowe was one of the players to take batting practice during the Rays' first day of summer camp Friday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
The 24-year-old impressed during his first taste of the big leagues in 2019, slashing .263/.325/.454 across 169 plate appearances. Lowe is currently down the depth chart at first base and designated hitter, but with rosters expanded to 30 players for the first two weeks of the regular season, he certainly has a chance of sticking if he can impress during the approximately three weeks until the start of the campaign.
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Yandy Diaz DH | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: Gets hacks in Friday
Diaz was present for the Rays' first day of summer camp Friday and was able to take batting practice, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
The burly slugger conceded to still feeling "a little scared" with respect to his health, but he also confirmed how pleased he was to be back among teammates. Diaz was enjoying a highly productive Grapefruit League slate before spring training was suspended, hitting .345 (10-for-29) over 11 exhibitions. Diaz will look to build on a career-best campaign in 2019 while serving as the Rays' primary third baseman.
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Kole Calhoun 1B | CLE
Diamondbacks' Kole Calhoun: Waiting on clearance
Calhoun did not attend Friday's practice session, Cameron Cox of 12 Sports Arizona reports.
Calhoun was one of three key pieces of the Diamondbacks roster not in attendance Friday, along with Madison Bumgarner and David Peralta. All three are awaiting clearance to return.
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Elehuris Montero 1B | COL
Cardinals' Elehuris Montero: Joining 60-player pool
Montero was added to the Cardinals' 60-player roster pool Wednesday, Mark Saxon of The Athletic reports.
The 21-year-old made quick work of the lower minors prior to last season and earned a promotion to Double-A Springfield, but he struggled mightily with a .552 OPS and 74 strikeouts in 238 plate appearances while battling wrist injuries. Montero was added to the 40-man roster in November and will join the team's summer camp at Busch Stadium in advance of the shortened season.
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Jake Cronenworth 2B | SD
Padres' Jake Cronenworth: Claims spot on 60-man roster
Cronenworth has been named to the Padres' 60-man player pool.
Cronenworth's selection is far from a surprise considering the fact that he was competing for a spot on the team's Opening Day roster when spring training was suspended. With initial MLB rosters expanding to 30, the versatile infielder appears to have a chance to break camp with the big-league club, though perhaps less so after the acquisition of Jorge Mateo from Oakland. A point in Cronenworth's favor is MLB's decision to allow position players to pitch without restrictions during the shortened 2020 campaign; that should boost the value of two-way players such as Cronenworth given the condensed schedule and likely careful handling of pitching staffs.