MLB Player News

Manager Mike Matheny said March 6 that O'Hearn could begin the season in a "soft platoon" at first base with Ryan McBroom, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

O'Hearn burst onto the scene with a .950 OPS and 12 home runs over 44 games in 2018, but he struggled in a larger role last season with a .650 OPS and 14 homers in 105 contests. The 26-year-old was impressive prior to the suspension of spring training, posting a .343/.395/.679 slash line with five home runs in 35 at-bats, though McBroom also had a .314/.368/.657 slash line. O'Hearn would be in the strong side of the platoon as the left-handed bat, so he would still be in line for regular at-bats if Matheny employs that strategy.

Mountcastle hit .235/.235/.412 with one home run and nine strikeouts over 34 plate appearances this spring.

Mountcastle was working at first base and in the outfield before spring training was suspended, although it's unlikely that he'll be on the major-league roster when play resumes. However, designated hitter Renato Nunez has been working at third base this spring, which could open up more opportunities for Mountcastle if he makes his likely debut in 2020, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Abreu believes the White Sox will be competing for a playoff spot in 2020, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Abreu has spent six seasons with the White Sox, who have finished no better than third (in 2019) in the AL Central and never made the playoffs during his tenure. After the development of young prospects into stars and offseason acquisitions, the expectations for the team are huge in 2020. "The expectations are high with this team, and every Sox fan should be excited because we have a good team,'' Abreu said. ''It's time for us to start competing and to be one of the teams fighting for a playoff spot." Abreu has been remarkably consistent over his first six MLB seasons and, thanks to a better supporting cast, jumped up to a career- and AL-high 123 RBI in 2019. He'll have an even stronger group surrounding him in 2020. Abreu will return as the starting first baseman and bat third with any number of reputable hitters to protect him in the batting order.

Hoskins hit a decent .241/.371/.483 in 12 Grapefruit League games before play was suspended, but he also struck out at a 40 percent clip.

The slugger owns a career 23.4 percent strikeout rate in 363 big-league games, a perfectly respectable mark for a power hitter, so it's possible his spring struggles in that area were nothing more than a small-sample blip. Either way, Hoskins faces some questions about his value this season, as his slugging percentage dropped from .496 to .454 last year despite league-wide power increasing. His expected slugging percentage according to Statcast came to just .426, suggesting that even his mediocre showing was an overachievement.

Alonso and the Mets agreed to a one-year contract worth over $652,000 on Wednesday, an MLB record for a player heading into his second season, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Players have no bargaining power before they reach their arbitration years, so the club giving Alonso anything more than the league minimum of $563,500 was essentially a show of gratitude for his exploits as a rookie. The 25-year-old hasn't found his timing at the plate yet this spring -- he's hitting only .243 (9-for-37) without a homer -- but Alonso still has a couple weeks to round into form before Opening Day.

Freeman (personal) is expected to re-enter the Braves' Grapefruit League lineup Friday versus the Mets, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Freeman left the team Tuesday to tend to a family issue, but he looks like he'll only need a few days to address the matter. The missed time shouldn't impact his availability to get himself ready for Opening Day.

Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said Wednesday that Goldschmidt is dealing with right elbow soreness and will be out of the Grapefruit League lineup for at least "a couple of days," Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The Cardinals haven't yet indicated that Goldschmidt's injury is anything overly worrisome, but it's somewhat disconcerting that he's dealing with the same issue that already limited him earlier in camp. The first baseman will presumably be re-examined prior to the weekend before the Cardinals provide more clarity on his situation.

Freeman was a late scratch from Tuesday's lineup for what the team said was a family matter, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Ryan Casteel was inserted into the lineup batting third and playing first base. Freeman is expected to return to Wednesday's lineup against the Twins after attending to his family. The 30-year-old is likely to take a cautious approach during the rest of spring training after dealing with right elbow inflammation earlier this week.

Diaz has appeared in 10 Grapefruit League games to date, going 8-for-26 at the plate with two RBI and a 2:6 BB:K.

Diaz's best game of the spring came in his most recent appearance Monday, when he went 2-for-2 with a triple in a 2-2 tie with the Pirates. He served as the cleanup hitter against Pittsburgh righty Mitch Keller in a lineup consisting primarily of everyday players, so Diaz looks like he might have the opportunity to occupy a spot in the heart of the order once the regular season arrives.

The Rays optioned Padlo (illness) to Triple-A Durham on Monday.

Padlo wasn't available for the start of big-league camp while he dealt with severe headaches, but he's feeling better after having found proper medication to treat the condition. The missed time likely had no bearing on Padlo making the Opening Day roster, as he was always expected to begin the season at Triple-A. He was cleared last week to resume full baseball activities and should be ready to go when Durham opens its schedule April 9.