MLB Player News

Padlo (illness) won't begin baseball activities for at least another week, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Padlo has been sidelined by a "non-baseball illness," though he's now back in Port Charlotte with the rest of the squad. The 23-year-old was added to the 40-man roster in November to protect him from the Rule 5 draft but was likely a long shot to break camp with the team. Missing a considerable portion of spring training reduces his chances further.

Freeman was scratched from the lineup for Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins due to right elbow inflammation, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Atlanta is labeling Freeman's removal as precautionary, so he can be viewed as day-to-day for now. Even so, it's not the most encouraging sign that he's already dealing with some discomfort in the same elbow for which he required arthroscopic surgery back in October. Non-roster invitee Yonder Alonso will man first base in Freeman's stead Tuesday.

Goldschmidt, who served as the designated hitter in both Saturday's and Monday's Grapefruit League games, is up to throwing from 120 feet, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Although the news is encouraging, manager Mike Shildt still isn't prepared to offer a timeline for Goldschmidt's return to the field. The Cardinals' skipper labeled his slugger as "trending in the right direction", but also emphasized the team will not rush such a key player this early in spring.

White, who signed a six-year, $24 million deal Nov. 25, is slated for the starting first-base job this season despite not having played above the Double-A level, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

White has been lauded for his work with both the bat and glove during his three-year minor-league career. His latest success came at Double-A Arkansas last season, when White slashed .293/.350/.488 across 400 plate appearances. The 23-year-old flashed his defensive skills on multiple occasions during Sunday's Cactus League opener against the Rangers as well, and he managed to put on approximately 10 pounds of muscle over the offseason that he hopes to keep on his frame throughout the 2020 campaign.

Walker is making a slow start to spring training due to general body soreness, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Manager Torey Lovullo indicated it's not a serious concern and the 28-year-old could see game action as early as Tuesday, though there's no reason to rush him back at the start of spring training. Walker burst onto the scene in 2019 with a .259/.248/.476 slash line and 29 home runs in 152 games, and he's slated to begin this season as Arizona's starter at first base.

Freeman (elbow) is in the lineup for Saturday's spring opener against the Orioles.

Freeman spent the offseason working his way back from elbow surgery, but he has completed his recovery and will take the field for the Braves' first exhibition game. As he usually does, he will man first base and hit third Saturday.

Goldschmidt has been dealing with right elbow soreness during the early stages of camp, which will lead to the slugger slotting in as the designated hitter over the first pair of Grapefruit League contests, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Goldschmidt has eased into both fielding drills and throwing during the first week of camp due to the soreness, and manager Mike Shildt will take the extra precaution of keeping the veteran off the field altogether over the first two exhibitions, at minimum. "He started playing catch, little soreness in there," Shildt said. "Nothing uncommon. It's pretty much gone, but we just want to make sure we're ramping up his throwing to where it's smart, to where it doesn't come back."

Votto is extremely likely to continue batting second during the regular season, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "His profile might fit as much as anyone who has ever played the game as far as his ability to get on base," manager David Bell said on Friday.

Bell hasn't outlined most of his lineup decisions yet, but he's emphasizing on-base skills toward the top. Talking about what type of hitters he wants batting leadoff ahead of Votto, Bell said: "I have a profile in mind, and we have guys that fit that for sure that are going to be regulars on our team. The big thing is getting on base. You look at our team last year, and the middle of our order and the damage that the middle of the order did last year and the potential of what they can do even more so this year, it's going to be important to get on base in front of those guys. The top of the order, on-base is really the No. 1 thing I look at. If guys can run, that's great, too, it's important."

Kirilloff was scratched from the lineup for Friday's game against the University of Minnesota, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.comreports.

It's unclear if the absence is injury-related or if the Twins simply changed their plans. Kiriloff is with the team's big-league camp this spring, though he's unlikely to be seriously pushing for a roster spot, as he's yet to reach the Triple-A level.

Cron reported to spring training Saturday and won't face any limitations in camp after requiring surgery on his right thumb in October, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Cron said he only lost about two weeks from his normal offseason program while undergoing rehab from surgery, so he won't be behind any of his fellow position players during spring training. Per Stavenhagen, the Tigers are slated to roll out a lineup of younger, less established players in their spring opener Friday versus Southeastern University, but Cron could make his Tigers debut in Grapefruit League games Saturday or Sunday. The 30-year-old is poised to serve as the Tigers' everyday first baseman in 2020 and should provide a much-needed power boost to a squad that ranked 29th in the majors in home runs a season ago.