MLB Player News

Manager Charlie Montoyo said Thursday that he plans to use Guerrero as the Blue Jays' cleanup hitter this season, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Heading into spring training, Guerrero appeared likely to slot in as the Blue Jays' No. 3 hitter, but the 20-year-old expressed a desire to drop down a spot in the order. Instead, Toronto plans to use Lourdes Gurriel out of the three hole, as Guerrero told Montoyo he feels he can benefit from observing Gurriel's at-bats beforehand since pitchers tend to attack both hitters the same way. Guerrero's fantasy outlook won't change much whether he bats third or fourth, as he should see plenty of run-producing chances regardless while a pair of high on-base batters in Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio occupy the top two spots in the order.

Rizzo confirmed Thursday that he'll serve as the Cubs' No. 2 hitter this season, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

First-year manager David Ross will keep the tandem of Kris Bryant and Rizzo in back-to-back lineup spots, though both players will move up one slot in the order after the pair most commonly batted second and third, respectively, in 2019. Assuming the Cubs stay committed to Rizzo as the No. 2 hitter, the first baseman could make a legitimate push for 700 plate appearances for the second time in his career if he's able to avoid any absences due to injury. Rizzo has some limited prior experience as a No. 2 hitter, slashing .300/.401/.515 with 11 home runs and 27 RBI in 237 career plate appearances out of that lineup spot.

Mountcastle has been primarily been working out at first base in the Orioles' early full-squad workouts, though manager Brandon Hyde said he plans to expose the 23-year-old to the outfield as well, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Baltimore protected Mountcastle from the Rule 5 draft over the winter in anticipation of him debuting from the big club in 2020, but he'll be hard pressed to crack the Opening Day roster. Instead, Mountcastle's main focus this spring will be increasing his versatility on the defensive end, as his bat is probably already good enough to warrant an opportunity in the majors. Entering the season, Trey Mancini, Renato Nunez and Anthony Santander are seemingly locked into full-time roles at either first base, the corner outfield or designated hitter, so Mountcastle seems most likely to cut into the playing time of Chris Davis once the Orioles deem him big-league ready.

France spent time working with Padres catchers Tuesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

This development adds a twist to the utility infielder's versatility and could help France in his quest to land a spot on the Opening Day roster. However, the Padres already have Francisco Mejia and Austin Hedges penciled in to cover backstop duties -- with Luis Torrens the next man up -- so it would likely take a series of injuries and/or transactions for France to log notable time behind the plate in 2020.

Arias was added to San Diego's major-league spring training camp as a non-roster invitee.

The soon-to-be 20-year-old will get a chance to train alongside big leaguers following a breakthrough 2019 campaign during which he hit .302 and slugged 17 home runs with High-A Lake Elsinore. Arias is likely to spend the entire regular season in the minors, but he could see time with the big club as soon as 2021 if he can improve his plate discipline and continue to impress defensively.

Lowe arrived in Rays camp nearly 20 pounds lighter than his season-ending weight of 245 pounds, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Lowe enjoyed a solid rookie campaign, slashing .263/.325/.454 with seven home runs and 19 RBI across 169 plate appearances over 50 games. However, the 23-year-old felt he could increase his defensive utility and chances of remaining at the big-league level overall with better fitness, so he cut processed foods and sugar out of his diet while also engaging in offseason workouts with the likes of Francisco Lindor and Gio Urshela. Lowe saw time at both corner infield spots last season, and he believes his lighter frame will help sharpen up his range at the hot corner specifically, thereby increasing his chances of sticking on the Opening Day roster.

Voit indicated earlier this month that he's made a full recovery from offseason bilateral core surgery, George A. King III of the New York Post reports. "I have never felt any better in my life. It's everything. I feel faster, more agile and my strength is back," Voit said.

Voit was plagued by core-muscle issues for much of 2019, missing around three weeks with an abdominal strain and requiring another month-long stay on the injured list with a sports hernia. The 29-year-old said that he believes the October procedure will provide a more permanent fix, and he's optimistic that the physical changes he made over the offseason will put him in better position to withstand the rigors of a 162-game season. Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reiterated that Voit looked to be in excellent shape during Monday's camp workout, so the first baseman looks like he'll be a full go during spring training.

Guerrero is expected to begin the season hitting third, following Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio, Gregor Chisholm of The Toronto Star reports.

It's a little unusual for a manager to be setting his regular-season batting order this early, but given the nature of the Jays roster it's no surprise that Charlie Montoyo plans to put his trio of talented youngsters right at the top. Hitting third behind two players adept at getting on base in Bichette (.358 OBP in 2019) and Biggio (.364) could allow Guerrero to challenge for 100 RBI in his second MLB season after he drove in 69 in 123 games as a rookie.

Cronenworth is expected to pitch "one inning per week" during spring training, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

While Cronenworth will primarily take infield reps, San Diego is not ignoring the 26-year-old's potential to make an impact on the mound. Cronenworth is looking to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster after hitting .334 and hurling 7.1 innings without allowing an earned run in Triple-A last season.

Padlo isn't taking part in baseball activities due to an illness, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays didn't offer any specifics, stating the 23-year-old is dealing with a "non-baseball-related illness." Padlo was added to the 40-man roster in November in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, but he'll now be making a late start to spring training.