MLB Player News

France (head) went 1-for-1 with a two-RBI double in Saturday's spring game against the Reds.

France was hit in the head by a pitch Friday and exited the game, but he was able to come off the bench to play third base Saturday. The 24-year-old avoided a concussion and went through a full workout prior to Saturday's game to gain clearance.

Guerrero will be out at least three weeks with a left oblique strain, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The good news is that Guerrero was diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain rather than a more severe muscle injury. The Blue Jays' top prospect, who turns 20 on March 16, was struggling this spring with a .211/.250/.316 slash line. Guerrero likely would have been ticketed for Triple-A Buffalo regardless of his spring results, as the organization looks to delay the start of his service clock. A return in early April appears to be the current goal, but a clearer recovery timetable should come into focus as the young slugger advances into his rehab work.

Hiura went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and four RBI in Saturday's spring game against the Athletics.

Hiura now has a home run in back-to-back games as he's started to heat up in Cactus League play, going 5-for-11 in the last five games. The 22-year-old is destined to begin the season at Triple-A San Antonio with the re-signing of Mike Moustakas likely delaying his promotion.

Mountcastle went 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and four RBI in Saturday's spring win over Tampa Bay.

Mountcastle was seen going through drills at first base earlier in camp and got the starting nod there Saturday. The 22-year-old was previously a shortstop before transitioning to third base in 2018, but it appears the move to first is mostly about creating additional versatility. Mountcastle slashed .297/.341/.464 with 13 home runs at Double-A Bowie last season.

Wade went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and a strikeout in Saturday's spring game against the Pirates.

Wade struggled following his promotion to Triple-A Rochester in 2018 -- slashing .229/.337/.336 in 74 games -- but was still added to the Twins' 40-man roster in November to be protected from the Rule 5 draft. The 25-year-old could make his MLB debut at some point in 2019 but is likely to begin the season at Rochester.

France went through a full workout Saturday after getting hit in the head by a pitch the day before, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

France left the game after the at-bat but initial reports were positive and he avoided a concussion. He clarified Saturday that the pitch didn't hit anything other than the flap of his helmet, so it doesn't appear that he'll be out long.

Rizzo will hit third and serve as the Cubs' designated hitter for Saturday's split-squad Cactus League game against the Angels, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Rizzo will play for the second day in a row after starting at first base in Friday's 9-3 win over the Mariners and finishing 3-for-3 with his first home run of the spring. After four straight seasons of 30-plus long balls, Rizzo finished with only 25 in 2018. While that downturn rendered Rizzo somewhat of a disappointment for fantasy purposes, the improved plate discipline he displayed last season in addition to a 34.1 percent hard-hit rate that was roughly on par with his career mark offers optimism that he'll bounce back in the power department.

Guerrero went 0-for-3 with a walk in Friday's split-squad game against the Pirates.

The weak performance was thrown into sharper relief when fellow top prospect Bo Bichette joined in a five-homer barrage with the other half of the roster. Guerrero is slashing only .211/.250/.316 without a home run this spring, giving the front office more cover when it inevitably decides to delay the start of his service clock by sending him back to Triple-A Buffalo. Don't be fooled by a small sample -- the 19-year-old's bat is big-league ready, and his stay in Buffalo to begin the season should be a brief one.

Hiura hit a pinch-hit two-run homer in Friday's spring game.

Hiura recorded just one hit over his first six spring games, but he's heated up over the last week, going 3-for-8 over his last four contests. The Brewers will be patient with their top prospect this year after bringing back Mike Moustakas to play second base, so Hiura is unlikely to join the team until later in the season unless injuries hit or he really forces the issue at the Triple-A level.

France isn't believed to have suffered a concussion after getting hit in the head by a pitch Friday against Oakland, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

France is still slated to be evaluated by the Padres' team doctors once the team returns to Peoria, but it appears as though he's dodged a major bullet. He'll be considered day-to-day until he undergoes further evaluation.