MLB Player News

Walker played in left field during Tuesday's Grapefruit league game and went 1-for-3 with a double.

The outfield is new to Walker, who is a first baseman with very little minor league experience at third base. Things went well Tuesday, as Walker picked up an outfield assist by gunning down Troy Tulowitzki at third base. With plenty of depth at the MLB level at first base, Walker might be able to find a new avenue to make the team by converting to the outfield. It was not thought to be likely that Walker would break camp with the Orioles, but Hyun-soo Kim has struggled this spring and the team appears to be opening iself up to other options.

Rizzo left Tuesday's spring training game after being hit by pitch, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

It sounds as though it's more of a precautionary measure, as Rizzo was just grazed by the pitch. He should be able to return to action by the end of the week, if not sooner, but the club will likely offer up more details if it's longer than that.

Singleton went 1-for-4 with a stolen base as the DH during Monday's 1-1 Grapefruit League tie against Washington.

The 24-year-old did not strike out during the game, but he's fanned 11 times over 27 Grapefruit League at-bats with only one walk to his credit. Singleton's inability to make consistent contact will hurt his chances of winning the Astros' starting first base job, as his main competition -- A.J. Reed (.318), Tyler White (.370) and Matt Duffy (three home runs) -- are off to blistering starts this spring.

Walker went 2-for-3 with a home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.

Walker did not stand out last season at Triple-A, but he has been one of the better bats for the Orioles this spring. He is the only member of the club with multiple home runs. Walker is still ticketed for Triple-A and he might need multiple injuries in order to see playing time in Baltimore this season.

Blandino will primarily play second base this season in the Reds' farm system.

The Reds drafted him to play shortstop, and he spent most of his time at Stanford at third base, though Blandino did play 12 games at second base last season. "I worked at second base in practice so it wasn't a completely foreign position to me," Blandino said. "In the Arizona Fall League, I got the opportunity to play primarily at second base and put a lot of work in there. I think being able to show versatility on defense is a huge asset. As long as you can produce offensively, being able to go out there and find a spot anywhere in the infield is important to help your team."

Freeman (wrist) is no longer dealing with any soreness and is expected to play Sunday, Mark Berman of MLB.com reports.

Freeman had been battling soreness in his right hand/wrist area, but he said he woke up Saturday morning feeling completely fine and is confident he's moved past the issue.

Freeman left Friday's game with soreness in his hand and wrist, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Freeman dealt with wrist issues throughout most of 2015. The Braves have been cautious in the early going, and Freeman seemed to be easing concerns with a pair of homers in his first five spring games (seven at-bats).

Wilkins is 3-for-10 with two home runs and five RBI through seven spring games.

Wilkins bounced around several organizations last season, but he is now hoping to secure a home with the Brewers. He is off to a fast start in the competition for the backup first base job behind Chris Carter, but will still need to beat out several other players to land the job.

Flores should split time with Ruben Tejada at shortstop if Asdrubal Cabrera (knee) has to start the 2016 season on the DL, Adam Rubin of ESPN reports.

Flores is familiar enough with splitting time with Cabrera, considering the two did it for most of the 2015 season. It's hard to say which has a leg up for the lion's share of playing time, but it's worth noting that Flores saw 96 starts at shortstop to Tejada's 65 last year.

Cabrera (knee) is likely to begin the season on the DL, Adam Rubin of ESPN reports.

The injury was initially believed to not be too serious, but has quickly escalated in the last two days. With Cabrera out for a while, Ruben Tejada and Wilmer Flores will step in and likely split starting duties. Cabrera will be shut down for two weeks after he receives a PRP injection, then will have to get enough work in to make up for all of the preseason activity lost.