MLB Player News

Encarnacion-Strand went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Saturday's spring game against Arizona.

Encarnacion-Strand took advantage of a Jordan Montgomery fastball that stayed up for his third Cactus League homer. Coming back from a wrist injury that limited him to 29 games in 2024, Encarnacion-Strand appears healthy in camp. He's mainly batted in the lower half of the order this spring, but he could provide a middle-of-the-order presence if he continues to mash. Capable of playing both corner infield spots, Encarnacion-Strand has started mostly at first base and is looking like the favorite to win the job. His cause is aided by the shoulder injury to Spencer Steer, who may open the regular season on the IL.

Naylor went 1-for-2 with a walk in Saturday's split-squad game against the Athletics.

After going hitless in his Cactus League debut, Naylor has hit in eight consecutive games and is 11-for-24 (.458) with four doubles and three RBI on the spring. He may not be able to replicate the defense of three-time Gold Glove winner Christian Walker, Arizona's starting first baseman in 2024, but Naylor's bat is expected to replace the production lost when Walker signed with Houston this offseason.

Walker (oblique) said Sunday that he won't swing a bat for a few days before beginning a hitting progression later on next week, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

After being scratched from the lineup last Wednesday due to left oblique soreness, Walker was sent for an MRI, which revealed no strain. He still needs the inflammation in his side to subside before he can fully resume baseball activities, however. Walker should still be ready for the Astros' March 27 season opener versus the Mets, but even if he avoids any further setbacks, he could still be a week or more away from Grapefruit League action.

France went 2-for-3 with one home run, one double, four RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox.

He had an RBI double off Aroldis Chapman in the fourth inning and later swatted a three-run homer off Josh Winckowski in the sixth. France inked a one-year, $1 million deal with the Twins back on Feb. 11 and has torn the cover off the ball eight games into spring training. Through 22 plate appearances, France is slashing .524/.565/1.000 with two long balls, four doubles, seven RBI, six runs scored and a pair of walks. Manager Rocco Baldelli has said France is viewed as Minnesota's starting first baseman going into the season, and it's "not a platoon situation."

Yankees manager Aaron Boone mentioned during an in-game interview on YES Network on Thursday that Smith is one of the lefty batters New York is considering using at DH during the regular season in the wake of the news that Giancarlo Stanton (elbows) is set to miss extended time.

Smith isn't on the Yankees' 40-man roster, so he's not a certainty to break camp with the big club. However, he's helped his case with a strong spring during which he's slashing .294/.294/.647 with two home runs and seven RBI through six games. Boone noted that Aaron Judge won't necessarily log the bulk of the work at DH in Stanton's stead, and Smith was one of the players -- along with Ben Rice and J.C. Escarra -- mentioned as a candidate to log at-bats at the position.

The Angels optioned Kavadas to Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday.

Kavadas appeared in 30 games last season for the Angels, during which he slashed .183/.283/.333 with four homers and eight RBI across 106 plate appearances. His offensive numbers got even worse during spring training (.100/.182/.150), so the Angels will send him back to Salt Lake in order to right the ship.

Torkelson went 3-for-3 with a pair of solo home runs in Friday's Grapefruit League win over the Orioles.

After his disastrous 2024 season, It can be rather easy to forget that Torkelson has a 31-homer season in the majors under his belt, and he's still just 25 years old. He reminded everyone of his power with Friday's multi-homer game, bringing his OPS up to 1.181 this spring, although it's uncertain where exactly Torkelson fits in on this Tigers club that is expected to have Colt Keith at first base most days, Gleyber Torres at second and Kerry Carpenter at DH.

Gasper is hitting .350 (7-for-20) with a home run in seven games this spring.

Gasper is a long shot to make the roster as a utility player, but he's drawing raves from management and could be an option if there's an injury among the team's other utility players. Gasper has been playing mostly second base this spring but is also a catcher and has played first base. He's not a plus defender behind the plate, but his versatility could see him called up from Triple-A at some point this summer. He hit .328/.439/.970 with 12 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A last season.

Astros manager Joe Espada said Friday that an MRI on Walker's left oblique did not show a "strain or anything that we are concerned about," Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Astros are still referring to the injury simply as left oblique soreness, and Walker will return to the team Friday and be eased back into activities. It's as good a news update as the Astros and Walker could have hoped to hear regarding a diagnosis, and it would appear he should be able to avoid the injured list, barring any setbacks.

Guerrero told ESPN's Enrique Rojas and Ernesto Jerez that his representation's final offer to the Blue Jays during contract extension negotiations was for 15 years and less than $600 million.

It's not clear what the Blue Jays' final proposal was, but Guerrero has said previously that the two sides were not close. He will turn 26 later this month, so it's not a surprise that he was seeking to match the length of the contract given to Juan Soto, who is a few months older than Guerrero. Teams in recent years have been reluctant to hand out megadeals to righty-swinging first basemen, so it will be interesting to see whether Vlad Jr. will be able to get the dollar figure he's seeking next offseason when he reaches free agency.