MLB Player News

O'Hearn went 1-for-3 with one strikeout in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox.

O'Hearn was able to get his first hit of the spring out of the cleanup spot in Baltimore's lineup, as he's now gone 1-for-12 during spring training. The 31-year-old veteran slugger is set to function as the Orioles' primary designated hitter versus right-handed pitching in 2025, but he does have 2020 first-rounder Heston Kjerstad fighting for at-bats as well. O'Hearn is likely to be on the strong side of a platoon, so he is best deployed in daily leagues or deeper formats.

Olson went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

He went back-to-back with Austin Riley in the first inning off Marcus Stroman. The blast was Olson's second of the spring in 13 at-bats, and the 30-year-old first baseman will look to rebound this season after what was by his standards a disappointing 2024 campaign in which he produced "only" 29 homers and 98 RBI.

Singleton made a few strong defensive plays in Friday's Grapefruit League game, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Singleton lost roughly 25 pounds this offseason and manager Joe Espada had positive remarks about Singleton's play in the field, noting that he looked more athletic and fluid at first base. His ability to field the position will be a key to earning a bench role this spring, as he had negative eight defensive runs saved in 2024 as Houston's primary first baseman. With the addition of Christian Walker, Singleton would be limited to small-side platoon at-bats at most during the regular season.

Freeman started at first base in Sunday's Cactus League win over the White Sox and went 1-for-2 with a solo home run.

Freeman entered camp behind other Dodgers position players after undergoing an ankle procedure in early December, and he didn't begin running until Feb 20. The veteran first baseman made his spring debut Feb. 26, though he was relegated to DH duties in his first two Cactus League games. However, Freeman was able to play the field Sunday and didn't seem to be bothered by the ankle -- in fact, he recorded the first out of the contest on a groundball that he fielded cleanly before jogging to the bag. His bat has also looked great so far this spring, as Freeman has gone 3-for-8 with a pair of home runs through three games.

Loftin was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's Cactus League game against the Padres due to right wrist soreness.

Loftin was penciled to bat fifth as the designated hitter but will instead sit out at least one game due to the wrist injury. The 26-year-old is competing for a utility role in spring training after he posted a .518 OPS in 57 regular-season games last year.

Bell went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

Bell took Miles Mikolas deep in the first inning for his first long ball of the spring. The 32-year-old slugger is expected to be the regular DH for the Nationals this season while backing up Nathaniel Lowe at first base, and Bell posted the best numbers of his career during his first stint with Washington in 2021-22, slashing .278/.363/.483 over 247 games with 41 homers and 145 RBI.

Hoskins went 3-for-3 with two home runs and two RBI in Saturday's spring game.

Hoskins homered in his first appearance of the spring and put two more long balls on the board Saturday. He remains the top option at first base for the Brewers and will be looking to bounce back in both the batting average and OPS departments after posting career-low .214 and .722 marks, respectively, in those categories in 2024.

Freeman (ankle) will start at first base and bat third in Sunday's Cactus League game against the White Sox.

Freeman's previous two spring training starts had come as a designated hitter, but he'll return to his familiar post at first base now that he's resumed full defensive work following offseason surgery to remove loose bodies from his right ankle. The 35-year-old is on track to man first base in both of the Dodgers' games in the season-opening series versus the Cubs in Tokyo on March 18 and 19. Manager Dave Roberts said earlier in the spring that he plans to deploy Freeman as the Dodgers' full-time No. 3 hitter in 2025, which should lead to plenty of RBI opportunities while he slots behind Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts.

Encarnacion-Strand went 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI in Saturday's spring game against the Padres.

Encarnacion-Strand led off the second inning with a solo home run, his second blast of the Cactus League. He's looking to put an injury-marred 2024 in the past; the 25-year-old corner infielder was limited to just 29 games by a wrist injury last season. While the Reds are using Encarnacion-Strand and others at both corner infield spots, he appears to be the team's expected starter at first base.

Isaac (elbow) will start at designated hitter and bat seventh in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

He'll see his first spring game action since Feb. 21, after a sore left elbow had limited him in recent workouts. Though the elbow issue no longer seems to be affecting Isaac at the dish, it's unclear when he'll be able to complete his throwing program and resume playing first base and in the outfield. In any case, Isaac doesn't look like he'll require a season-opening stint on Double-A Montgomery's injured list since he'll be able to serve as a DH until he's fully healthy.