MLB Player News

Marlins general manager Kim Ng said Sunday that Gurriel "should be there on Thursday," implying his contract will be selected prior to the Marlins' season opener with the Mets that day, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

After drawing limited interest in free agency this winter, Gurriel settled for a minor-league deal with Miami in March and showed well enough in his limited time in the Grapefruit League to earn a spot on the Marlins' big-league roster. The 38-year-old struggled mightily in 2022 with a .242/.288/.360 slash line over 584 plate appearances, but he led all of baseball with a .319 average in 2021. Though he may be able to bounce back in the batting-average department in 2023 if he can stave off any major decline in the career-worst 12.5 percent strikeout rate he sported a season ago, Gurriel's advancing age, paucity of power and poorer team context with the move from Houston to Miami may limit his fantasy appeal largely to NL-only formats.

Higgins was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Higgins joined Arizona as a non-roster invitee in January and was unable to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster despite a .913 OPS during spring training. Jose Herrera is poised to begin the season as the backup catcher behind starter Gabriel Moreno, but Higgins could still find himself in the mix at some point with Carson Kelly out with a fractured forearm.

Calhoun became a free agent after he opted out of his minor-league contract with the Mariners on Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Calhoun was unable to earn a spot on Seattle's Opening Day roster and will now look to latch on with another team. The 35-year-old had a .596 OPS in 12 spring games and hit .196 with a 32.1 percent strikeout rate in 2022, so he'll likely need to settle for another minor-league deal.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora met with Casas on Sunday and informed the first baseman that he's made the Opening Day roster, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Heading into spring training, Casas was always viewed as a likely candidate to break camp with the big club, and a strong Grapefruit League solidified his standing with the big club. The 23-year-old enters Sunday's game against the Twins with a .360/.400/.640 slash line and three homers over 50 plate appearances in 17 games. Casas will have some growing pains in his first full season with the Red Sox, but the left-handed hitting first baseman offers significant offensive upside for 2023 and beyond.

Cron (back) will start at first base and bat cleanup in Sunday's split-squad Cactus League game against the Reds.

Cron will check back into Colorado's spring lineup for the first time since March 14 after a bout with back spasms prompted the club to exercise caution with him over the past two weeks. The veteran first baseman apparently checked out fine after hitting high-velocity pitching Saturday, so the back issue shouldn't be anything that hinders him at the plate moving forward.

Votto (shoulder/biceps) said prior to Saturday's Cactus League game that he could open the 2023 season on the injured list, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "I just want to make sure I'm clear: This is a performance-based game," Votto said. "You have to do your job. And I can't come back early, tank and embarrass our organization. I have to come back, perform well and be healthy."

Votto has been able to play for two weeks in the Cactus League after recovering from a torn rotator cuff and left biceps surgery that ended his 2023 season. As Nightengale notes, however, Votto is still in the process of reaching enough at-bats and defensive innings to feel comfortable enough for the beginning of the season. Votto should thus be in line for a short stint on the IL if he isn't cleared to break camp with the big club, but the assumption that he would be ready for the start of the season may have been slightly premature.

Voit opted out of his minor-league contract with the Brewers on Saturday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Hogg termed the transaction as a "procedural matter," suggesting that Voit could still rejoin the Brewers after assessing his options on the open market. By opting out of his deal, Voit will at least be eligible to negotiate with other clubs and see if a better opportunity exists elsewhere. If Voit rejoins Milwaukee on an MLB deal, he could form the short side of a platoon at first base with Rowdy Tellez and also see occasional starts at designated hitter versus right-handed pitching.

Cron will hit against a high velocity pitching machine before Saturday's Cactus League game, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

It's another step in the right direction for Cron, who has missed most of the spring while dealing with back spasms. The slugger also went through workouts Friday before the contest, and he appears to be on the right track towards getting on the field for the Rockies before Opening Day. A trip to the injured list to begin the season cannot be ruled out yet, however.

Vaughn (back) appeared in another minor-league game Saturday and hopes to return to the big-league lineup Monday against the Cubs, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Vaughn has been dealing with lower-back soreness for over a week, but he's trending in the right direction. He served as the designated hitter in Friday's minor-league contest and will play the field Saturday. If he does indeed play Monday and gets through the game without issues, he should be good to go for Opening Day.

Batten was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Saturday.

Batten was fighting for a bench spot but won't break camp in the big leagues. The 27-year-old hit .105/.227/.158 in 22 MLB plate appearances as a rookie last year but posted an .840 OPS at the Triple-A level.