MLB Player News

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado has been cleared to hit and do some running, according to MASN.

Machado plans on taking batting practice Sunday. He's recovering from offseason knee surgery. Despite the issue, Machado has been optimistic that he'll be ready by opening day. The 21-year-old hit .283/.314/.432 in 667 at-bats during his rookie season. 

Twins infielder Trevor Plouffe has added 10-12 pounds of muscle during the offseason, according to the Star Tribune.

Plouffe enters the season expecting to start at third for the club. The 27-year-old hit .254/.309/.392 in 477 at-bats last year. With prospect Miguel Sano expected to make his major-league debut at some point during the season, Plouffe could find himself fighting for a role if he can't get off to a strong start.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado, who was cleared for limited baseball activities Friday after undergoing a follow-up exam coming off October knee surgery, said the earliest he will take the field in a spring game is mid-March, according to MLB.com.

He continues to be optimistic about being ready for opening day, but Machado said it's difficult to predict his return.

"Once I start playing I can give you a better, more or less, of an idea," said Machado, who will now begin running outside, taking ground balls and hitting. "Not a full-go yet. It's a process. Little by little, I'll be able to get back out there. It was definitely good to hear some good news from the doctor."

Machado added he has used video analysis to break down his stride and saw potential injury risks in the way he runs. Machado said fixing that will be part of the next phase in his rehab.

"It's all muscle memory," Machado said. "I've ran my entire life how I did last year, and obviously I had two [knee] injuries in the past two years, and that's definitely not right. And from what I saw, it's a fix, it's an easy fix, but it's something that's more mental than anything else. It's more of getting the right positioning and getting my gluteus and quads [involved]. Just getting my hips stronger and keeping it balanced, [keeping] my knee straight over my toes, that's something where when I was cutting yesterday, it's not much but just a little tap in that in the long run it might affect me some way or the other. So, it's better now that I have time to fix it and correct it and get better."

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado has been cleared to resume some baseball activities, ESPN.com reports. Machado was evaluated Friday and said to be exceeding expectations in his recovery from knee surgery, according to his doctor.

"He has worked exceptionally hard to get where he is," Dr. Neal ElAttrache said. "And we haven't rushed him. It's just a function of who he is as an athlete."

Machado has been cleared for limited activities. "He can hit, he can field ground balls, he can run," ElAttrache said.

Machado hit.283/.314/.432 slash line with 14 home runs, 71 RBI and six stolen bases in 667 at-bats for the Orioles last season.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado will have his knee examined Friday, according to the Baltimore Sun.

The team is scheduled to have their annual FanFest this weekend, and Machado is supposed to attend. It's unclear whether he'll discuss his status at FanFest, but he should have idea of where he's at in his recovery after his appointment. Machado hit .283/.314/.432 in 667 at-bats last year.

Indians infielder Jose Ramirez, who injured his left thumb playing in the Dominican Winter League, said he is about a week away from starting to swing a bat, according to The Plain Dealer.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado will have another follow-up exam on his surgically repaired left knee this weekend, according to MLB.com. If he passes, then he will be cleared to start baseball activities.

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe said he's not worried about the competition he will face this spring from prospect Miguel Sano.

"I'm not really concerned with that," Plouffe said, per MLB.com. "I want to help the team win. That's all I really care about. Miguel is a great player, and if he comes up and helps our team, we want him. We want anyone who can help the team."

Plouffe said he spent the first two months of the offseason rehabbing a left wrist injury that sapped his power last season. However, he refused to use the injury as an excuse for his struggles last year.

His focus has been to add to his RBI total and improve on hitting with runners in scoring position after batting .208 in those situations last year.

"That's my role in the lineup, to be a run producer," Plouffe said. "I haven't been able to do that. Runners in scoring position is something we need to work on. I talked to Bruno (hitting coach Tom Brunansky), and that's something that we're going to keep working on. I think that's the most important thing to me: being able to score runs and drive in runs."

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado will be with the team when position players report to spring training in February, but he still doesn't have a return date coming off left knee surgery, according to MLB.com.

"When I'm 110 percent -- I don't know whether it's in two months or next week -- it's something I'll just have to get a feel for. And once I'm out there playing every day, I'll have more of an idea when and where I can start," he said.

Machado said he feels he's ahead of schedule from October knee surgery to repair a torn medial patellofemoral ligament. He was given a six-month recovery timetable.

"The doctor said everything's going well and according to plan, so at this point it's just seeing how healthy I am and how fast I can get out there," Machado said.

The Twins have avoided arbitration with third baseman Trevor Plouffe, according to the New York Post. 

Plouffe is set to make $2.35 million next season. He's coming off a season in which he hit .254/.309/.392 in 477 at-bats.