MLB Player News

Kreidler could push for an Opening Day roster spot during the Tigers' condensed spring training, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old is most likely to begin the season with Triple-A Toledo, but after posting a .926 OPS across 41 games with the Mud Hens in 2021, Kreidler may have little else to prove. The Tigers' offseason addition of Javier Baez presents an obstacle at shortstop, so Kreidler may need to prove capable of playing other infield positions before Detroit calls him up to the MLB roster at some point.

Gelof was invited to major-league spring training by the A's on Friday, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Gelof was selected with the 60th overall pick of the 2021 Draft and will join the big-league club for spring training. The 22-year-old made his professional debut last season and spent most of the campaign at Low-A Stockton, where he hit .298/.393/.548 with seven homers, 22 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 32 games.

Kreidler (calf) has been a full participant in the Tigers' minor-league spring training and is expected to open the 2022 season at Triple-A Toledo, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Though he's not the same caliber of prospect as organization mates Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson, Kreidler could have a similar timeline to both players when it comes to getting a call to the big leagues. After supplying a .926 OPS in 41 games at Toledo following a promotion from Double-A Erie last August, Kriedler was denied the opportunity to build on that performance at the Arizona Fall League after succumbing to a calf strain. He's been back at full health this spring and has resumed impressing at the plate and in the field, most notably turning a nifty double play during Friday's intrasquad game, per Stavenhagen. According to Chris McCosky of The Detroit News, Kreidler is still preparing to spend most of his time at shortstop at Toledo to begin the upcoming season, though Detroit's offseason signing of Javier Baez means the 24-year-old could eventually pick up reps at second and third base and perhaps even the outfield as he looks to break into the big leagues as a utility player.

Lewis (knee) received clearance for spring training, but he hasn't been able to participate in workouts during MLB's ongoing lockout since he's a member of the Twins' 40-man roster, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

The lockout comes at a particularly inconvenient time for a player like Lewis, a top prospect in the organization who hasn't played an official game in affiliated ball since 2019. After he was unable to play in 2020 because of the cancellation of the minor-league season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lewis missed all of 2021 after tearing the ACL in his right knee last February and undergoing surgery. The 22-year-old was at least able to prove his health by taking part in the Twins' final two Instructional League games in mid-October, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic, but Lewis would surely benefit from getting in regular at-bats during intrasquad games this spring, even against minor-league competition. Unfortunately, because of his status as a 40-man player, Lewis isn't available to work out in a team setting, and he'll be ineligible to report to any of the Twins' minor-league affiliates when the season begins in early April if the lockout remains in place. Lewis received only 148 plate appearances at the Double-A level upon earning a mid-season promotion in 2019, but because he's missed more than two years of development time, the Twins could be willing to fast track him to Triple-A St. Paul once the lockout ends.

Rendon (hamstring) should be "full go" once the lockout ends and camp begins, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Rendon struggled to a .240/.329/.382 slash line in 58 games to start the 2021 season before missing the entire second half due to a hamstring injury which wound up requiring surgery. Reports from early November indicated that the veteran third baseman was expecting to be ready for the start of spring training, and it looks as though he's continued on the right path, with the delayed start of the season buying him even more time to heal.

Jung is expected to be sidelined for 6-to-8 months after he underwent arthroscopic surgery Wednesday to repair a torn left labrum, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Jung was shut down last week after suffering the injury while lifting weights, but a decision on whether he would require surgery wasn't immediately made. Now that Jung has opted for the procedure, he's expected to be sidelined until September at the earliest, effectively closing the door on the top prospect's chances of making his MLB debut this season. Even once he completes his rehab program, Jung will be limited to designated hitter duties rather than playing at third base. Jung's injury at least tentatively clears the way for Isaiah Kiner-Falefa to open the season in an everyday role for Texas at the hot corner.

LeMahieu said Thursday that he's fully healthy again following October surgery to repair a sports hernia, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

LeMahieu noted that he's been able to take batting practice for much of the winter, so getting his timing back at the plate shouldn't be much of an issue once the lockout ends and the Yankees are able to reconvene for workouts. After posting a career-best 1.011 OPS during the 60-game 2020 campaign, LeMahieu took a major step back in the slugging department in 2021, posting an .094 ISO. He was at least able to maintain his strong eye at the plate, walking in a career-best 10.9 percent of his plate appearances while striking out a modest 13.8 percent of the time.

Jung experienced left shoulder discomfort while lifting weights last week and has been shut down with a labral strain, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Jung is considered one of the more interesting prospects set to debut this season, as he hit .326/.398/.592 across the two highest levels of the minors in 2021 and has a clear path to the third base job in Texas. He's unfortunately now suffered a preseason injury two years in a row, as a stress fracture in his left foot last March pushed his season debut back to mid-June. Exactly how much time this particular injury will wind up costing him won't become clear until a follow-up visit next week and will depend in part on whether or not the season is delayed, but it may mean that Isiah Kiner-Falefa ends up remaining the starter at the hot corner for longer than previously expected.

Bregman (wrist) was cleared to resume hitting Friday, Mark Berman of Fox 26 reports.

Bregman underwent right wrist surgery in early November and appears to be on track in his recovery. The 27-year-old remains hopeful that he'll be ready for the start of spring training.

Castillo signed a minor-league contract with the Royals on Thursday.

Castillo made his major-league debut during the 2021 campaign but spent most of the season at Triple-A El Paso. Across 113 appearances in the minors, the 26-year-old hit .287 with three homers, 47 runs, 45 RBI and 12 stolen bases.