MLB Player News

Moncada (arm) won't take the field in Saturday's intrasquad contest but will serve as a designated hitter, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Moncada came into camp limited by a bit of arm soreness, but the issue doesn't appear to be a particularly serious one. He'll be able to hit Saturday and could take the field as soon as Sunday or Monday.

Lewis underwent successful surgery to repair his torn ACL on Friday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Lewis was diagnosed with a torn ACL during intake testing Wednesday, and he's now expected to face a recovery timeline between nine and 12 months following his successful surgery. He'll spend some time in Minnesota before heading back to Fort Myers to begin his rehab process.

Toro has been filling in at third base during infield drills while Alex Bregman (hamstring) is limited to batting practice only, Ryan Herrera of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Toro entered camp with a mission to develop his skills at first base and left field and wasn't focused on third base, his primary position. He also has a lot to prove following 2020, when he slashed .149/.237/.276 and walked just three times over 97 plate appearances. As such, most of his offseason work was designed to make him more flexible at the plate and loosening up his swing. "It's just getting the league better, just trying to focus more and learning how they're pitching in the big leagues," Toro said. "If I do what I know I can do, I feel like this year I can have a good year." A healthy Bregman will be entrenched at third base, so Toro needs to work on his hitting if he's to gain more playing time at other positions.

Bregman (hamstring) took batting practice on the field for a second consecutive day Friday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Bregman has yet to participate in fielding drills, so it would appear he will not play in Sunday's Grapefruit League opener.

Manager Tony La Russa said Thursday that Moncada (arm) could play third base as early as Sunday or Monday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Moncada has been limited early in camp due to arm soreness, but the team hasn't expressed much concern regarding the issue. While La Russa said that the White Sox could elect to keep him sidelined to begin Cactus League play, he should resume throwing soon.

Bregman (hamstring) took batting practice on the field Thursday but didn't go through fielding drills, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Bregman has been slowed to start camp due to a sore hamstring. He's expected to miss some spring training games, but the issue doesn't yet seem like it will cost him time at the beginning of the regular season. With Opening Day still over a month away, the Astros can afford to be cautious.

Urshela (elbow) is expected to take batting practice in the coming days, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

Urshela's elbow is close to full strength after he underwent surgery in December to remove a bone spur. He could appear in the team's first exhibition game Sunday, and he said Wednesday that he expects to take live batting practice soon. Barring any setbacks, the third baseman should be ready for Opening Day.

Lewis was diagnosed with a torn ACL on Wednesday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Lewis was a non-roster invitee during spring training, but an MRI during intake testing revealed a torn ACL that should force him to miss the entire 2021 campaign. The 21-year-old will undergo surgery Friday with a recovery timeline between nine and 12 months. Lewis is one of the top prospects in Minnesota's system and has displayed impressive talent in the minors, but his major-league debut will now have to wait until at least 2022.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Wednesday that Bregman has been held out of workouts this week due to a sore hamstring, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Bregman presumably won't be cleared in time to play in the Astros' Grapefruit League opener Sunday versus the Marlins, but Baker didn't suggest the third baseman's hamstring issue was overly worrisome. The 26-year-old will be looking to rebound this season after taking a big step back in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, when he slashed .242/.350/.451 with six home runs and no stolen bases over 42 games.

The Twins plan to give Donaldson more frequent rest this season, especially early in the year, to try to help him avoid the calf injuries that limited him to 28 games last season and caused him to miss the playoffs. "I'm not going to be playing in every single game early on, but to kind of build into getting game-ready," Donaldson told MLB.com.

Donaldson said he worked on his running form in the offseason to reduce stress on his calf muscles. Donaldson is healthy as spring training begins, but he may be used sparingly in exhibition games to ease him into the regular season. Luis Arraez could start at third base a game or two each week early on to give him rest. Donaldson has had chronic calf injuries -- he missed 38 games with a right calf strain in 2017 -- and played just 52 games in 2018 due to left calf and shoulder injuries. Donaldson remains a top power option at third base, but he comes with considerable injury risk.