MLB Player News

Donaldson (hamstring) is likely to be reevaluated Friday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Donaldson exited the team's game after suffering hamstring tightness while running the bases. Manager Rocco Baldelli said there's some concern regarding Donaldson's status, but there'll be no clarity on a timeline until the team learns more about the extent of the injury.

Donaldson left Thursday's game against the Brewers with a tight right hamstring, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Injuries are unfortunately part of the package at this point in Donaldson's career, though the Twins were likely hoping he'd last longer than one inning before suffering his first ailment of the year. It's at least not a calf issue -- something that has plagued the veteran several times in recent seasons -- but his health history doesn't offer much cause for optimism. It's not yet clear when the Twins expect him to return to the lineup.

Donaldson left Thursday's game in the first inning after suffering an apparent leg injury, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Donaldson hit a double in his first at-bat, but limped while running to second base. He stayed in at second base to finish the half inning but did not come back out to the field at the bottom of the frame. Luis Arraez moved to third base to replace him with Jake Cave entering the game in left field. The precise nature of the issue is unclear, but it's concerning given his history of calf injuries.

Devers and the Red Sox won't play the Orioles on Thursday after their Opening Day game was postponed due to rain, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

The two teams are now scheduled to play their season opener Friday, which was initially set to be an off day for both sides.

Toro cleared the health and safety protocols and rejoined his teammates Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

It's already been announced that Toro didn't make the Astros' Opening Day roster, though that decision was apparently unrelated to his temporary quarantine. The Astros want Toro to get regular at-bats at the alternate site rather than being stuck on the bench in the big leagues. Robel Garcia and Aledmys Diaz will be the team's utility options to start the season.

Donaldson enters Tuesday's spring finale against the Pirates with a .281/.303/.500 slash line across 32 at-bats in Grapefruit League play.

In what looks to be a preview of the Twins' lineup for Thursday's regular-season opener in Milwaukee, Donaldson is starting at third base and batting second Tuesday. The 35-year-old regularly batted out of the two hole during an injury-shortened 2020 campaign, making 24 of his 25 starts out of that spot in the lineup. Donaldson has shown no ill effects from the calf injury that troubled him in 2020, so he should be poised to deliver better results as he prepares for his second season in Minnesota.

Astudillo hit his fourth home run in Monday's spring training game and has won a spot on Minnesota's 26-man roster for Opening Day.

Known for his contact abilities, Astudillo has shown plenty of pop this spring, hitting .385 with a 1.235 OPS. He'll work in a utility role for the Twins, serving as a third catcher as well as seeing time at third base, second base and left field. The 29-year-old could have value in deeper leagues since his bat should be above average for a catcher.

Astros manager Dusty Baker confirmed Monday that Toro (COVID-19 health and safety protocols) won't be included on the Opening Day roster, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Though Toro remains away from the team as he completes a quarantine period due to contact-tracing concerns, that likely didn't play a factor in his omission from the Opening Day roster. Instead, the Astros likely determined that the 24-year-old third baseman would be best off playing regularly at minor-league camp, rather than serving as a lightly-used backup to Alex Bregman. Toro's demotion leaves Aledmys Diaz (hamstring) and Robel Garcia as the utility men on Houston's Opening Day roster.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Sunday that Toro is away from the team due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Baker said he's hopeful that Toro will be able to rejoin the team within a couple days, so for now, the third baseman looks like he's on track for Opening Day. If Houston elects to carry Toro on the 26-man active roster to begin the season, he'll likely be in store for limited reps as a backup at either corner-infield spot.

General manager Mike Elias said Saturday that Urias and Pat Valaika are the primary candidates to start at second base, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

The pair appeared to be battling for a utility role during spring training, but expected starter at second base Yolmer Sanchez was designated for assignment on Saturday, opening the path to a starting gig. Urias made his big-league debut last season and performed well in a small sample size, going 9-for-25 with one homer and two doubles in 10 games. Urias and Valaika could begin the season splitting time at the keystone for the Orioles.