MLB Player News

Burger has been diagnosed with a ruptured left Achilles and will miss the 2018 season, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

This is a big blow for one of the White Sox's top hitting prospects, as it pushes back his big-league ETA by at least a year. Burger should now be discounted significantly in dynasty-league drafts, as he will be unable to improve his stock until 2019. He has the potential to someday offer Mike Moustakas-esque production at the hot corner, but likely won't reach the majors until 2020 or 2021.

Duffy is in line to enter the upcoming season as Tampa Bay's starting third baseman, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

Duffy's 2017 season was limited to three outings at High-A Charlotte, as he had to spend an extended period of time rehabbing heel and Achilles injuries. His goal for the offseason was to reach a point where he could confidently run without having any concerns about aggravating his injuries. He was able to achieve this, and will spend the spring settling back into the hot corner, a spot he's slated to occupy now that Evan Longoria is a member of the Giants.

Burger injured his left Achilles tendon Monday, James Fegan of The Athletic Chicago reports.

Burger went down in a heap while running out a grounder to first, and he was down for several minutes before ultimately being taken off the field in a cart. Further specifics regarding the severity of injury should surface in the coming days after he's further evaluated.

Candelario suffered nothing worse than a bruised left knee after a collision in Monday's game against Baltimore, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Candelario was removed from the game after colliding with Kevin Gausman. He stayed in the game to take his at-bat but was removed for a pinch runner after working a walk. He is considered day-to-day, making it likely that he'll return to Grapefruit League action later this week.

Burger has been removed from Monday's Cactus League game against the Athletics with an apparent leg injury, James Fegan of The Athletic Chicago reports.

Burger appeared to suffer the injury while running out a groundball. He was down for several minutes before leaving on a cart. The 2017 first-round pick hit .271/.335/.409 for Low-A Kannapolis last season.

Plouffe was scratched from Monday's game against the Dodgers with left intercostal tightness, Levi Weaver of The Athletic Dallas reports.

Christian Lopes will step in to start at third base in Plouffe's place. The severity of the issue remains unclear, but more should be known shortly after he's further evaluated. It would be a tough break for Plouffe if he's forced to miss a chunk of time, as he's competing for a reserve role in camp following a disappointing 2017 campaign that saw him post a .198/.272/.318 line across 100 games between Oakland and Tampa Bay.

Candelario was removed from Monday's game with an apparent leg injury, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Candelario came up limping after colliding with Kevin Gausman (head) behind home plate during Monday's game. While he was initially able to stay in the game and take his at-bat, drawing a walk, the 24-year-old was removed in the middle of the next at-bat and replaced by a pinch-runner. It's possible his removal was precautionary, but look for his status to be updated once he's further evaluated.

Devers is slated to hit in the middle of Boston's batting order, Jordan Shusterman of MLB.com reports.

Although Devers is just 21 years old, he's expected to bat near the middle of the lineup during the 2018 season. He teed off on left-handers last season, hitting .400 in 50 at-bats, so it seems unlikely that he'll yield too many starts to Eduardo Nunez against lefties. Devers slashed an impressive .284/.338/.482 in 2017 and will look to build on that performance during his second season in the major leagues.

Alvarez signed a minor-league contract with the Orioles on Sunday, Rich Dubroff of PressBoxonline.com reports.

Alvarez is two years removed from slugging 22 home runs as the Orioles' primary designated hitter, but the veteran first baseman spent the majority of his 2017 campaign with Triple-A Norfolk, where he slashed .239/.294/.442 over nearly 600 plate appearances. Alvarez will likely open the season in Triple-A again, where he'll serve as organization depth at designed hitter and first base.

Davis homered in two at-bats during Friday's exhibition opener against the Nationals.

A slimmed-down Davis shed 15 pounds during the offseason, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, and figures to get some work in left field this spring, the one area in the Astros' lineup where there's no set starter. He's not going to make the roster as a third baseman only, so the more versatility he can add to his portfolio, the better his chance of making it back to the big leagues. Davis appeared in 25 games for Houston in 2017, hitting .226 with four home runs and seven RBI.