MLB Player News

Burger will undergo season-ending surgery Thursday to repair a ruptured left Achilles' tendon, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The White Sox announced the diagnosis Tuesday after Burger suffered the injury while running out a grounder a day earlier in a Cactus League game against the Athletics. The 11th overall pick in last June's first-year player draft, Burger was likely looking at a deployment at Low-A Kannapolis or High-A Winston-Salem to begin the campaign, but the serious injury represents a dramatic setback to his developmental timeline.

Davis is in the mix for playing time at first base while Yulieski Gurriel (hand) is sidelined, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic Houston reports.

The hitting prospect advanced all the way from Double-A to the majors last season and already has two homers in four games this spring. This kind of news would normally be exciting for a guy like Davis, but Gurriel isn't expected to miss more than a couple weeks of the regular season due to the timing of his surgery. Davis could see extra at-bats in the beginning of the season if he can outperform A.J. Reed and Tyler White during spring training, but his fantasy value doesn't change much unless the injury outlook for Gurriel or the any of the other Astros changes.

Candelario (knee) will play third base and bat cleanup in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

Candelario suffered a bruised left knee after colliding with Orioles pitcher Kevin Gausman in a game Monday, but the 24-year-old's presence in the lineup two days later suggests the Tigers were never too concerned about the injury. Look for Candelario to fill a full-time role at third base for the Tigers in 2018 after showing excellent plate discipline and burgeoning power during his time with the big club upon coming over from the Cubs in a trade-deadline deal last July.

Chapman (hand) has been cleared to resume swinging Thursday, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Chapman continues to work his way back from an injured right hand. It's likely that the club will keep him out of spring games for a while longer until he's able to show significant progress, but this is obviously a positive development for the third baseman. Chad Pinder will receive more time at the hot corner in Chapman's absence.

Duffy said Wednesday that he's recovering from a back spasm and expects to be sidelined for "a couple days," Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Duffy reiterated that the injury wasn't related to the heel issues that have derailed him both of the past two seasons and noted that he expects to back in the Rays' Grapefruit League lineup before long. Despite his poor track record on the health front, Duffy projects to open the season as the team's everyday third baseman, with his strong contact skills perhaps garnering him a spot near the top of the batting order.

Duffy was scratched from Tuesday's game against the Orioles due to back tightness, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays noted Duffy's heel had nothing to do with his removal from the lineup, which is certainly encouraging seeing as a recurring heel injury kept him on the shelf all of last season. The team will likely still choose to play it safe with him given how early it is in spring training.

Duffy has been scratched from Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Christian Arroyo will step in to play third in place of Duffy, who was a late removal from the lineup for an undisclosed reason. The 27-year-old missed all of last season with a nagging heel injury, so the Rays could simply be playing it safe with him given how early on it is in camp. More specifics regarding why Duffy was scratched should become available following Tuesday's spring contest.

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.