MLB Player News

Suarez said Wednesday that he reported to spring training about 15 pounds lighter than he was at the conclusion of the 2020 season, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Suarez said he put a greater emphasis on his diet during the offseason after he indicated he felt slower and was dissatisfied with his footwork in 2020. The weight loss shouldn't have any major implications on Suarez's outlook heading into 2021, as the 29-year-old has never been a major contributor in the run game, even in his younger days. More than anything, Suarez's improved health this spring should put him in position for a bounce-back campaign. After missing most of last spring while recovering from right shoulder surgery, Suarez was cleared for summer camp, but he finished with a disappointing .202/.312/.470 slash line in 57 games.

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.

Hayes is looking to build upon a 2020 debut during which he batted .376 with five homers and 11 RBI in 24 games, the Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Prior to last season, the 24-year-old revamped his swing in search of more power. He lowered his hands while opening up his stance. "I feel like I've always had the power," Hayes said. "I just feel like I wasn't putting my body in a consistent position to hit the ball hard." It will be interesting to see if the power surge continues. Hayes never hit more than 10 home runs in any of his five minor-league seasons. A Gold-Glove caliber defender, he looks to become a cornerstone in the organization's rebuild.

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.

Rendon arrived at camp Monday, Trent Rush of Angels Radio AM830 reports.

There had been some concern that weather issues in Texas would delay Rendon's arrival, but he was ultimately able to report on the same day as the rest of the Angels' position players. The third baseman will look to build upon a solid first season in Los Angeles during which he slashed .286/.418/.497 with nine home runs and 31 RBI.

Moncada's throwing has been limited thus far in camp due to arm soreness, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

While it would certainly be preferable for Moncada to show up to camp without an injury, the White Sox don't seem overly concerned about this particular issue, framing it as simply an effort to err on the side of caution as it's still February. Moncada should have plenty of time to get up to speed by the start of the regular season unless the arm issue develops into something more serious.

Burger was listed by manager Tony La Russa as a potential designated hitter this season, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Andrew Vaughn is considered the favorite for the job, but Burger also has some prospect pedigree himself. He hit .271/.335/.409 at the Low-A level in 2017 after being taken 11th overall in that year's draft, but Achilles issues wiped out his next two seasons. With the minor leagues canceled last year, he was forced to join an independent league to get some at-bats. His lack of high-level minors experience means he's probably a long shot at best to crack the Opening Day squad, but he's on the team's 40-man roster so it might not be too long before he gets his shot.

Vargas will be competing for the starting job at second base this spring but will likely fill a bench role, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Vargas will compete with David Bote and Nico Hoerner for the starting job at second base, but the former will most likely serve as a utility infielder. That doesn't give Vargas a ton of fantasy appeal, especially after posting a .196/.222/.314 line in 2020, but he could be an injury or two away from more regular at-bats.