MLB Player News

Guerrero went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

Making his return to the lineup after dealing with some knee soreness, Guerrero crushed a JT Brubaker pitch off the wall in left field to bring home Whit Merrifield in the third inning. Guerrero's minor injury cost him a chance to play in the WBC, but he doesn't seem to need much more work to be ready for Opening Day -- he's gone 4-for-13 this spring with two homers, plus Wednesday's double.

Pasquantino has gone 4-for-17 across four games for Italy at the World Baseball Classic.

Those are adequate numbers for Pasquantino, who is projected to be the Royals' primary first baseman this season. The 25-year-old was a bit better in four Cactus League games before leaving for the WBC, going 4-for-9 with a home run, four RBI, three runs scored and two walks. Overall, there's nothing to discourage fantasy managers from selecting Pasquantino in the later rounds of drafts after he slashed .295/.383/.450 with 10 home runs, 26 RBI and 25 runs scored across 72 games as a rookie a year ago.

Lester went 3-for-4 with two triples, one RBI and one run scored in Tuesday's Grapefruit League win over the Pirates.

Lester had struggled earlier in the spring, but he's now hitting .387 (12-for-31) with four extra-base hits and nine RBI through 13 contests. He's gotten a long look so far, but the fact that the 28-year-old is on a minor-league deal and has just two major-league games under his belt presents a tough path to the majors.

Guerrero said Wednesday that with his recent knee injury behind him, he's open to rejoining Team Dominican Republic should they advance in the World Baseball Classic, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

A decision will be made after Guerrero has a conversation with Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider. It seems unlikely Toronto would clear their star to leave camp given he just returned from a knee injury which cost him nearly two weeks of action. It could also be a moot point, as the Dominican Republic needs to defeat Puerto Rico on Wednesday in order to advance.

Guerrero (knee) is starting Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reports.

The young slugger hasn't seen game action since March 3 due to knee inflammation, but he's been cleared to take the field after ramping up his running program over the past couple days. Guerrero will now have two weeks of exhibition games to get ready for Opening Day versus the Cardinals on March 30.

White was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma by the Mariners on Tuesday, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.

White will head to Triple-A as expected to receive regular at-bats after missing the majority of the 2021 and 2022 seasons due to injury. The former top prospect has struggled mightily at the highest level, but his strong defense at first could make him an option for the Mariners if he stays healthy and handles Triple-A pitching.

Rizzo (back) is back in the Yankees' Grapefruit League lineup Tuesday versus the Blue Jays, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

Rizzo had to be scratched from Sunday's lineup with a back issue, but he took batting practice Monday and is at first base and hitting third Tuesday. The veteran's back has given his problems off and on the last few years and will likely require maintenance days in 2023, but it's not much of a concern right now.

O'Hearn (knee) is feeling better but is expected to miss a few more days of action, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

O'Hearn's right knee remains swollen and is "still pretty sore," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. The former Royal has a real shot to make the Opening Day roster, so he can't afford to miss too much more time.

France is hitting .259 (7-for-27) with a double, a solo home run, an additional RBI, two walks, one hit-by-pitch and four runs across 10 Cactus League games.

France enters 2023 looking to build on the career-high 20 home runs and 83 RBI he totaled last season across 140 games, and he's off to a solid start with the bat in Cactus League play. The 28-year-old has also struck out just three times in 30 spring plate appearances overall, certainly an encouraging early sign for his chances of trying to further whittle down what was already a career-low 15.4 percent strikeout rate in 2022.

Rizzo (back) took batting practice Monday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Rizzo has been down for a couple days due to a back injury that has given him trouble off and on for a few years now. He's expected to be fine, though, and could return to Grapefruit League action as soon as Tuesday.