MLB Player News

White was scratched from the Mariners' Cactus League lineup Friday due to general soreness, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports.

Mariners general manager Justin Hollander called it a precautionary move and said it's not a huge concern. White slugged his first home run of the spring Monday in his second Cactus League game, and he'll hopefully be able to return to action over the weekend. He's trying to avoid being sent back to Triple-A Tacoma to begin the 2023 campaign, although it's tough to project him for regular playing time with Ty France at first base and Teoscar Hernandez likely to be the regular DH.

Guerrero (undisclosed) left Friday's contest versus the Rays in the second inning, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

He was replaced by minor-leaguer Rainer Nunez after Guerrero looked a bit awkward running the bases. More information on his status will likely be provided following the ballgame.

Diaz is expected to be held out of Grapefruit League action until at least next Thursday due to a hip flexor injury, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

It's not clear when Diaz suffered the injury, but he hasn't played since Monday and is in line to miss several more days. It doesn't at this point appear to be anything that could prevent him from being available for Opening Day. Diaz is slated to mostly play first base this season for the Rays.

Casas went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in Tuesday's spring game against the Marlins.

The lefty-hitting Casas did all of his damage against left-handed pitching. The Red Sox's top-ranked prospect, per RotoWire, will be Boston's primary first baseman in 2023 against pitchers of either hand. He may sit against tough lefties, but Casas should get plenty of at-bats and is a potential Rookie of the Year candidate.

Guerrero went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

Facing Pittsburgh closer David Bednar in the fourth inning, Guerrero annihilated a hanging curve up in the zone and lined it deep to left-center field. The 23-year-old slugger didn't ascend to superstardom last season as many predicted, but it speaks to his upside that an .819 OPS with 32 homers and 97 RBI was considered a bit of a disappointment. Don't be surprised if he rebounds to something closer to his breakout 2021 campaign.

Dalbec went 2-for-2 with a double, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Saturday's spring game against Atlanta.

Dalbec's had explosive springs that were followed by disappointing results in the regular season, but he talked to Ian Browne of MLB.com about new swing mechanics implemented over the winter. "I spent this offseason just getting that pole-to-pole juice back without having to try too hard," he said. "My swing has way less effort and is way more fluid. That was a big thing I was focusing on." Both of Dalbec's extra-base hits went to right field. He doesn't have a starting job, but a consistently hitting Dalbec could jump ahead of Justin Turner as a the right-handed complement to Triston Casas at first base.

Kirilloff (wrist) is one of many players Twins manager Rocco Baldelli plans to use at first base this season, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

"We don't have a first baseman," Baldelli said. "We have several guys that are going to play first base. We don't need one guy that's going to play first base." Kirilloff was expected to see the lion's share of starts at the position as long as he's healthy though, and the 25-year-old is optimistic about his recovery from right wrist surgery last August. However, Donovan Solano, Nick Gordon, Jose Miranda and Joey Gallo could also see playing time there. The Twins are also expected to have a turnstile in the designated hitter spot, with all of the aforementioned players and others in the mix, and that approach could impact the playing-time picture at first base.

Calhoun signed a minor-league contract Thursday with the Mariners, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.

Calhoun is already at camp in Arizona and will try to win a spot on the Mariners' Opening Day roster. But the 35-year-old faces an uphill battle in that regard after slashing just .196/.257/.330 over 424 plate appearances with the Rangers in 2022. Texas declined a $5.5 million club option on him back in November.

Kirilloff (wrist) said Thursday he has yet to be cleared for live batting practice but has been swinging in the batting cage and hitting off pitching machines without issue, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Kirilloff had a second surgery on his right wrist last August to shorten the ulnar bone and clean up scar tissue but said he's "really optimistic" about how the wrist feels. It's not clear when he'll be cleared for Grapefruit League action, but Kirilloff is tracking toward being ready for Opening Day. He's expected to serve as Minnesota's regular first baseman.

Solano agreed to a one-year deal on Tuesday with Minnesota, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Solano spent the 2022 campaign with the Reds after spending the three previous seasons with the Giants, and the 35-year-old slashed .284/.339/.385 with four homers and 24 RBI over 304 plate appearances. The right-handed-hitting infielder has shown the ability to hit for average with a .301 clip over the last four seasons, but he's homered just 18 times over 316 games in that timeframe while stealing just two bases. Solano should be a utility option for the Twins that sees time all over the infield, particularly against left-handed pitching, but he profiles as a one-category player for the 2023 season.