MLB Player News

Rizzo went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk in Friday's 6-5 win over the Red Sox.

The Red Sox scored three runs in the top of the first inning Friday, but Rizzo helped bring the score closer by homering in his first plate appearance of the 2022 campaign. He hit .249 with eight homers, 32 runs, 21 RBI and two steals across 49 appearances with the Yankees last year and will attempt to build upon his results in his age-32 season.

Gurriel was placed on the paternity list Friday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Gurriel went 1-for-4 with a double and a strikeout in Thursday's Opening Day win over the Angels, but he'll be away from the team for 1-3 days following the birth of his child. Joe Perez was called up by the Astros ahead of Friday's game against the Angels, while Aledmys Diaz should see increased playing time at first base while Gurriel is unavailable.

White (groin) hit the 10-day injured list Friday.

White underwent surgery for a sports hernia in late March. His recovery timeline remains unclear. The fact that he hit the 10-day injured list rather than the 60-day could indicate that the Mariners expect him healthy before early June, though the team could of course shift him to the 60-day injured list whenever they need to open a 40-man roster spot.

Torkelson is starting at first base and batting eighth in Friday's season-opening matchup with the White Sox, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Detroit officially selected Torkelson's contract earlier this week, and he'll make his big-league debut near the bottom of the team's revamped lineup. The 22-year-old finished last season at Triple-A Toledo and didn't miss a beat, hitting .238/.350/.531 with 11 home runs and 27 RBI in 40 games, and he'll work as the Tigers' primary first baseman in his rookie campaign.

Raley was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Wednesday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Raley was traded from the Dodgers to the Rays in mid-March, but he was unable to land a spot on the Opening Day roster. He'll likely be a candidate to fill in as depth in the outfield at some point in 2022.

Torkelson's contract was selected by the Tigers on Wednesday.

The Tigers announced last weekend that Torkelson had made the Opening Day roster, and the move was made official Wednesday. The No. 1 overall pick from 2020 slashed .258/.385/.484 with a homer, four doubles, four runs, four RBI and a steal this spring, and he'll begin the year as Detroit's primary first baseman.

The Guardians announced Wednesday that Naylor (lower leg) is scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab assignment.

Naylor is on the 10-day injured list to begin the 2022 campaign, but his rehab assignment as the minor-league regular season gets underway signals that he'll likely be able to rejoin the Guardians following a relatively brief absence. Bradley Zimmer and Oscar Mercado are expected to fill in as options in right field while Naylor is unavailable.

Pasquantino went 9-for-23 with two homers, two doubles and 2:7 BB:K this spring, producing a .391/.440/.739 batting line. However, he will be starting the season in Triple-A.

Those stats jump off the page, but that's nothing new for Pasquantino, who crushed to the tune of .300/.394/.563 with 24 homers, 84 RBI and six steals in 116 games across High-A and Double-A last year. Most impressively, he put up a brilliant 64:64 BB:K, reflective of his rare bat-to-ball skills. Incumbent first baseman Carlos Santana is in his decline phase and won't be a huge impediment to Pasquantino's progress to the major-league level, but fellow prospects Nick Pratto and MJ Melendez might be. Either way, if he rakes in Triple-A the way he has everywhere else so far, it's going to be impossible to keep him down for too long.

Kirilloff (knee) will start in left field and bat seventh in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox.

Kirilloff was out of the lineup for the last two days with minor left knee soreness, but the injury doesn't look like it'll be anything that keeps him from playing when the Twins begin their regular season Thursday versus Seattle. The 24-year-old should be a mainstay in the lineup against right-handed pitching, seeing most of his work in left field, at first base or at designated hitter. Kirilloff showed intriguing potential as a rookie in 2021 with a .722 OPS across 231 plate appearances, but improving upon his elevated 48.8 percent groundball rate will be imperative for him to tap into the sort of power typically associated with a corner player.

Kirilloff (knee) is expected to return to the Twins' lineup Tuesday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Kirilloff was removed from Saturday's Grapefruit League matchup due to mild left knee soreness, but he should be back in action for Tuesday's spring finale. The 24-year-old should be available for Opening Day against the Mariners on Thursday.