MLB Player News

Naylor said Monday that he's "close to 100 percent, if not 100 percent" in his recovery from the surgery he underwent July 3 to address multiple fractures and ligament tearing in his lower right leg, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.

Naylor has been taking batting practice in the early days of the Guardians' big-league camp and looks like he'll soon add all other activities to his training regimen in the coming days. The Guardians will likely wait and see how he progresses over the next few weeks before determining whether Naylor will be ready to go for Opening Day, but he looks to be trending in the right direction. Before sustaining the season-ending injury, Naylor logged 249 plate appearances for Cleveland and hit .253 with seven home runs, 28 runs and 21 RBI.

Voit's status with the Yankees is in question after the team acquired Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Twins on Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The Yankees were able to bolster their infield without giving up any prospects in Sunday's trade, so the team is in position to acquire a left-handed hitting first baseman via trade or free agency. If that occurs, Voit could be the odd man out in the team's infield since DJ LeMahieu should also see time at first base. The 31-year-old Voit appeared in 68 games for the Yankees while battling injuries last year, and he hit .239 with 11 home runs, 35 RBI and 26 runs.

Naylor (ankle) took batting practice Saturday and appeared to perform well, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Naylor's 2021 season was cut short after a broken ankle in late June required season-ending surgery. The Guardians have yet to officially announce if he'll be ready for Opening Day -- he has a lot of progress to make in his recovery, but his first steps in the spring are encouraging. He'll be competing for a reserve role as an outfielder and could also occasionally draw starts at first and as the designated hitter if he can make the team out of spring training.

Torkelson was the only infielder taking groundballs at first base for the Tigers on Sunday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

When asked how often he could play first base this season, Miguel Cabrera said, "I don't know, because we want Torkelson in the lineup. ... I'll take the DH." It's still uncertain whether Torkelson will be on the Opening Day roster, but it doesn't seem to be up for debate who the Tigers plan on getting the bulk of the work at first base this season. Jonathan Schoop would slide over to second base while also getting some starts at designated hitter.

Torkelson was invited to major-league camp by the Tigers on Saturday.

The invitation is an expected one, as the 2020 first overall pick is thought to have a chance to push for an Opening Day roster spot. He doesn't have much left to prove in the minors after hitting .267/.383/.552 with 30 homers in 121 games across the three highest levels of the minors last year, including 40 games with Triple-A Toledo. Even if he's held down to start the year in an effort to manipulate his service time, he's likely to join the big-league squad fairly early in the season.

Casas was invited to Boston's major-league spring training Saturday.

Casas performed well at Double-A Portland in 2021, slashing .284/.395/.484 with 13 homers, 57 runs, 52 RBI and six stolen bases across 77 games. He was rewarded with a promotion to Triple-A Worcester for the final week and a half of the minor-league season, and he'll now get a chance to work with the big-league coaching staff during spring training for a second straight year. The 22-year-old is unlikely to begin the 2022 campaign with the major-league squad but will likely be in the mix to debut at some point this year if he performs well in Worcester.

Torkelson said he's been seeing the ball well during spring drills, and the top prospect could push for an Opening Day roster spot, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Torkelson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 first-year player draft, made it all the way up to Triple-A in 2021, and he posted a solid .881 OPS across 40 games with Toledo. The Tigers will most likely get Torkelson a little more seasoning in the minors to begin the 2022 season, though the 22-year-old could force the issue if he gets off to a hot start.

Kirilloff (wrist) isn't expected to face any limitations to begin spring training, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Kirilloff underwent surgery on his right wrist in late July, and he was unavailable for the final few months of the 2021 campaign. However, manager Rocco Baldelli said that the 24-year-old looked good swinging a bat after reporting to spring training Friday. Baldelli indicated Kirilloff wouldn't have participated in activities if the team had any remaining medical concerns, so he should be ready to play once the Twins begin spring training games next week.

Torkelson said Saturday in an interview with Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press that he's nearly recovered from the sprained ankle he sustained during the Arizona Fall League.

Torkelson's ankle injury resulted in an early end to his stint in the AFL, but he's since remained in the desert to rehab the ankle and take part in offseason workouts at his alma mater, Arizona State. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 first-year player draft looks like he still has a couple minor hurdles to clear in his recovery from the injury, but he's on pace to be a full participant in workouts when the Tigers begin spring training. Expect the slugging corner infielder to open the 2022 campaign at Triple-A Toledo, where he posted an .881 OPS and 13.5 percent walk rate over 177 plate appearances last season following his mid-August promotion from Double-A Erie.

Calhoun signed a contract with the Rangers on Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Calhoun's $9 million team option was declined by the Diamondbacks in early November after he slashed .235/.297/.373 with five homers, 17 runs and 17 RBI across 51 appearances last year. Although he dealt with hamstring issues in 2021, he'll likely be in the mix for a starting role in 2022.