MLB Player News

The White Sox announced Wednesday that Abreu is being held out of spring training after testing positive for COVID-19, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Per James Fegan of The Athletic, general manager Rick Hahn relayed that Abreu believes he contracted the virus in January, but the first baseman has been "completely asymptomatic" and "feels great." Even so, Abreu is expected to remain away from the team for the next several days in compliance with MLB intake protocols. Manager Tony La Russa said that he's hopeful that Abreu could return to the team by Monday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports. Whether his absence impacts his availability for the start of the regular season remains to be seen.

France projects to get the bulk of playing time at designated hitter this season before eventually transitioning to third base full-time, likely in 2022, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

A trade deadline acquisition from the Padres last summer, France made quite the impression with a .309/.371/.469 line, five doubles, a triple, two home runs and 13 RBI across 89 plate appearances. The Mariners are intent on getting his bat into the lineup on an everyday basis, hence the 26-year-old being ticketed for designated hitter work while Kyle Seager likely plays out his final Mariners season at the hot corner. With Seattle holding a $15 million option on Seager for 2022, France can presumably seal the veteran's fate by continuing to produce at a caliber similar to his late 2020 run during the coming campaign.

Texas manager Chris Woodward said it's possible that both Lowe and Ronald Guzman make the Opening Day roster, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

When the Rangers acquired Lowe, it was presumed the organization was moving on from Guzman. However, that was before Guzman earned MVP honors in the Dominican Winter League. Woodward said there's a world where both first basemen can break camp with the Rangers, but that would mean both have a strong spring training. In that event, the Rangers could use Lowe at third base, where he's appeared six times for Tampa Bay and another five times while in the minors.

Vaughn took his first batting practice of training camp Monday, Lamond Pope of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Vaughn is the latest White Sox prospect entering spring training with buzz. In 2019 it was Eloy Jimenez and last year Luis Robert was the toast of camp. Both of those players cemented full-time roles in the lineup, and now Vaughn begins his competition for the open designated hitter job. The 2019 third overall draft pick hasn't played above High-A, but decision-makers in the organization feel he's ready to hit MLB pitching.

Tigers manager AJ Hinch said Monday that Torkelson will work exclusively at third base during spring training, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Though significant questions remain as to whether Torkelson has enough range to stick at the hot corner long term, the Tigers will at least give the 2020 No. 1 overall pick the chance to prove he can play the position as he begins his professional career. Torkelson is already close to big-league ready at the plate, and he'll retain plenty of appeal in dynasty formats even if he's ultimately forced to move to first base.

Abreu's arrival at camp is delayed due to COVID-19 testing, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

The White Sox don't anticipate the delay being a long one, as Abreu is expected to arrive Wednesday. That's just three days before spring training games begin, so Abreu may miss the start of Cactus League play, but he should still have more than enough time to prepare for the start of the regular season.

General manager Rick Hahn said Wednesday that Vaughn is "very much in the mix" to make the Opening Day roster, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Vaughn is one of the organization's top prospects, and he was invited to major-league spring training ahead of the 2021 season. The 22-year-old has appeared in just 55 minor-league games, slashing .278/.384/.449 with six home runs and 36 RBI. Hahn has said he's a viable option at designated hitter in 2021 and there wouldn't have been much doubt regarding Vaughn's major-league readiness if there had been a minor-league season in 2020, offering optimism he could make the club to begin the 2021 campaign.

Diaz reportedly worked on his agility this offseason after experiencing a power drain and struggling some with his defense in 2020, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 29-year-old's .307 average and .428 on-base percentage were essentially above reproach, but his anemic .386 slugging percentage was largely the byproduct of Diaz lacing just five extra-base hits (three doubles, two home runs) across 138 plate appearances. A hamstring injury also plagued Diaz throughout all of September, and he was limited to just one start at third base when he returned for the postseason because of concerns about his range. The fruits of Diaz's offseason labor will have a chance to reveal themselves during spring training, when his primary spot in the infield should be determined.

Vaughn received an invitation to major-league camp Thursday.

Vaughn is still just 22 years old and has a mere 55 professional games under his belt, but he's an advanced hitter whose big-league debut may not be far off. Under ordinary circumstances, he probably would have spent last year in the upper minors and could have even pushed for a call-up with some strong performances, but the canceled minor-league season robbed him of that opportunity. While he may not be given serious consideration for an Opening Day spot, he could be with the team fairly early in the season if he looks good in camp and in the minors.

Casas received an invitation to Boston's major-league spring training Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

The 21-year-old joined the Red Sox's 60-player pool in mid-August and spent the rest of the season at the alternate training site, so he was still able to put in some developmental work in 2020. Casas spent most of 2019 at Low-A before making a late-season jump to High-A, so he likely has some work to do before reaching the majors.