MLB Player News

Guerrero was granted permission to play in the Dominican Winter League, Yancen Pujols of El Caribe reports.

There's really no downside here for Guerrero. It will be easier for him to stay in shape and it gives him a chance to get into a groove at the dish ahead of spring training. He has already reportedly lost 40 pounds since July and 20 since the end of the season via an offseason workout regimen, putting him down to 245 pounds. Guerrero's goal is to lose another 10 pounds before camp opens, Hector Gomez of Deportivo Z 101 reports.

Shaw was claimed off waivers by the Orioles on Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Shaw was cast off the Giants' 40-man roster Friday, but he'll land a 40-man roster spot with Baltimore heading into the 2021 season. The 26-year-old has struggled in limited major-league opportunities and could serve as organizational depth with his new club.

Arias was added to Cleveland's 40-man roster Friday.

Arias was traded from San Diego to Cleveland at the end of August last year, and he'll unsurprisingly join the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The 20-year-old flashed his power at the High-A level in 2019, hitting .302 with 17 home runs and 75 RBI.

Voit (foot) is no longer experiencing pain after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection in his foot, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Voit doesn't expect his plantar fasciitis to be an issue during the upcoming season after seeing positive results from the PRP shot. This is great news for the Yankees, who will have their slugger back at full strength for the start of spring training.

Abreu was named the 2020 American League Most Valuable Player on Thursday.

Abreu received 21 of 30 first-place votes, with Jose Ramirez receiving eight votes while DJ LeMahieu received one. The 33-year-old slashed .317/.370/.617 with 19 home runs and 60 RBI while appearing in all 60 games during the abbreviated 2020 season.

Diaz went 2-for-3 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored Sunday in the Rays' 4-2 loss to the Dodgers in Game 5 of the series.

With lefty Clayton Kershaw starting for the Dodgers, Rays manager Kevin Cash elected to roll with Diaz at first base over Mike Brosseau, who had been serving as the main short-side platoon mate for the lefty-hitting Ji-Man Choi during the postseason. The decision to start Diaz paid dividends, as the 29-year-old put the Rays on the board with his RBI triple in the second inning. The Dodgers are projected to start right-handers Tony Gonsolin and Walker Buehler in the final two games of the series, so Diaz will likely retreat to a bench role while Choi and Joey Wendle man the corner-infield spots for Tampa Bay.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday that Voit (foot) has been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis and required a platelet-rich plasma injection to address the injury, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

Cashman said Voit would be confined to a walking boot for at least one week, but the first baseman won't require offseason surgery and should be back to full strength well in advance of spring training. Voit solidified himself as a lineup regular heading into 2021 after slugging an MLB-best 22 home runs while batting .277 with 52 RBI and 41 runs during the 60-game 2020 campaign.

Diaz is out of the lineup Monday for Game 2 of the Rays' ALCS matchup with the Astros, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays will play their ninth postseason game Monday, but Diaz has cracked the lineup on only five occasions, with two starts coming versus left-handed pitchers. After missing the final month of the regular season with a hamstring injury, Diaz hasn't quite found his swing in the postseason with two hits (both singles) in 13 at-bats, though he's at least drawn eight walks while striking out only four times. Since he'll be sitting out against a right-hander (Lance McCullers) in Game 2, the righty-hitting Diaz could be ticketed for a short-side platoon role for the remainder of the Rays' postseason run.

Voit will undergo an MRI on Sunday to determine the severity of a lingering foot issue, James Wagner of The New York Times reports.

Voit dealt with a foot injury over much of the 2020 season that didn't hinder his abilities much at the plate as he led the league with 22 home runs. His MRI could help to determine treatment options as the Yankees prepare for the offseason.

Olson went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and walk in Wednesday's win over the Astros in Game 3 of the ALDS.

Olson hit his homer in the fourth inning off Jose Urquidy. The 26-year-old crushed his second homer of the series as he helped in an effort to keep the season alive in Wednesday's comeback win. The left-handed hitter slashed .195/.310/.424 and smacked 14 homers while recording 42 RBI during the regular season.