MLB Player News

Naylor is the leading candidate to be Cleveland's Opening Day right fielder, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Cleveland has played Naylor exclusively in the outfield this spring as Jake Bauers and Bobby Bradley compete for the first base job. Naylor could find himself on the strong side of a platoon, but the job appears to be his to lose. He's hitting .214/.267/.357 with zero home runs, two strikeouts and one walk in 14 at-bats during Cactus League play. Prospect Daniel Johnson has outperformed Naylor thus far, but all indications are that Johnson will get more seasoning in the minors to start the year.

Dalbec went 1-for-3 with a grand slam in Wednesday's spring game against Atlanta.

This was his fourth home run of the Grapefruit League. The power he showed in 2020 -- when he hit eight over 80 at-bats -- is for real. Dalbec, who had a 42.4 strikeout rate in 2020, is a free swinger, so his goal is to make contact in key situations, which he did Wednesday. As Boston's projected starter at first base, Dalbec will be given ample opportunity to grow as a hitter in 2021.

France went 2-for-2 with a double, a home run, two RBI, a walk and two runs in a Cactus League win over the Royals on Tuesday, pushing his spring-training average to .615 (8-for-13) across six games.

France has already racked up 19 total bases in 15 plate appearances, and five (two doubles, three home runs) of his eight hits have gone for extra bases. The 26-year-old is slated for full-time designated hitter duties in 2021, with a likely move to third base in 2022 if the team parts ways with Kyle Seager.

Voit (knee) will serve as the designated hitter in Thursday's spring game against the Phillies, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

The 30-year-old was scratched from Tuesday's Grapefruit League contest due to right knee soreness, but he's expected to make a relatively quick return to the lineup. Voit participated in defensive drills Wednesday and will return to action at first base in the near future if all goes well Thursday.

Voit (knee) participated in defensive drills Wednesday, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

Voit was scratched from Tuesday's Grapefruit League lineup due to right knee soreness, but manager Aaron Boone wasn't too concerned about the issue. He isn't starting Wednesday's spring game against Pittsburgh, but it's unlikely that the issue will have a significant impact on his preparation for Opening Day.

White is 1-for-10 with a double, a walk and two RBI across his first five Cactus League games.

White is once again ticketed for everyday duties at first base after logging 54 starts there as a rookie in 2020. The 24-year-old managed an anemic .176/.252/.346 line across his 202 plate appearances, but he displayed some promising pop by lacing 15 of his 32 hits for extra bases (seven doubles, eight home runs).

Casas (undisclosed) rejoined the Red Sox for workouts Tuesday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Casas had been away for the team for about a week due to an undisclosed non-baseball medical issue, but he's apparently made a return to full health while also clearing all COVID-19 intake testing. The 21-year-old third baseman is expected to ramp up his activity gradually over the next few days before potentially getting the chance to play in a Grapefruit League game for Boston.

Olson, who went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and an additional run in Sunday's Cactus League win over Cleveland, is now hitting .500 with three homers and eight RBI overall across four spring games.

Olson also has a two-bagger on his spring resume and has encouragingly struck out only twice, as the extensive work he put in on his hitting during the offseason is clearly paying early dividends. There's no concerns about the 26-year-old's prodigious power stroke, but a reduction in last season's career-worst 31.4 percent strikeout rate will be key to Olson's chances of significantly boosting last year's abysmal .195 average.

Lowe started at first base and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in Sunday's spring game against the Dodgers.

Lowe is the presumed starter at first base after the Rangers acquired him from Tampa Bay during the offseason, but he's fallen behind Ronald Guzman in terms of spring production. Lowe is 1-for-9 (hitless in last eight ABs) with five strikeouts, while Guzman is 4-for-7 with two home runs, two RBI and two walks. Kennedi Landry of MLB.com has gone as far as projecting Guzman as the Opening Day starter at first base.

Clemens is a candidate to begin his season at Triple-A Toledo and could also spend time at the Tigers' reinstated alternate training site, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Clemens spent just 13 games at Double-A Erie back in 2019, but the team has reportedly been impressed with his work the last two spring trainings, so he could make the jump to Toledo. The organization will also get the chance to send players to an alternate training site early in the season, as the start of the Triple-A season was recently bumped back from April to May. Clemens could find himself in that group and has a shot to emerge as an in-season callup for the Tigers.