MLB Player News

Dalbec hit a grand slam in his lone at-bat in Wednesday's spring game against the Twins.

Dalbec's power has been on full display this spring. The first baseman has five home runs and 12 RBI in 27 spring at-bats.

Diaz is hitting just .188 (3-for-16) across eight spring games, but he's looked improved defensively after working on conditioning and agility this offseason, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Topkin notes Diaz made several impressive plays at third base during Tuesday's win, web gems he complemented with an RBI single as part of a seven-run second frame for the Rays. Diaz does have five RBI overall this spring despite just three hits, and he's continued to display a good eye at the plate with four walks and just two strikeouts (21 plate appearances).

Casas was reassigned to minor-league camp Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Casas was away from the team early in spring training to address a non-baseball medical issue, but he appeared in Grapefruit League games over the past week. The 21-year-old went 0-for-6 with one RBI, one walk and two strikeouts over four contests. He'll now head to minor-league camp before beginning the regular season in the minors.

Pratto is hitting .438 with three home runs, seven strikeouts and three walks in 19 plate appearances this spring.

Pratto had a brutal 2019 season, so the fact that he is making noise in big-league camp as a 22-year-old is really encouraging, even in a small sample. He will likely open the year at High-A or Double-A, and it will be worth tracking his performance to see if this big spring was indeed a sign of things to come. Pratto is an excellent defensive first baseman, so if he hits enough, he could profile as the team's long-term starter there.

The White Sox have engaged Vaughn in discussions on a contract extension this spring, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Through 13 games in Cactus League play, Vaughn has impressed in his bid for an Opening Day roster spot, slashing .273/.385/.394 while striking out eight times in 33 at-bats. Though Vaughn has yet to make his MLB debut, the White Sox have already identified the 22-year-old first baseman as a core player. Rather than having to manipulate Vaughn's service time by keeping him in the minors to begin the season, the White Sox are hoping he's receptive to an extension that would grant him more financial security early in his career, albeit at a club-friendly price that would push back his free agency. Chicago was able avoid service-time games last year with another top prospect in Luis Robert -- who signed a six-year, $50 million deal with two club options prior to Opening Day -- but a similar deal for Vaughn isn't yet believed to be imminent. Expect negotiations with Vaughn to continue over the next two weeks, but if a deal can't be reached, he may end up waiting until the second half of April to debut with the White Sox.

Kirilloff is hitting .136 (3-for-22) with a home run this spring, and Brent Rooker has started in left field the last two spring-training games when the Twins used the majority of their projected Opening Day lineup, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

He also has seven strikeouts and one walk in nine spring games. Kirilloff, the 15th overall pick in the 2016 draft, is the leading candidate to take over the starting job in left field after the departure of Eddie Rosario, but the Twins may choose to have him begin the season at Triple-A. The Twins have said they're open to Kirilloff being on the Opening Day roster, and Rooker's playing time the last two days may not be a meaningful sign. However, the Twins could use his slow spring as an excuse to send him to the minors for three weeks so they can gain an extra year of service time. A decision on whether to send Kirilloff to the minors may not happen until late in spring training.

The Rays optioned Padlo to their minor-league camp Tuesday.

Padlo is expected to report to Triple-A Durham, where he finished the 2019 season after receiving a promotion from Double-A Montgomery. Over his 40 games at Durham, the corner infielder slashed .290/.400/.595 with nine home runs across 155 plate appearances.

Casas went 0-for-2 in Sunday's spring game against the Twins.

Casas, who was away from the team to address a non-baseball medical issue, made his Grapefruit League debut Sunday. He played both corner infield positions. He may get a few more plate appearances, but the highly regarded prospect will start the season in the minors.

Mountcastle has just two hits in his first 19 spring at-bats.

Mountcastle should still have an everyday role in Baltimore this season regardless of his spring performance, though the Orioles would certainly like for him to find his timing sometime soon. He broke out to hit .333/.386/.492 in his 35-game debut last year, but a .398 BABIP clearly inflated those numbers. Given the Orioles' lack of established options, Mountcastle should still be in the lineup on a regular basis this season even if he goes through a sophomore slump, likely splitting time between first base, left field and designated hitter.

Guerrero hit his first Grapefruit League home run of the spring Friday against the Tigers, crushing a line drive 412 feet to center field that left his bat at 111.2 mph, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports. "He just feels good about himself right now," said Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo after the game. "He's in great shape. He had a great offseason. Not only that, in the intrasquad game we had yesterday, he hit two home runs. His last five at-bats have been hard-hit balls like that. We know what he can do, so that's a good sign for all of us."

The 21-year-old came to camp in much better physical condition in an effort to prove he can handle third base defensively, but a slimmed-down Guerrero has looked great at the plate as well, going 5-for-12 so far with four walks and only one strikeout. Friday's homer was his first extra-base hit in Grapefruit League action however, and it remains to be seen whether improved fitness will help him solve the launch-angle issues that have prevented him from blossoming as expected in the majors.