MLB Player News

Mountcastle has been primarily been working out at first base in the Orioles' early full-squad workouts, though manager Brandon Hyde said he plans to expose the 23-year-old to the outfield as well, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Baltimore protected Mountcastle from the Rule 5 draft over the winter in anticipation of him debuting from the big club in 2020, but he'll be hard pressed to crack the Opening Day roster. Instead, Mountcastle's main focus this spring will be increasing his versatility on the defensive end, as his bat is probably already good enough to warrant an opportunity in the majors. Entering the season, Trey Mancini, Renato Nunez and Anthony Santander are seemingly locked into full-time roles at either first base, the corner outfield or designated hitter, so Mountcastle seems most likely to cut into the playing time of Chris Davis once the Orioles deem him big-league ready.

Lowe arrived in Rays camp nearly 20 pounds lighter than his season-ending weight of 245 pounds, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Lowe enjoyed a solid rookie campaign, slashing .263/.325/.454 with seven home runs and 19 RBI across 169 plate appearances over 50 games. However, the 23-year-old felt he could increase his defensive utility and chances of remaining at the big-league level overall with better fitness, so he cut processed foods and sugar out of his diet while also engaging in offseason workouts with the likes of Francisco Lindor and Gio Urshela. Lowe saw time at both corner infield spots last season, and he believes his lighter frame will help sharpen up his range at the hot corner specifically, thereby increasing his chances of sticking on the Opening Day roster.

Voit indicated earlier this month that he's made a full recovery from offseason bilateral core surgery, George A. King III of the New York Post reports. "I have never felt any better in my life. It's everything. I feel faster, more agile and my strength is back," Voit said.

Voit was plagued by core-muscle issues for much of 2019, missing around three weeks with an abdominal strain and requiring another month-long stay on the injured list with a sports hernia. The 29-year-old said that he believes the October procedure will provide a more permanent fix, and he's optimistic that the physical changes he made over the offseason will put him in better position to withstand the rigors of a 162-game season. Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reiterated that Voit looked to be in excellent shape during Monday's camp workout, so the first baseman looks like he'll be a full go during spring training.

Guerrero is expected to begin the season hitting third, following Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio, Gregor Chisholm of The Toronto Star reports.

It's a little unusual for a manager to be setting his regular-season batting order this early, but given the nature of the Jays roster it's no surprise that Charlie Montoyo plans to put his trio of talented youngsters right at the top. Hitting third behind two players adept at getting on base in Bichette (.358 OBP in 2019) and Biggio (.364) could allow Guerrero to challenge for 100 RBI in his second MLB season after he drove in 69 in 123 games as a rookie.

Padlo isn't taking part in baseball activities due to an illness, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays didn't offer any specifics, stating the 23-year-old is dealing with a "non-baseball-related illness." Padlo was added to the 40-man roster in November in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, but he'll now be making a late start to spring training.

Guerrero has been working with hitting coach Guillermo Martinez to refine his swing plane and improve his launch angle, Gregor Chisholm of The Toronto Star reports.

The 20-year-old is coming off a solid rookie season, but Vladito didn't meet the inflated expectations attached to him in the minors thanks in large part to a 6.7 percent launch angle and groundball rate north of 50 percent. Guerrero demonstrated in the Home Run Derby that he can crush a baseball; the trick now is to do it more consistently during game conditions. If he can add more loft to the ball and make better contact, the sky is the limit on his power potential.

Kirilloff was invited to the Twins' major-league spring training Monday.

Kirilloff dealt with a wrist injury at the beginning of last season that may have hindered his production over the rest of the year as he posted career lows in batting average (.283) and OPS (.756). While the 22-year-old has shown promise in previous seasons, he'll likely begin the season in the minors, although he could make his big-league debut at some point in 2020.

Court signed a minor-league contract with the Athletics on Tuesday, Alex Coffey of The Athletic reports.

As a member of the Mariners organization last season, Court reached the majors for the first time at 31 years old. He didn't stick around in Seattle for long, logging just 25 plate appearances before he was outrighted off the 40-man roster less than two months after his debut. Court is capable of playing every infield spot in addition to left field, so he'll likely serve as a utility bat for Triple-A Las Vegas as he heads to a new AL West organization.

Joseph joined the Red Sox as a non-roster invitee Friday.

The 28-year-old owns a lopsided .247/.297/.460 slash line in 249 career big-league games, not quite good enough for a player who can only play first base. All of those games came in 2016 and 2017, as he spent 2018 in the minors and headed to Korea for 2019. In 55 games there for the LG Twins, he hit a respectable but hardly dominant .274/.332/.426.

Vaughn was invited to the White Sox's big-league camp, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Vaughn finished his first season with High-A Winston-Salem with a .252/.349/.411 slash line to go along with three home runs and 21 RBI. The White Sox first-round pick (third overall) in the 2019 draft has shown great plate discipline in addition to having a powerful bat, as the first baseman recorded a 30:35 BB:K in 229 plate appearances for Low-A Kannapolis and High-A Winston-Salem. The highly rated prospect likely needs some more minor-league experience before he's ready to push for a big-league roster spot.