MLB Player News

Mountcastle is expected to be added to the Orioles' 60-man player pool before the start of the season, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

Connolly notes that Mountcastle won't be promoted to the majors until the team has manipulated his service time (at least seven days at the satellite camp) to gain an extra year of control, and it is not even a given that he will be up at that point. However, it is still the expectation that Mountcastle will make his debut at some point this season. He hit .235/.235/.412 with one home run and a 9:0 K:BB in 34 plate appearances this spring and is limited to left field, first base and designated hitter.

O'Hearn tested positive for coronavirus Tuesday, Andersen Pickard of MLBDailyDish.com reports.

O'Hearn is reportedly asymptomatic, but he'll nevertheless have to isolate until he tests negative twice. If he remains asymptomatic, he'll at least be able to stay in shape while quarantined, but the loss of practice time could still keep him from being ready to play on Opening Day, which is less than three weeks away.

Lowe has put in work at third base in summer camp thus far, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Manager Kevin Cash still envisions primarily deploying Lowe at first base when he's on the field, but he's also interested in finding ways to insert the promising 25-year-old in the lineup more frequently. Lowe put in a total of nine games at third base between Triple-A Durham and the Rays last season, compared to a combined 93 at first. Cash commented Monday that Lowe has looked serviceable at the hot corner thus far but still "needs more work."

Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said Tuesday that Dalbec tested positive for COVID-19, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Dalbec didn't report to summer camp while awaiting the results of his intake testing, which have now been made available. Roenicke notes that Dalbec is currently asymptomatic, but he'll still need to self-isolate at home and receive two negative test results before being cleared to join the Red Sox. The slugging third baseman has yet to make his MLB debut and isn't expected to make a major impact for the big club in 2020 unless the team's corner-infield depth is tested.

Voit lost 13 pounds during the shutdown of play, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

Voit attributes his reduced weight to his wife's clean cooking and extra cardio. The first baseman indicated that he feels lighter and quicker, which could help him improve his defense at first base. That was a focus of Voit's during the offseason and could be a critical factor in helping the 29-year-old maintain an everyday role during the abbreviated season.

Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said Monday that Dalbec has yet to take part in workouts at summer camp while he awaits the results of his COVID-19 test, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Dalbec is expected to receive his results within a few days, and so long as he tests negative, he'll be able to join the main group for training. The 25-year-old has yet to debut at the MLB level and may not get a shot at an everyday role with Boston in 2020 unless top third baseman Rafael Devers misses time at some point.

Lowe was one of the players to take batting practice during the Rays' first day of summer camp Friday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old impressed during his first taste of the big leagues in 2019, slashing .263/.325/.454 across 169 plate appearances. Lowe is currently down the depth chart at first base and designated hitter, but with rosters expanded to 30 players for the first two weeks of the regular season, he certainly has a chance of sticking if he can impress during the approximately three weeks until the start of the campaign.

Diaz was present for the Rays' first day of summer camp Friday and was able to take batting practice, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

The burly slugger conceded to still feeling "a little scared" with respect to his health, but he also confirmed how pleased he was to be back among teammates. Diaz was enjoying a highly productive Grapefruit League slate before spring training was suspended, hitting .345 (10-for-29) over 11 exhibitions. Diaz will look to build on a career-best campaign in 2019 while serving as the Rays' primary third baseman.

Dalbec was added to the Red Sox's 60-man player pool.

Dalbec was eclipsed by Tristan Casas as Boston's top power prospect, but he's the closest to the majors. It's unlikely we'll see him on the active 30-man roster to start the season, as the Red Sox are set at the infield corners, but Dalbec's big bat could make its debut at some point.

Kirilloff was included in Minnesota's 60-man player pool ahead of summer camp before the 2020 season begins, MLB.com reports.

Kirilloff hit .429 with two home runs and a 3:1 K:BB in 22 plate appearances in big-league spring training as the top prospect showed he can make an impact as soon as 2020. He's likely to begin the season at Minnesota's alternate training site, but could be called up to the major league roster if there's an injury at first base or DH.