MLB Player News

Abreu went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in Thursday's Opening Day win over the Royals.

His two-run shot off Danny Duffy in the fourth inning opened the scoring for the 2018 White Sox as he delivered a hanging changeup over the left field fence. Abreu dealt with some hamstring issues late in spring training, but he proved to be no worse for the wear Thursday. He and the White Sox have a scheduled day off Friday before returning to action Saturday against Ian Kennedy and the Royals.

Joseph was designated for assignment by the Rangers on Thursday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The Rangers needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster for the addition of Kevin Jepsen, who made the Opening Day roster after a strong spring, and Joseph was the corresponding roster casualty. The 26-year-old has knocked 20-plus homers in each of the previous two seasons, though that has come with a lackluster .240/.289/.432 slash line. He should garner some interest on waivers.

Gurriel (hand) was not placed on the 10-day disabled list and will begin a five-game suspension stemming from the inappropriate gesture he made toward Yu Darvish during last season's World Series, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Gurriel will be eligible to return Tuesday against Baltimore. The 33-year-old was able to participate in live batting practice this past weekend and didn't experience any discomfort after undergoing hand surgery near the end of February. Looking ahead, it's expected that Gurriel will serve as the team's primary first baseman upon his activation.

The Angels informed Carter on Monday that he wouldn't be included on the club's Opening Day roster.

Carter was vying for role as a power bat behind Albert Pujols at first base in addition to jockeying for at-bats at designated hitter, but it appears the Angels are comfortable with Luis Valbuena and Jefry Marte serving in those capacities. Unless other teams reach out to him with interest in adding him to their 40-man roster, Carter will likely stick with the Angels and report to Triple-A Salt Lake to begin the season.

Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro said Friday that Guerrero will open the 2018 season at Double-A New Hampshire, TSN.ca reports.

He'll be joined in the Eastern League by Bo Bichette, giving New Hampshire the most highly regarded pair of hitting prospects of any affiliate across the minors. Guerrero offers the higher ceiling of the two players due to his exceptional hit tool and raw power, which should make him a bankable source of both batting average and home-run production from the corner infield once he reaches his peak. Before reporting to New Hampshire ahead of his second year of full-season ball, the 19-year-old is scheduled to appear in exhibition games Monday and Tuesday with the Blue Jays in Montreal, the old stomping grounds of his Hall-of-Fame father.

Abreu (hamstring) started at first base, played three innings and went 1-for-2 in Sunday's Cactus League finale.

Abreu sustained an injury to his right hamstring last Tuesday, which was considered a mild strain, but the White Sox held him out since then as a precaution. The first baseman and middle-of-the-order bat should be ready to go for Thursday's opener against the Royals in Kansas City.

Astros manager A.J. Hinch said Sunday that there is "potential" that Gurriel (hand) will avoid a stint on the disabled list to begin the season, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Hinch's comments came after Gurriel took batting practice against a high-velocity machine Sunday, with the first baseman showing no ill effects from the left hand surgery he required four weeks earlier. Gurriel displayed good driving power during the session and indicated he continues to feel better with each passing day, creating hope that a multi-week absence may not be in store. While the Astros will head back to Texas following Sunday's Grapefruit League finale, Gurriel will remain in Florida and participate in minor-league or simulated games at some point this week. The Astros may wait and see how Gurriel responds to that activity before determining whether or not a DL stint is necessary, but regardless of the team's decision, the first baseman will still have to serve a five-game suspension stemming from the inappropriate gesture he made toward Yu Darvish in the World Series last fall.

Cron, who's hitting .298 with three home runs and 11 RBI in 50 spring plate appearances, will log many of his starts against left-handed pitching this season, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports. "Yeah, it's going to be a lot of left-right," Cash said. "But saying that, we know that we really value getting C.J. in there a lot. We will have plenty of opportunities where C.J. will play against some righties. Brad [Miller] is going to play, obviously, against righties."

Manager Kevin Cash has a potentially good problem brewing at first base, as both Cron and Miller have proven to be above-average hitters at different points in their respective careers. Notably, both are coming off career-low batting averages in 2017, and Miller still appears to be stuck in a bit of a funk (.222 spring average over 19 plate appearances). The schedule works out well early with respect to projected playing time for Cron, as the Rays are slated to face several southpaws through the first two series. Ultimately, the workload split likely projects as somewhat of a fluid situation in the coming season, with the designated hitter role also an option for getting both players into the lineup simultaneously.

Gurriel (hand) took live batting practice Friday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Gurriel is working his way back from late-February surgery to remove the hook of the hamate bone in his left hand. Original reports said that he should be back in five or six weeks, which would make him ready to play in mid-April -- though he's also set to miss five games due to a suspension. Manager A.J. Hinch now says that it's unknown whether or not Gurriel will begin the season on the disabled list, and that a decision may not come until the day before the season starts. There haven't been any reports that the 33-year-old is ahead of schedule, though, so the decision appears likely to be made in favor of a trip to the DL.

Joseph was optioned to Double-A Frisco on Friday, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Joseph was recently claimed off waivers by the Rangers on Monday and will head to the minors in order to get some regular at-bats. The 26-year-old appeared in 142 games for Philadelphia last season, hitting .240 with 22 home runs and 69 RBI. With Joey Gallo set to man first base, Joseph is unlikely to see regular time in 2018 but should be ready to return to the majors in the near future.