MLB Player News

Rizzo returned to the lineup Thursday and went 0-for-1 with a walk, run, and stolen base.

Rizzo missed a game after being hit by a pitch Tuesday, but the injury was minor. His lofty position on most cheatsheets should be unaffected by this week's events.

Mets manager Terry Collins predicted Thursday that Cabrera (knee) will be available for Opening Day, Adam Rubin of ESPN reports.

Cabrera was diagnosed with a strained patella tendon last week, with reports initially suggesting that he'd likely have to start his season on the disabled list. It now seems he has a chance to be ready for Opening Day, though there hasn't been any update regarding when he might return to Grapefruit League action. Once healthy, Cabrera should get most of the playing time at shortstop, but he does have some competition in the form of Wilmer Flores.

Goldschmidt is just 5-for-23 (.217) in Cactus League play, with no home runs and three RBI.

The usual caveat about not putting too much stock into spring numbers applies here. Goldschmidt is a career .295 hitter with a .865 OPS in the regular season's opening month, so he usually gets rolling right away. Expect Goldschmidt to be a top fantasy contributor this year, barring injury.

Rizzo left Tuesday's spring training game after being hit by pitch, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

It sounds as though it's more of a precautionary measure, as Rizzo was just grazed by the pitch. He should be able to return to action by the end of the week, if not sooner, but the club will likely offer up more details if it's longer than that.

Blandino will primarily play second base this season in the Reds' farm system.

The Reds drafted him to play shortstop, and he spent most of his time at Stanford at third base, though Blandino did play 12 games at second base last season. "I worked at second base in practice so it wasn't a completely foreign position to me," Blandino said. "In the Arizona Fall League, I got the opportunity to play primarily at second base and put a lot of work in there. I think being able to show versatility on defense is a huge asset. As long as you can produce offensively, being able to go out there and find a spot anywhere in the infield is important to help your team."

Freeman (wrist) is no longer dealing with any soreness and is expected to play Sunday, Mark Berman of MLB.com reports.

Freeman had been battling soreness in his right hand/wrist area, but he said he woke up Saturday morning feeling completely fine and is confident he's moved past the issue.

Freeman left Friday's game with soreness in his hand and wrist, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Freeman dealt with wrist issues throughout most of 2015. The Braves have been cautious in the early going, and Freeman seemed to be easing concerns with a pair of homers in his first five spring games (seven at-bats).

Wilkins is 3-for-10 with two home runs and five RBI through seven spring games.

Wilkins bounced around several organizations last season, but he is now hoping to secure a home with the Brewers. He is off to a fast start in the competition for the backup first base job behind Chris Carter, but will still need to beat out several other players to land the job.

Flores should split time with Ruben Tejada at shortstop if Asdrubal Cabrera (knee) has to start the 2016 season on the DL, Adam Rubin of ESPN reports.

Flores is familiar enough with splitting time with Cabrera, considering the two did it for most of the 2015 season. It's hard to say which has a leg up for the lion's share of playing time, but it's worth noting that Flores saw 96 starts at shortstop to Tejada's 65 last year.

Cabrera (knee) is likely to begin the season on the DL, Adam Rubin of ESPN reports.

The injury was initially believed to not be too serious, but has quickly escalated in the last two days. With Cabrera out for a while, Ruben Tejada and Wilmer Flores will step in and likely split starting duties. Cabrera will be shut down for two weeks after he receives a PRP injection, then will have to get enough work in to make up for all of the preseason activity lost.