MLB Player News

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.

Cabrera has been diagnosed with a strained patella tendon in his left knee and will be shut down for two weeks, Newsday's Marc Carig reports.

Cabrera will receive a healing-assisting PRP injection in his knee Friday, after which he will be sidelined for two weeks. He will resume baseball activities after that, but the Mets will be cautious with him, so there is a chance he may not be ready to go by Opening Day. The duo of Ruben Tejada and Wilmer Flores will assume the shortstop duties in Cabrera's absence, and one figures to open the regular season as the Mets' primary shortstop if Cabrera is still not able to play by then.

Cabrera (knee) is flying to New York on Friday for a second MRI and to be examined by team doctors, the New York Post's Mike Puma reports.

This is not a good sign, as Cabrera received an MRI on Thursday night in Florida, so something obviously prompted the team to take a closer look back in New York. If he is forced to start the year on the disabled list, Ruben Tejada and Wilmer Flores are prime replacement candidates at shortstop in the interim. The results of the second MRI should be available sometime this weekend, so stay tuned.

Manager Pete Mackanin said that Howard (illness) will start Friday's game against the Braves as the designated hitter, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia reports.

Howard has been sidelined since Saturday with the flu, but it appears he has finally healed enough to get into game action in some capacity. Depending on how well he feels after Friday's bout, he could return to first base sometime over the weekend.