MLB Player News

White (hip) has resumed taking part in baseball activities and is expected to have a normal offseason program, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

The 25-year-old underwent hip surgery in July and was limited to 30 games in 2021, as Ty France took over the everyday role at first base for Seattle. France is now set to open 2022 as the starting first baseman, per Divish, while White will work in left field during the offseason and spring training to try and add some versatility to his game. White had a .599 OPS in 54 games during the shortened campaign in 2020, and his main positive was his defense as he won a Gold Glove, so he'll need to produce more offensively next season to have a chance of sticking around the big-league roster.

President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said Tuesday the Mariners will begin the 2022 season with France as the team's starting first baseman, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

France is primarily viewed as more of a second baseman by trade, but he offers strong versatility and spent most of his time at first base in 2021 to go along with 19 appearances at the keystone and five at third base. Even though he's not the prototypical power bat at first, the 27-year-old produced at the plate with a .291/.368/.445 slash line, 18 homers, 32 doubles, 73 RBI and 85 runs in 650 plate appearances.

The Reds granted Blandino free agency Monday after outrighting him off the 40-man roster last week, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Cincinnati retained Blandino's rights after he went unclaimed off waivers, but the organization will let the 29-year-old explore his options on the open market his winter. The infielder appeared in 43 games for the Reds in 2021, slashing .200/.317/.257 across 82 plate appearances.

Atlanta extended a qualifying offer to Freeman on Sunday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Freeman will now have 10 days to decide whether to accept his one-year, $18.4 million offer. The 32-year-old slashed .300/.393/.503 with 31 homers, 120 runs, 83 RBI and eight stolen bases during the regular season in 2021.

Flores' $3.5 million club option for 2022 was picked up by the Giants on Sunday, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Flores will remain in San Francisco for a third straight year after he slashed .262/.335/.447 with 18 homers, 57 runs and 53 RBI across 139 appearances in 2021. The 30-year-old will likely serve as a utility man once again in 2022.

The Astros intend to exercise Gurriel's team option for the 2022 season, Gurriel tweeted from his personal account Thursday.

Gurriel's club option is worth $8 million, an increase of 1.5 million from his 2021 salary. He performed well as the Astros' regular first baseman last season, logging a 134 wRC+ and .363 wOBA while also winning the American League batting title. He projects to return to a full-time role once again, and his contact-heavy approach at the plate could help him maintain steady production despite entering his age-37 campaign.

Blandino was outrighted to Triple-A Louisville on Thursday.

Blandino was sent to the minors in mid-August after he was reinstated from the 60-day injured list, and he'll now lose his spot on the 40-man roster. The 28-year-old appeared in 43 major-league games in 2021 and hit .200 with nine runs and five RBI.

The Diamondbacks declined Calhoun's $9 million club option for 2022 on Wednesday, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Calhoun played in only 51 games for Arizona during the 2021 season while battling injuries, and he struggled when available with a .235/.297/.373 slash line, five homers, 17 RBI and 17 runs in 182 plate appearances. The 34-year-old may need to settle for a minor-league deal during the offseason.

Freeman went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double and a strikeout in Tuesday's 7-0 win over the Astros in Game 6 of the World Series.

Freeman recorded hits in each of his six appearances in the World Series, and he homered in back-to-back games en route to Atlanta's first championship since 1995. The 32-year-old slashed .318/.360/.636 with two home runs, a double and five RBI during the World Series.

Torkelson's sprained ankle will rule him out for the remainder of the Arizona Fall League, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

The 2020 first overall pick was one of the top players to watch in the Fall League after he hit .267/.383/.552 across the three highest levels of the minors in his first professional season, but his fall season was cut short after 29 plate appearances due to an ankle injury. Previous reports suggested he could be back before the end of the fall schedule, but he'll instead rest and prepare for spring training.