MLB Player News

Pratto is hitting .438 with three home runs, seven strikeouts and three walks in 19 plate appearances this spring.

Pratto had a brutal 2019 season, so the fact that he is making noise in big-league camp as a 22-year-old is really encouraging, even in a small sample. He will likely open the year at High-A or Double-A, and it will be worth tracking his performance to see if this big spring was indeed a sign of things to come. Pratto is an excellent defensive first baseman, so if he hits enough, he could profile as the team's long-term starter there.

Smith was scratched from Wednesday's spring lineup against the Marlins due to right wrist soreness, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Smith has apparently been dealing with a sore wrist throughout spring training, and the team opted to give him a day off Wednesday as a precautionary measure. Manager Luis Rojas didn't sound too concerned about the issue and said that Smith did some defensive work prior to Wednesday's game. Barring any setbacks, Smith could be back in the lineup in the coming days.

Smith was scratched from the lineup for Wednesday's spring game against the Marlins for an unspecified reason, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Smith was initially slated to play left field and bat fifth Wednesday. It's not yet clear whether his removal from the lineup is due to an injury, but Mallex Smith will take his place in the lineup against Miami.

The White Sox have engaged Vaughn in discussions on a contract extension this spring, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Through 13 games in Cactus League play, Vaughn has impressed in his bid for an Opening Day roster spot, slashing .273/.385/.394 while striking out eight times in 33 at-bats. Though Vaughn has yet to make his MLB debut, the White Sox have already identified the 22-year-old first baseman as a core player. Rather than having to manipulate Vaughn's service time by keeping him in the minors to begin the season, the White Sox are hoping he's receptive to an extension that would grant him more financial security early in his career, albeit at a club-friendly price that would push back his free agency. Chicago was able avoid service-time games last year with another top prospect in Luis Robert -- who signed a six-year, $50 million deal with two club options prior to Opening Day -- but a similar deal for Vaughn isn't yet believed to be imminent. Expect negotiations with Vaughn to continue over the next two weeks, but if a deal can't be reached, he may end up waiting until the second half of April to debut with the White Sox.

Cabrera started at first base and went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and three RBI in Tuesday's spring game against the Athletics.

The switch-hitting Cabrera swung the bat well from both sides of the plate, hitting the double off left-hander Jesus Luzardo and the homer of right-hander Burch Smith. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo hasn't set a defined role for Cabrera, whose multi-position ability and switch hitting could be useful in a variety of ways. Tuesday's game was his first spring start at first base. He also has starts at third base (four) and second base (three).

Beaty has been playing right field often this spring as he attempts to break camp with the Dodgers, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Beaty has started in right field only four times as a pro -- three times in the minors and once in 2019 with the Dodgers -- and he logged almost all his time in the field last season at first base. However, the organization strongly values versatility, so Beaty would benefit from showing that he can handle right field, even with Mookie Betts cemented at the position well into the future. Beaty is a serious contender for one of the team's final roster spots and may be earning the honor as much with his bat as with his versatility. Through 24 spring at-bats, he is hitting .292 with three RBI.

Kirilloff is hitting .136 (3-for-22) with a home run this spring, and Brent Rooker has started in left field the last two spring-training games when the Twins used the majority of their projected Opening Day lineup, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

He also has seven strikeouts and one walk in nine spring games. Kirilloff, the 15th overall pick in the 2016 draft, is the leading candidate to take over the starting job in left field after the departure of Eddie Rosario, but the Twins may choose to have him begin the season at Triple-A. The Twins have said they're open to Kirilloff being on the Opening Day roster, and Rooker's playing time the last two days may not be a meaningful sign. However, the Twins could use his slow spring as an excuse to send him to the minors for three weeks so they can gain an extra year of service time. A decision on whether to send Kirilloff to the minors may not happen until late in spring training.

Alonso has gone 7-for-21 (.333) with three doubles and two home runs over his first nine Grapefruit League appearances.

The slugging first baseman saw his numbers tumble a bit last season in his second MLB campaign, but Alonso still posted a 162-game pace of 45 homers and 99 RBI. His batting average will always be volatile due to his strikeouts, but the 26-year-old's power potential remains elite.

Bell has gone 6-for-21 (.286) with three doubles and a home run over his first nine Grapefruit League appearances this spring.

The former Pirate has also flashed solid plate discipline with a 4:7 BB:K. Bell is coming off a disappointing 2020, but the Nats have the switch hitter set to hit in the heart of the order as their starting first baseman in hopes that he'll be able to rediscover the form that led him to 37 homers, 116 RBI and a .936 OPS in 2019.

The Rays optioned Padlo to their minor-league camp Tuesday.

Padlo is expected to report to Triple-A Durham, where he finished the 2019 season after receiving a promotion from Double-A Montgomery. Over his 40 games at Durham, the corner infielder slashed .290/.400/.595 with nine home runs across 155 plate appearances.