MLB Player News

Freeman will make his spring debut in Friday's exhibition game against the Twins.

Freeman's arrival at camp was delayed due to the birth of his child, but he joined Atlanta last weekend and is ready to see his first action of the spring. Freeman, the reigning NL MVP, said Tuesday that he anticipates hitting third in 2021, and he will do just that Friday.

O'Hearn went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Thursday against the Reds.

O'Hearn has put on quite a display of power early on this spring, slugging three homers in four exhibition games. He's unlikely to find significant playing time once the regular season starts due to the addition of Carlos Santana, though he's making a case for a bench spot with his early performance.

France, who went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in a Cactus League tie with the Rockies on Thursday, is 3-for-6 overall in his first three spring games.

The promising 26-year-old also has a double among his three hits and has already logged time at both second base and third base in addition to the designated hitter role he's projected to primarily fill in 2021. France is the heir apparent at third base for the Mariners if he can prove himself at the plate over a full season, and the combination of his early spring returns and the .309/.371/.469 line he produced over 89 plate appearances in Seattle in 2020 support the notion he'll be up to the task.

Calhoun said Thursday that his expected recovery timeline from knee surgery was 4-to-6 weeks, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Calhoun underwent surgery to address a torn meniscus Wednesday. The timeline implies that he should be able to return sometime in April, though he's still very likely to need at least a brief trip to the injured list. The Diamondbacks have a slew of options that will get at-bats in right field during the rest of spring training, including Tim Locastro (illness), Wyatt Mathisen, Pavin Smith, Trayce Thompson, Josh VanMeter, Daulton Varsho and Andrew Young.

Casas is in Boston on Thursday getting a non-baseball medical issue checked out, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

With the nature of the issue unclear, it's difficult to say when Casas will return to the field. He was invited to big-league camp but has played just two games above Low-A, so he wasn't going to push for a roster spot even if he was healthy all spring.

Smith is expected to see his first game action of the spring Thursday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The 25-year-old will ease in as the DH before taking the field defensively Saturday. Smith will likely spend most of his time in left field during Grapefruit League action, as the Mets feel the stress fracture he suffered in his foot in 2019 was a result of moving back and forth between first base and the outfield. "This time, we want him to spend more time in left," manager Luis Rojas said Wednesday. "We'll gradually put him in the spot where he can start coming into games. Doing his drills and then he's gonna get to play on the field later." Over the last two seasons, Smith has posted a dynamic .299/.366/.571 slash line through 139 games with 21 homers, so finding a regular spot for him in the lineup will be a priority for the club in camp.

Hoskins (elbow) will make his spring debut Thursday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Hoskins has not taken the field since being cleared to play in late February, but he is set to do just that Thursday. While he will serve as the designated hitter, he will get a chance to get in his first at-bats of the spring. Barring any issues, Hoskins will have plenty of time to get up to full speed before Opening Day.

Dalbec went 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI in Wednesday's spring game against the Twins.

Dalbec's power potential has been on display early in camp. The 25-year-old slugger has three homers in six at-bats over four games. Dalbec will be Boston's primary starter at first base in 2021.

Walker went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer in Wednesday's spring game against the Indians.

Walker slid back slightly in 2020 after a breakout 2019 season, but he should get plenty of plate appearances in 2021 as Arizona's starter at first base.

Rizzo went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Mariners.

Rizzo hit his first spring home run, joining Joc Pederson in slugging a two-run shot for Chicago. The 31-year-old first baseman had his $16.5 million team option picked up during the offseason, and he'll look to bounce back this year after posting a .756 OPS in 2020, his worst mark since 2013.