MLB Player News

Abreu was named the 2020 American League Most Valuable Player on Thursday.

Abreu received 21 of 30 first-place votes, with Jose Ramirez receiving eight votes while DJ LeMahieu received one. The 33-year-old slashed .317/.370/.617 with 19 home runs and 60 RBI while appearing in all 60 games during the abbreviated 2020 season.

Rizzo's option was picked up by the Cubs on Saturday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Rizzo will earn $16.5 million in 2021. Even after a disappointing season that saw him hit just .222/.342/.414, and even with a depressed market predicted for this winter, the decision was likely an easy one for the Cubs, as they bring back a team leader who has a long track record of success for the club. Just 31 years old, there's reason to believe Rizzo will demonstrate next season that his 2020 struggles were more of a small-sample blip than the start of a dramatic aging curve. It's certainly not out of the question that he could return to something close to his form from 2019, when he hit .293/.405/.520 with 27 homers.

Santana's $17.5 million team option was declined by Cleveland on Friday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Santana spent 10 of the first 11 years of his career in Cleveland, but he had a career-worst .199/.349/.350 slash line with eight home runs and 30 RBI during the 2020 season. It's little surprise to see the team decline his expensive contract option, although it's unclear whether the two sides have interest in a reunion on a cheaper deal.

Goldschmidt underwent a procedure to remove a bone spur from his right elbow after the end of the season, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

It's unclear how long the 33-year-old had been battling the issue, but he waited until the Cardinals were eliminated before undergoing surgery. Goldschmidt finished the shortened campaign with a .304/.417/.466 slash line, six homers, 13 doubles, 31 runs and 21 RBI while playing all 58 games. President John Mozeliak didn't offer a specific recovery timeline, but the veteran slugger shouldn't have any issues being ready for the start of spring training in February.

Diaz went 2-for-3 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored Sunday in the Rays' 4-2 loss to the Dodgers in Game 5 of the series.

With lefty Clayton Kershaw starting for the Dodgers, Rays manager Kevin Cash elected to roll with Diaz at first base over Mike Brosseau, who had been serving as the main short-side platoon mate for the lefty-hitting Ji-Man Choi during the postseason. The decision to start Diaz paid dividends, as the 29-year-old put the Rays on the board with his RBI triple in the second inning. The Dodgers are projected to start right-handers Tony Gonsolin and Walker Buehler in the final two games of the series, so Diaz will likely retreat to a bench role while Choi and Joey Wendle man the corner-infield spots for Tampa Bay.

Freeman went 2-for-5 with a double, one run and two RBI during Thursday's win over the Dodgers in Game 4 of the NLCS.

The veteran first baseman gave the Braves a 2-1 lead during the sixth inning with an RBI double off Clayton Kershaw, and he brought home an insurance run during eighth with an RBI single. Freeman is in the midst of a five-game hit streak, going 8-for-18 with two homers, one double, five runs, six RBI and three walks during that stretch.

Freeman feels good after being hit in the elbow by a pitch Tuesday and is starting Game 3 of the NLCS against the Dodgers on Wednesday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Freeman was hit by a pitch on his right elbow, but manager Brian Snitker said that his star player felt good Wednesday. He received treatment from the training staff overnight and will play first base and bat second for Wednesday's contest.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday that Voit (foot) has been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis and required a platelet-rich plasma injection to address the injury, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

Cashman said Voit would be confined to a walking boot for at least one week, but the first baseman won't require offseason surgery and should be back to full strength well in advance of spring training. Voit solidified himself as a lineup regular heading into 2021 after slugging an MLB-best 22 home runs while batting .277 with 52 RBI and 41 runs during the 60-game 2020 campaign.

Freeman went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo homer in Monday's NLCS Game 1 win against the Dodgers.

Freeman opened the scoring in the top of the first, taking Walker Buehler deep. The homer was his third in 20 career postseason games. He's hitting just .182 in six playoff games this season, though his six walks give him a strong .379 on-base percentage.

Diaz is out of the lineup Monday for Game 2 of the Rays' ALCS matchup with the Astros, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays will play their ninth postseason game Monday, but Diaz has cracked the lineup on only five occasions, with two starts coming versus left-handed pitchers. After missing the final month of the regular season with a hamstring injury, Diaz hasn't quite found his swing in the postseason with two hits (both singles) in 13 at-bats, though he's at least drawn eight walks while striking out only four times. Since he'll be sitting out against a right-hander (Lance McCullers) in Game 2, the righty-hitting Diaz could be ticketed for a short-side platoon role for the remainder of the Rays' postseason run.