MLB Player News

Vaughn is expected to make the White Sox's Opening Day roster and should begin the season as the team's primary designated hitter, barring an injury late in spring training, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Vaughn has yet to make his MLB debut and is unlikely to work out a long-term contract extension before Opening Day that would allow the organization to buy out his arbitration years, but Chicago apparently won't play service-time games with its top hitting prospect. Despite having yet to play above the High-A level since being drafted in the first round of the 2019 first-year player draft, Vaughn more than held his own in summer camp last season and during spring training this year, which has convinced the White Sox he's ready for look in the big leagues. Through 20 Cactus League games to date, Vaughn has slashed .289/.396/.489 with two home runs, a stolen base and a 7:9 BB:K. Vaughn has typically occupied a bottom-three spot in the batting order when the White Sox have used lineups consisting mostly of regulars, but the top-to-bottom strength of the starting nine should make a lower placement less punitive for the 22-year-old in terms of run-producing and run-scoring opportunities than if he were on another team.

Hiura went 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI in Tuesday's exhibition game.

Hiura went three weeks without a homer after going yard in the Brewers' spring opener, but he left the park twice Tuesday, and both times to the opposite field. Contact was a major issue for Hiura last year, and that has remained the case this spring, as he has hit just .235 and has struck out 13 times in 34 at-bats. Hiura is set to play first base this season, but in leagues where he remains 2B-eligible, he does offer some of the most upside in the counting-stat categories among players you can slot in at that position.

Walker went 2-for-3 with a double in Tuesday's spring game against the Mariners.

Walker squared up a couple of balls, ripping a double that nearly was a home run and a single that left the bat at 108 MPH. He's been raking the last week of the Cactus League, going 7-for-13 with three doubles, one home run and eight RBI over four games. After experiencing a power drop in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, Walker is looking to return to his 2019 levels.

France, who's solidified his starting DH role this spring with a .417 average (15-for-36), five home runs and 10 RBI across 15 Cactus League games, could serve as the emergency catcher this coming season, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Not that there's any doubt about France's job security, but this news only serves to increase his utility to the Mariners and could allow manager Scott Servais more flexibility with his primary backstops, Tom Murphy and Luis Torrens. France has experience behind the dish and served as a catcher as recently as last season at the Padres' alternate training site before his trade to Seattle at the deadline. In addition to DH and a possible occasional appearance at catcher, France is also slated to back up every infield spot except shortstop.

Kiriloff was optioned to the Twins' alternate training site Tuesday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Kiriloff hasn't appeared in a regular-season game above the Double-A level but did get some major-league experience as a member of the Twins' playoff roster last fall. That seemingly indicated that he had a strong chance to open as the team's starting left fielder, but he did very little to back up that notion this spring, hitting .129/.182/.258 across 12 games with eight strikeouts and just one walk. The delayed minor-league season means he won't get the chance to prove his readiness in game action in April, which could delay his debut into May or beyond. That said, the Twins aren't exactly loaded in left field, so the job should still be his eventually.

Guerrero crushed a double with an exit velocity of 110 mph during Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

It's far from the first time this spring the 22-year-old reached triple digits in exit velocity. Guerrero has erupted for a .520/.613/.840 slash line this spring over 12 games with five extra-base hits (three doubles, a triple and a homer) and a stellar 6:2 BB:K. Perhaps more importantly, he's shown an improved launch angle when he has made hard contact, which has been viewed as the key to him unlocking his full potential at the plate. It's taken a couple of years, but Guerrero seems poised to start matching his massive minor-league numbers in the majors.

Gurriel went 1-for-4 in Monday's spring game against the Mets.

Monday's lineup featured several projected regulars, including Gurriel, who played all nine innings. He's just 5-for-30 in Grapefruit League play but is the projected starter at first base. If he doesn't pick it up in the regular season, the Astros could turn to Aledmys Diaz or Abraham Toro.

Calhoun (knee) has taken multiple batting practice sessions and is close to facing live pitching in a simulated game, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Manager Torey Lovullo said Calhoun could stand in the batter's box, take a normal at-bat, and strike the baseball but not run. The veteran outfielder is expected to open the season on the injured list. In the meantime, the Diamondbacks are auditioning several players to replace Calhoun in right field, including Tim Locastro, Pavin Smith, Trayce Thompson and Daulton Varsho.

Through 11 Grapefruit League games, Freeman has gone 3-for-23 with three singles and a 6:7 BB:K.

Freeman's 24.1 percent strikeout rate so far this spring is well above his marks from any of the past four seasons, but at this point, the sample is probably too small for fantasy managers to alter expectations for him as Opening Day approaches. The 31-year-old overcame a bout with COVID-19 last summer to take home MVP honors in 2020, so he's probably deserving of some benefit of the doubt for his lackluster start to the spring. Projected to hit third in an Atlanta lineup teeming with talent, Freeman looks to be a fairly safe foundational pick in the first two rounds of fantasy drafts.

Olson is hitting .406 (13-for-32) with four doubles, five home runs, 14 RBI, a walk and eight runs over 12 Cactus League games.

The slugging first baseman pushed his average over the .400 mark with a 3-for-4 day at the expense of the Angels on Saturday that featured a two-run blast which Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports took out a palm tree considerably beyond the scoreboard in right-center field. The heavy offseason work he put in with hitting coach Darren Bush after mustering just a .195 average in 2020 seems to be paying dividends, with Olson remarking "I've gotten to a couple of pitches early that I wasn't handling well last year" after Saturday's game.