MLB Player News

Gurriel (hand) took live batting practice Friday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Gurriel is working his way back from late-February surgery to remove the hook of the hamate bone in his left hand. Original reports said that he should be back in five or six weeks, which would make him ready to play in mid-April -- though he's also set to miss five games due to a suspension. Manager A.J. Hinch now says that it's unknown whether or not Gurriel will begin the season on the disabled list, and that a decision may not come until the day before the season starts. There haven't been any reports that the 33-year-old is ahead of schedule, though, so the decision appears likely to be made in favor of a trip to the DL.

Joseph was optioned to Double-A Frisco on Friday, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Joseph was recently claimed off waivers by the Rangers on Monday and will head to the minors in order to get some regular at-bats. The 26-year-old appeared in 142 games for Philadelphia last season, hitting .240 with 22 home runs and 69 RBI. With Joey Gallo set to man first base, Joseph is unlikely to see regular time in 2018 but should be ready to return to the majors in the near future.

Abreu (hamstring) remains out of the lineup for Friday's Cactus League game and will instead participate in a full workout, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Abreu commented on his status by saying that he is ready to resume playing immediately and that he would ask manager Rick Renteria about his availability for Saturday's outing. All things considered, it appears as though Abreu is close to 100 percent and should be fully operational heading into Opening Day.

Voit was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Friday, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Voit played in 62 games for the Cardinals during his first taste of the big leagues last season, hitting .246/.306/.430 with four home runs and 18 RBI. After a hot start to spring training, the first baseman cooled off over the past few weeks and gave the organization reason to believe that he could use a little more time in the minors. Instead, St. Louis will keep Jose Martinez on the Opening Day roster as a backup to Matt Carpenter at first base, as well as someone who can handle duties in the outfield.

Hoskins is slashing .279/.415/.651 and has recorded four home runs and a 10:10 BB:K across 43 at-bats in Grapefruit League play.

Though Hoskins only has about two months worth of big-league action on his ledger, the prodigious power he displayed in that sample and his expected assignment in the heart of the Philadelphia lineup in 2018 has the 25-year-old going as an early-round selection in fantasy drafts. It's encouraging to see that Hoskins is still slugging at a healthy rate in the spring, but the excellent plate discipline he has shown shouldn't be overlooked either. Hoskins' ability to work counts and get on base while keeping his strikeout rate at an acceptable level should make him less prone to the long slumps that often befall power hitters over the course of a season.

Abreu (hamstring) is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Abreu was removed from a game earlier this week with left hamstring tightness. He's been pushing to get back in the lineup, but manager Rick Renteria is taking a prudent approach by giving the first baseman several days off.

Flores, who is set to platoon with Adrian Gonzalez at first base, could see playing time against right-handed pitchers as well, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. "Wilmer deserves to play, and not just against lefties," manager Mickey Callaway said Thursday.

Gonzalez's continued struggles throughout spring could leave Flores taking the big side of the Mets' first base platoon. Flores has raked this spring with a .333/.392/.600 slash line in 45 at-bats while Gonzalez has been mired in a 9-for-47 slump. The 26-year-old Flores has always been billed as a player who dominates left-handed pitching, but he showed marked improvement last season against righties with a .262/.459/.765 slash line to go with 11 of his 18 home runs. He's already locked in to face lefties, but now it seems Flores will see playing time against righties as well.

O'Hearn was reassigned to minor-league camp Wednesday, Maria Torres of The Kansas City Star reports.

The 24-year-old was initially brought up in the conversation for the Royals' starting gig at first base, but the signing of Lucas Duda earlier this spring largely ended those talks. O'Hearn will now head back to Triple-A Omaha to start the season. He batted .252 with 18 homers in 114 games at that level last season.

Abreu (hamstring) hopes to be back in game action Friday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Abreu left Tuesday's game against the Rangers with hamstring tightness, but the issue appears to be minor. If the 29-year-old slugger can indeed return Friday, there will be little doubt that he'll be fine by Opening Day.

Gurriel (hand) resumed light hitting Tuesday, in addition to taking more groundballs and running the bases, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Gurriel continues to ramp up his activity after undergoing surgery to remove the hook of the hamate bone in his left hand in late-February. The 33-year-old will likely begin the season on the disabled list before returning in mid-April.