MLB Player News

Olson went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

The first baseman took Zach Eflin deep in the third inning, giving Olson six homers on the spring to lead all hitters, in either Florida or Arizona. His 1.549 OPS is also second among players with at least 30 at-bats, behind only the Phillies' Edmundo Sosa. Tiny samples aside, Olson has launched more than 30 homers in each of the last three full MLB seasons and topped 100 RBI in the last two campaigns. The 28-year-old already appears locked in at the plate ahead of Opening Day.

Hiura has brought back the toe tap in his swing, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

It's something that Hiura is trying to reincorporate on the fly as he struggles to find a groove in Cactus League play. Through his first 35 plate appearances this spring, the 26-year-old has batted just .156/.229/.219 with zero home runs and 15 strikeouts. He is out of minor-league options, so a tough decision could be coming soon as the Brewers sort out their Opening Day roster.

Casas was scratched from the Red Sox's Grapefruit League lineup Tuesday because of left fifth finger pain, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

The Red Sox are calling the first baseman day-to-day, with manager Alex Cora telling Ian Browne of MLB.com he expects him back in a day or two. Casas is having a great spring, sporting a .952 OPS with two home runs.

Casas was scratched from the Red Sox's Grapefruit League lineup Tuesday due to unspecified reasons, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

It's unclear whether Casas is dealing with an injury, but that should be revealed soon. Daniel Palka took his place in the lineup.

Kirilloff (wrist) might not be ready in time for Opening Day, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Kirilloff was able to play in a minor-league game Saturday but has yet to see any Grapefruit League action as the Twins ease him into things following another right wrist surgery. While president of baseball operations Derek Falvey has said the team hasn't made a decision yet on whether Kirilloff will be part of the Opening Day roster, it seems likely at this point that he'll just run out of time. Kirilloff does have options remaining, so the club could stash him at Triple-A St. Paul for a bit if he needs to knock some rust off. If that happens, Joey Gallo, Jose Miranda and Donovan Solano are among the candidates to handle first base in Kirilloff's absence.

Flores has gone 6-for-23 (.261) over eight Cactus League games.

Flores is a veteran, so there's not too much to read into his performance so far. He was delayed to begin camp while waiting for the birth of his son. Flores' ability to cover multiple positions should see him in the lineup regularly versus left-handed pitchers. His best path to playing time might be at second base on days where Thairo Estrada shifts to shortstop to cover a resting Brandon Crawford, who has been dealing with knee soreness this spring.

Vaughn (back) said he feels better after playing catch and fielding grounders Sunday, and he expects to return to swinging within the next couple days, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Manager Pedro Grifol indicated Saturday the slugger will be out at least a few more days due to lower-back soreness, and there doesn't appear to be a rush to get him back into game action. There's just under two weeks before Opening Day, and Vaughn also said he could hit off a pitching machine at the end of camp if he needs additional reps at that point. His outlook for the start of the season will remain up in the air at least until he returns to full baseball activities.

Torkelson went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

Torkelson got off to a 3-for-18 start at the plate in spring training. Since then, however, he's gone 7-for-19 with two doubles, and Saturday's home run was his first in Grapefruit League action. Torkelson struggled as a rookie in 2022, but the talent is there for him to take a big step forward in his second MLB season, and he seems to be building some momentum as the team approaches Opening Day.

Freeman is hitting second and playing first base Sunday in a Cactus League game against the Athletics.

A day after returning to the lineup as the designated hitter following a bit of hamstring tightness, Freeman is back on the field for the Dodgers on Sunday. The former MVP appears to be a full-go for the regular season and should once again be a fantasy stalwart in 2023.

Walker went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a stolen base in Saturday's spring game against the Guardians.

This was Walker's first appearance since he was hit by a pitch on the hip Monday. He shook off the downtime early, launching a 1-0 pitch 430 feet to deep left field in the second inning. He walked and stole a base an inning later and nearly missed a second home run on his final at-bat in the fifth.