MLB Player News

Montero went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's Cactus League contest against the Cubs.

Montero took Justin Steele yard in the second inning to tally his third homer of spring training. He's competing for the third base job and his done well at the plate, ripping four extra-base hits while also maintaining a .385 on-base percentage across 39 plate appearances this spring. The primary question for Montero's playing time will be whether he can prove quick enough to be an adequate fielder at the hot corner.

White was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma by the Mariners on Tuesday, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.

White will head to Triple-A as expected to receive regular at-bats after missing the majority of the 2021 and 2022 seasons due to injury. The former top prospect has struggled mightily at the highest level, but his strong defense at first could make him an option for the Mariners if he stays healthy and handles Triple-A pitching.

Team Canada manager Ernie Whitt said Tuesday that Freeman is being evaluated for hamstring tightness, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Dodgers will certainly want to have a say in that evaluation. Freeman felt the hamstring tightness while taking a cut at a pitch in the third inning of Canada's eventual 5-2 win over Colombia on Tuesday afternoon in the World Baseball Classic. He is not expected to be in the lineup Wednesday against Mexico and could be done with the WBC entirely.

Freeman (hamstring) is unlikely to play Wednesday against Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Freeman was removed from the lineup Tuesday against Colombia because of tightness in his hamstring. The former MVP will likely miss the contest against Mexico, and very well could miss the rest of the World Baseball Classic out of an abundance of caution. There should be further updates on Freeman's status in the coming days.

Freeman was removed from Team Canada's game Tuesday against Team Colombia with a slight hamstring issue, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reports.

Freeman could be seen running gingerly to first base on a third-inning flyout and was promptly replaced in Canada's lineup by Denzel Clarke. It didn't seem to be anything overly serious -- he made it to first base and then into the dugout under his own power -- but this could very well end Freeman's run in the World Baseball Classic. Opening Day for the Dodgers is just over two weeks away.

Rizzo (back) is back in the Yankees' Grapefruit League lineup Tuesday versus the Blue Jays, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

Rizzo had to be scratched from Sunday's lineup with a back issue, but he took batting practice Monday and is at first base and hitting third Tuesday. The veteran's back has given his problems off and on the last few years and will likely require maintenance days in 2023, but it's not much of a concern right now.

Cooper went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

He took Stephen Nogosek deep in the sixth inning for his first spring homer. The Marlins' recent signing of Yuli Gurriel doesn't really change Cooper's role heading into the regular season, and the 32-year-old is still locked in as the starter at first base. He hasn't quite got his timing down this spring, posting a 1:8 BB:K through 25 plate appearances despite a .333 batting average, but his ability to stay healthy is still his biggest obstacle to consistent fantasy value.

O'Hearn (knee) is feeling better but is expected to miss a few more days of action, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

O'Hearn's right knee remains swollen and is "still pretty sore," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. The former Royal has a real shot to make the Opening Day roster, so he can't afford to miss too much more time.

France is hitting .259 (7-for-27) with a double, a solo home run, an additional RBI, two walks, one hit-by-pitch and four runs across 10 Cactus League games.

France enters 2023 looking to build on the career-high 20 home runs and 83 RBI he totaled last season across 140 games, and he's off to a solid start with the bat in Cactus League play. The 28-year-old has also struck out just three times in 30 spring plate appearances overall, certainly an encouraging early sign for his chances of trying to further whittle down what was already a career-low 15.4 percent strikeout rate in 2022.

Walker left Monday's game against the Giants after being hit in the left leg by a fastball, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.

Walker was able to remain in the contest immediately after being hit by the pitch, but he was later removed. After the exhibition, manager Torey Lovullo stated that had it been a regular-season game, Walker would've stayed in. He'll be considered day-to-day moving forward but isn't expected to miss any serious time.