MLB Player News

Atlanta acquired Olson from the Athletics on Monday in exchange for outfielder Cristian Pache, catcher Shea Langeliers and pitching prospects Joey Estes and Ryan Cusick, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Just minutes before Passan's report, Buster Olney of ESPN relayed that the Yankees and Dodgers were moving aggressively to acquire Olson, but the rebuilding Athletics apparently found Atlanta's offer the most enticing. The addition of Olson fills a major hole at first base for Atlanta, which had been vacant since longtime franchise cornerstone Freddie Freeman hit free agency earlier in the winter. The move likely confirms that Freeman will be playing elsewhere in 2022, but Olson is about as high quality of a replacement as Atlanta could have found. Not only did the 27-year-old get on base at a .371 clip while mashing a career-high 37 home runs in 2021, but the two-time Gold Glove winner also offered premium defense at first base. With the move from Oakland to Atlanta, Olson not only finds himself in a better lineup, but he'll also benefit from the change in his home park.

Alonso said that he was involved in a "brutal" car accident Sunday, but he escaped without any injuries and plans to resume working out with the Mets on Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Alonso was present at camp one day after the accident, telling reporters that he feels thankful to survive after his car flipped over three times. Fortunately, it sounds like no other individuals were hurt in the accident. The 27-year-old enters his fourth MLB season entrenched as the Mets' everyday first baseman and will be looking to build on a 2021 campaign in which he slashed .262/.344/.519 with 37 home runs, 94 RBI, 81 runs and three stolen bases.

Walker worked on altering his swing path and trained himself to react better to how he is being pitched, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Walker's breakout age-28 season in 2019 put him on the fantasy map, but the first baseman hit just .244 with 10 homers in 445 plate appearances last season. It was uncertain whether the Diamondbacks would bring him back, but the organization eventually tendered his contract, and Walker is motivated to prove 2021 was an aberration. "I've traditionally been a right-center, opposite-field thought-process guy and for a while that was that was where I needed to be and that worked," Walker said. "I think as our bodies change and the league learns about you and there's more data and more at-bats to use against you, it almost seems silly to try to be the same guy every single year, every single at-bat." Walker enters spring training as Arizona's primary first baseman, but Pavin Smith earned an opportunity as an everyday player in 2021. Smith could settle in at right field, where he held his own last season, so Walker could remain the starter at first base. With the designated hitter becoming a reality in the National League this season, there are a couple of potential spots in the batting order for Walker.

Voit's status with the Yankees is in question after the team acquired Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Twins on Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The Yankees were able to bolster their infield without giving up any prospects in Sunday's trade, so the team is in position to acquire a left-handed hitting first baseman via trade or free agency. If that occurs, Voit could be the odd man out in the team's infield since DJ LeMahieu should also see time at first base. The 31-year-old Voit appeared in 68 games for the Yankees while battling injuries last year, and he hit .239 with 11 home runs, 35 RBI and 26 runs.

Hiura will begin seeing some time in the outfield this spring, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. "He's got to earn spots right now and so we're looking for ways for him to be more valuable to the roster," manager Craig Counsell said Sunday.

Hiura's poor defense at second base and first base made him a potential designated hitter candidate, but the Brewers would likely also want to give Christian Yelich, among others, starts at DH, so it would behoove Hiura to have an avenue into the lineup beyond DH. His sprint speed is roughly league average and his arm is notoriously bad, so it seems unlikely that Hiura will fare much better in the outfield than he did on the right side of the infield.

Naylor (ankle) took batting practice Saturday and appeared to perform well, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Naylor's 2021 season was cut short after a broken ankle in late June required season-ending surgery. The Guardians have yet to officially announce if he'll be ready for Opening Day -- he has a lot of progress to make in his recovery, but his first steps in the spring are encouraging. He'll be competing for a reserve role as an outfielder and could also occasionally draw starts at first and as the designated hitter if he can make the team out of spring training.

Torkelson was the only infielder taking groundballs at first base for the Tigers on Sunday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

When asked how often he could play first base this season, Miguel Cabrera said, "I don't know, because we want Torkelson in the lineup. ... I'll take the DH." It's still uncertain whether Torkelson will be on the Opening Day roster, but it doesn't seem to be up for debate who the Tigers plan on getting the bulk of the work at first base this season. Jonathan Schoop would slide over to second base while also getting some starts at designated hitter.

The Cubs announced Sunday that Higgins (forearm) is attending big-league camp as a non-roster invitee after he agreed to a minor-league contract in November, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Higgins joins John Hicks as non-roster catchers present for big-league camp, though the former is expected to be limited to rehab work while he continues to recover from the Tommy John surgery he required last summer. Though Higgins may face a shorter timeline for his recovery than a pitcher would, he's still expected to miss a large portion of the 2022 campaign. Once he's back to 100 percent, Higgins will likely settle at Triple-A Iowa.

Torkelson was invited to major-league camp by the Tigers on Saturday.

The invitation is an expected one, as the 2020 first overall pick is thought to have a chance to push for an Opening Day roster spot. He doesn't have much left to prove in the minors after hitting .267/.383/.552 with 30 homers in 121 games across the three highest levels of the minors last year, including 40 games with Triple-A Toledo. Even if he's held down to start the year in an effort to manipulate his service time, he's likely to join the big-league squad fairly early in the season.

Casas was invited to Boston's major-league spring training Saturday.

Casas performed well at Double-A Portland in 2021, slashing .284/.395/.484 with 13 homers, 57 runs, 52 RBI and six stolen bases across 77 games. He was rewarded with a promotion to Triple-A Worcester for the final week and a half of the minor-league season, and he'll now get a chance to work with the big-league coaching staff during spring training for a second straight year. The 22-year-old is unlikely to begin the 2022 campaign with the major-league squad but will likely be in the mix to debut at some point this year if he performs well in Worcester.