MLB Player News

Albies, Ronald Acuna and Charlie Culberson were able to take at-bats against live pitching this week, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The trio of hitters joined Mike Foltynewicz, Mike Soroka and Sean Newcomb at a high school in the Atlanta area for some more intense reps than the players had been getting in their respective batting cages and bullpen sessions, as each pitcher tossed three simulated innings of about 15 pitches against his teammates. Albies and the other Atlanta hitters appeared to be more than ready for a second training camp, and hopefully a regular season, to begin.

Espinal and fellow Blue Jays minor leaguer Forrest Wall have been staying in Florida with Bo Bichette during the shutdown, Gregor Chisholm of The Toronto Star reports.

Bichette's father, four-time All-Star Dante Bichette, has a gym and batting cages near his home, giving Espinal all the facilities he needs to stay in shape. The 25-year-old had already been optioned to Triple-A Buffalo when spring training was put on pause, but his impressive Grapefruit League showing (.417/.462/1.000 and seven extra-base hits in 26 plate appearances) and strong defense mark him as the most likely internal replacement at shortstop should anything sideline Bichette during the regular season, and Espinal could still find a spot on an expanded big-league roster.

Hernandez has been able to hit in a batting cage twice a week despite the shutdown of most facilities, the utility man said Tuesday in an interview with David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports.

"We were able to find a facility that's opening just for us twice a week, and we're able to get our work in," Hernandez stated. He also indicated that he has been working out five days a week in preparation for a potential resumption of play. Should the 2020 season take place, Hernandez figures to again get plenty of playing time in a super-utility role in his sixth season with the Dodgers.

Vargas could ascend to Double-A by the start of the 2020 minor-league season but is more likely to begin with High-A Rancho Cucamonga, Howard Cole of Sports Illustrated reports.

Vargas has demonstrated excellent hitting acumen in his first two minor-league seasons, slashing .314/.387/.447 with a 78:119 BB:K over 788 plate appearances. However, his power has thus far been limited to doubles, as he has 53 two-baggers versus only nine home runs as a professional. Defensively, Vargas may be better suited to play first base considering his limited range and average arm, per Baseball America.

Lowe is getting regular batting practice in at home while spring training remains suspended with the help of his wife Madison, a former college softball player, Karen Loftus of WFLA-TV reports. "I thank God every day to have someone that understands everything that I'm going through on a daily basis and to have someone that I can confide in and stuff like that," Lowe said. "She can actually have a good conversation about what she sees when she's in the stance or I can come up to her and say can you give me some front toss or can we go outside and throw?"

Madison Lowe was a pitcher at Maryland, where Brandon played college baseball. In addition to getting in his swings, the versatile 25-year-old is working out in a personal garage gym that he recently showed off via his personal Twitter account. Lowe, who hit an impressive .350 (7-for-20) before Grapefruit League play was suspended, is expected to primarily handle second-base duties whenever the regular season does get underway.

Albies has continued to fine tune his swing mechanics while the season is suspended, particularly from the left side, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The young switch hitter has been better from the right side in his big-league career to date, but Albies showed improvement from the left side of the plate in 2019, boosting his OPS from .696 to .778 as he made an effort to pull the ball less often. As Bowman notes, Albies is one of only three switch hitters in major-league history to hit .275 or better with 50 or more homers and an OPS of .800 or better through his age-22 season, joining Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray.

Lux has been staying sharp during MLB's hiatus by working out at a friend's gym and taking batting practice at his high school field, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Lux has been slowed but not stopped by the suspension of play as he continues to work out for about two hours per day in order to stay ready for a potential resumption of play. When he isn't able to make the long drive to the gym (his friend has lent Lux a key so that he can work out alone) or hit outdoors (Lux lives in Wisconsin, where April can include harsh weather), the 22-year-old works out using dumbbells in a makeshift home gym. While Lux is not guaranteed to make the Dodgers' Opening Day roster, he's expected to play a major role on the squad at some point during the 2020 campaign.

Torres assessed his performance in Grapefruit League play as "not really good," Pete Caldera of NorthJersey.com reports.

Torres had a mildly disappointing spring at the plate -- he hit .200/.241/.360 with a home run and six RBI in 29 plate appearances -- but defense was his primary struggle as he committed five errors in 23 total chances. Per Caldera, Torres has kept in touch with ex-teammate Didi Gregorious, taking tips from the team's starting shortstop last season in an attempt to solidify his own mechanics on the field. Torres remains locked in as the Yankees' everyday shortstop, and the team will no doubt practice patience with his defensive development as long as he continues to produce offensively.

Hoerner could land himself a role in the majors and regular playing time whenever the regular season is able to begin, Tim Stebbins of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Before play was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, Hoerner was likely looking at starting the year at Triple-A Iowa to get more regular playing time. However, if rosters are expanded and the schedule gets compacted as expected, the 22-year-old might stick in the majors from the start. The thinking is that with fewer off days, teams will need to rotate players more, and that could get Hoerner the requisite at-bats at the MLB level. He certainly looked the part of a big-league player when he made his debut last season, posting a .282 batting average and three home runs in 20 games.

Miller is expected to open the 2020 campaign with Triple-A El Paso and could be considered for a big-league callup at some point during the season, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Miller fared well at the Double-A level last season, slashing .290/.355/.430 with 13 home runs and 68 RBI in 560 plate appearances. That makes a promotion to Triple-A logical, with an opportunity to reach the big leagues within reach if Miller is able to continue his two-year run of minor-league success. While the 23-year-old is labeled as a shortstop, Sanders reports that he is seen as a "Swiss Army knife player," having complemented his work at shortstop with time at second and third base. He also began practicing at first base this spring. Miller's versatility is especially important since Fernando Tatis appears destined to be San Diego's starting shortstop for the foreseeable future.