MLB Player News

Moncada (arm) will bat second as the designated hitter in Sunday's spring opener against the Brewers, LaMond Pope of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The 25-year-old has been limited at the start of camp due to arm soreness, but he's still able to hit with no issues. Manager Tony La Russa previously said Moncada was set to resume throwing and could be playing the field early this week, so he should be back on the field at full strength in the near future.

Bregman (hamstring) is out of the lineup for Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Bregman's absence for the Astros' spring opener was fully expected, as the 26-year-old has yet to take part in fielding work during workouts while managing a hamstring injury. The issue is believed to be a minor concern, given that Bregman has been able to take batting practice in recent days.

Moncada (arm) won't take the field in Saturday's intrasquad contest but will serve as a designated hitter, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Moncada came into camp limited by a bit of arm soreness, but the issue doesn't appear to be a particularly serious one. He'll be able to hit Saturday and could take the field as soon as Sunday or Monday.

Lewis underwent successful surgery to repair his torn ACL on Friday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Lewis was diagnosed with a torn ACL during intake testing Wednesday, and he's now expected to face a recovery timeline between nine and 12 months following his successful surgery. He'll spend some time in Minnesota before heading back to Fort Myers to begin his rehab process.

Toro has been filling in at third base during infield drills while Alex Bregman (hamstring) is limited to batting practice only, Ryan Herrera of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Toro entered camp with a mission to develop his skills at first base and left field and wasn't focused on third base, his primary position. He also has a lot to prove following 2020, when he slashed .149/.237/.276 and walked just three times over 97 plate appearances. As such, most of his offseason work was designed to make him more flexible at the plate and loosening up his swing. "It's just getting the league better, just trying to focus more and learning how they're pitching in the big leagues," Toro said. "If I do what I know I can do, I feel like this year I can have a good year." A healthy Bregman will be entrenched at third base, so Toro needs to work on his hitting if he's to gain more playing time at other positions.

Bregman (hamstring) took batting practice on the field for a second consecutive day Friday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Bregman has yet to participate in fielding drills, so it would appear he will not play in Sunday's Grapefruit League opener.

Machado underwent laser eye surgery in the offseason, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Judging by Machado's .304/.370/.580 slash line last season, the veteran didn't exactly struggle to pick up pitches, though he noted that his vision wasn't 100 percent during night games in recent campaigns. Machado's .310 batting average under the lights last season was actually better than his .288 mark during day games, so the effects of the surgery are likely to be minimal for the career .280 hitter.

Arenado will make his Grapefruit League debut in Sunday's exhibition opener against the Nationals, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

Arenado's integration into spring training with his new club has been ideal, as the star third baseman arrived a week early to get acquainted and has looked healthy in batting practices after dealing with a nagging shoulder issue most of last season. Sunday will bring the first opportunity for Arenado to start building in-game chemistry with his new infield mates and begin his march toward the approximately 50 at-bats he hopes to log this spring to get his timing down.

Riley admitted that the quadriceps strain that cost him the final two games of the 2020 regular season had been bothering him much longer than that, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. "I hate making excuses any time, but I definitely was feeling it," said Riley.

The third baseman posted a .609 OPS over his final 18 games in the regular season and then a .489 OPS in the playoffs while playing at less than 100 percent. Atlanta is hoping Riley can take a big step forward in what will be his first full season in the majors after he managed a .232/.288/.448 line with 16 homers and a 31.2 percent strikeout rate through his first 131 big-league games, and knowing that last year's season-ending slump was at least partly due to injury offers some reassurance that the league simply hasn't figured him out at the plate.

Moustakas reported to spring training fully healthy after having a season marred by multiple issues, including a quadriceps bruise, a foot contusion and a false-positive COVID test, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "It definitely factored into it. I'm not going to be one to sit here and make excuses for my performance on the field," Moustakas said. "If I'm on the field, that means in my mind that I'm 100 percent ready to go. Last year, I didn't play as well as I wanted to play and I think that goes from offensively, top to bottom. We didn't do as well as we wanted to do offensively."

Moustakas was one of many Reds players who struggled to hit for average, posting a .230/.31/.468 line in 44 games. On the bright side, he had a .914 OPS in September, suggesting that better times could be ahead.