MLB Player News

Drury (illness) went 1-for-1 with a walk in Saturday's Cactus League contest versus the Cubs.

Prior to Saturday, Drury hadn't played in a game since Monday due to an illness. His ability to return to the lineup against Chicago suggests that he's past the issue and won't have any problem being ready for Opening Day. Drury is expected to serve as the Angels' everyday second basemen during the coming campaign.

Schuemann went 1-for-2 with an RBI sacrifice fly and a run in a Cactus League loss to the Brewers on Saturday, pushing his spring average to .321.

After opening Cactus League play 1-for-10 over his first six exhibitions, Schuemann's bat has come alive. The 26-year-old has gone on to hit safely in seven of his next eight games, going 8-for-21 with two RBI, two walks and six runs over that span. However, despite the strong spring, Schuemann doesn't make Martin Gallegos of MLB.com's latest Opening Day roster projection due to the presence of hot-hitting reserve outfielders JJ Bleday and Miguel Andujar. If Gallegos' projection proves accurate, it likely equates to a return to Triple-A Las Vegas to start the 2024 campaign for Schuemann, who slashed .277/.402/.429 with the Aviators across 103 games last season.

The Tigers reassigned Jung to minor-league camp Thursday.

This was expected, as the Tigers said before spring training started that Jung would not make the Opening Day roster. The 23-year-old has plenty of potential and figures to be in the team's future plans at third base. Jung got his first taste of Double-A last year and may see Triple-A action at some point this season, with an MLB promotion potentially on deck if he plays well in the minors.

Urias went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in a Cactus League win over the Brewers on Thursday.

Urias's sixth-inning solo shot off potential Milwaukee closer Joel Payamps pushed Seattle's lead to 4-1 and served as his second homer of spring. The offseason addition has overcome some early adversity stemming from a shoulder injury, playing third base with regularity and putting together a .333 batting average with a double, a triple, the pair of round trippers and four RBI across nine exhibitions.

Dubon is a lock to make the Astros' Opening Day roster thanks to his defensive versatility, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Dubon logged a career-high 492 plate appearances in 2023 and posted a passable .720 OPS with 10 homers and seven stolen bases. He'll enter the 2024 season as a bench bat, but he would likely step into a more significant role should any of the Astros' regular starters be forced to miss time thanks to his ability to play any defensive position except catcher.

The White Sox optioned Sosa to Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday.

Sosa entered camp seemingly with a shot at winning one of the middle-infield spots for the White Sox, but he's being sent out even after going 4-for-13 with one home run in seven Cactus League contests. The White Sox look set to open the season with Paul DeJong and Nicky Lopez as their primary options up the middle.

Espinal went 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

The 29-year-old infielder is batting only .200 (4-for-20) this spring, but that masks a strong performance at the plate that also includes a 5:2 BB:K. Unfortunately for Espinal, one of his main competitors for a utility spot, Ernie Clement, has been on fire in camp, going 10-for-25 with two homers and zero strikeouts. Given the defensive flexibility already provided by Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Cavan Biggio and Davis Schneider, there probably isn't room for two more bench infielders on the 26-man roster, so Espinal will likely have to begin his season at Triple-A Buffalo and wait for injuries to open up a spot for him in the majors.

The Twins optioned Severino to Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday.

Severino nabbed a 40-man roster spot this winter but will head back to St. Paul for more seasoning. The 24-year-old has plenty of power but might need to rein in the strikeouts before the Twins give him a look.

The Guardians optioned Brito to Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

The return from the Rockies in the Nolan Jones trade, Brito finished last season at Columbus and will return there to start 2024. Brito, 22, doesn't appear far off from being major-league ready, but the Guardians have multiple others ahead of him on the depth chart.

Biggio went 2-for-3 with a walk, two doubles and two runs scored in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

Getting the start at second base and batting leadoff in a Toronto lineup missing all its top stars, Biggio rapped out a pair of two-baggers off Zach Eflin. The 28-year-old utility player was brought along slowly in camp but has hit the ground running since seeing his first Grapefruit League action Thursday, going 4-for-8 with three doubles. Biggio could see a significant workload for the Jays this season as he splits his time between second base, third base and right field.