MLB Player News

Motter is a candidate to make the Opening Day roster for the Cardinals, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Motter was signed to a minor-league contract in November, and the 33-year-old has impressed in the Grapefruit League with an .810 OPS, three homers and a pair of steals over 17 games. He's also capable of playing in the infield and outfield, so he brings versatility at the end of the St. Louis bench if he does make the roster. Motter will need to be added to the 40-man roster in order to be called up to the Cardinals, but he has at least earned a look from his play in Florida.

Vargas has gone 7-for-16 with a home run and three doubles since the Dodgers allowed him to start swinging in games following a finger injury.

Vargas' spring slash line of .292/.452/.542 looks pretty good on the surface, but it's even better when taking into account the fact that he began the Cactus League schedule with orders from the team to not swing the bat. The rookie consequently racked up eight strikeouts (in eight at-bats) while simply tracking pitches before the restriction was lifted, and he's since shown no ill effects from the hairline fracture of his right pinky finger that he suffered early in camp. Vargas has also made some nice defensive plays at second base, where he's slated to log most of his time in a starting role this season.

McNeil has gone just 1-for-8 in three games for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

McNeil has struggled so far in the WBC, and he also was off to a slow start in the Grapefruit League with a .235/.278/.235 slash with zero extra-base hits in Florida. The hits aren't falling yet for the 30-year-old infielder, but after leading all of baseball with a .326 average last year and a career mark of .307, it's hard to believe McNeil won't be a contributor in that category again in 2023.

Arraez homered twice for Team Venezuela and drove in four runs Saturday in a 9-7 loss to Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

Arraez isn't known for his power, but he clobbered a two-run blast off Lance Lynn in the first inning, and swatted a solo shot off David Bednar in the seventh. Arraez also picked up an RBI on a fielder's choice. He sees his tournament come to a close with the loss, but it's nice to see Miami's big offseason acquisition driving the baseball, even in the exhibition season.

Gorman went 2-for-3 with an RBI, a walk and a run scored in Friday's Grapefruit League win over the Marlins.

Gorman has benefited from the Cardinals having a number of players away at the World Baseball Classic. He's hit .324 (11-for-34) with nine RBI, six runs scored and a 6:12 BB:K through 13 Grapefruit League games. Gorman may not have a consistent everyday position, but Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Disptatch reports Gorman will back up Nolan Arenado at third base in addition to being an option at second base and designated hitter this season. Gorman came up through the minors as a third baseman before switching to the keystone, but with utility man Brendan Donovan around, Gorman likely won't need to move around as much.

Garcia went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

Getting the start at second base and hitting second, Garcia launched a wind-aided shot to the opposite field in the third inning off Hunter Brown. The 22-year-old infielder remains a big part of the Nationals' rebuild despite his initial struggles in the majors, and he's looked good at the plate this spring, going 11-for-37 (.297) with two doubles, two homers and a 3:5 BB:K.

Villar (hip) is in line to return to Cactus League play Saturday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Villar will have missed about a week of action with a left hip flexor strain. He's struggled so far this spring, going 1-for-14 with eight strikeouts and no walks, but he'll have time to sharpen up ahead of Opening Day. Villar is in line to be the Giants' primary third baseman.

Marte is batting .154 (2-for-13) with one double, three walks, one RBI and one run scored over five spring games.

Marte is currently at the World Baseball Classic as part of Team Dominican Republic. When he returns to MLB action, the 29-year-old will be Arizona's primary second baseman. After a brief dalliance as a center fielder, the Diamondbacks decided to move him back to the keystone due to injuries that were perceived as a result of him playing the outfield. As an infielder in 2022, Marte played 137 games, but his .728 OPS was his lowest output since 2016.

Stott has hit just .143/.172/.286 through his first nine Grapefruit League games this spring.

Stott will move from shortstop to second base this season due to the arrival of Trea Turner and the departure of Jean Segura. His role as the primary second baseman is unlikely to come under serious threat, but it remains to be seen whether he's a true everyday player or merely on the large side of a platoon. Edmundo Sosa (who has a 1.758 OPS with four homers this spring) started over Stott against southpaws in the playoffs, and the Phillies added another right-handed option in Josh Harrison in late January.

Estrada has gone 4-for-18 across eight Cactus League games.

Interestingly, Estrada hasn't recorded a single -- he has two doubles, a triple and a home run. The 27-year-old is expected to be the Giants' Opening Day second baseman, though it's also possible he's asked to fill in at shortstop with Brandon Crawford bothered by a knee injury that disrupted his 2022 season. Estrada enjoyed a breakout by becoming a full-timer in the majors last year, slashing .260/.322/.400 with 14 home runs, 21 stolen bases, 62 RBI and 71 runs scored over 140 contests. He should be able to see similar playing time this year, and the possibility of positional versatility makes him attractive in fantasy.