MLB Player News

Urias was scratched from the Brewers' lineup ahead of Friday's Cactus League game against the Rockies, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

It's unclear why Urias was taken out of the Crew's lineup, but it doesn't seem like it's injury-related. Cam Devanney will take over for him at third base.

Marte was a scratch from Thursday's spring game due to illness, Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic reports. The illness is not believed to be COVID-related.

Marte returned from the World Baseball Classic earlier this week and went 2-for-6 with a double and a triple before bowing out of Thursday's game. Prior to the WBC, the second baseman had two hits over 13 at-bats.

Mann was reassigned Thursday to the minor-league side of Dodgers camp, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.

Mann got a lot of run in the Cactus League this spring and showed pretty well with a .775 OPS over 18 games, but he was never considered a likely candidate for the Opening Day roster. The 26-year-old will presumably return to Triple-A Oklahoma City to begin the 2023 campaign. He posted an .826 OPS with five home runs in 44 games at OKC to close out the 2022 campaign.

Hoerner was scratched from the Cubs' Cactus League lineup Thursday due to left biceps tightness, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

It's being labeled as a preventative measure for Hoerner, though there has to be at least some level of concern given that Opening Day is only one week away. Miles Mastrobuoni will cover second base against the Diamondbacks.

The Dodgers optioned Hernandez to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Hernandez logged a brief period of time in the majors with Arizona last season, but he spent most of the year at Triple-A Albuquerque and posted a .241/.349/.324 slash line across 298 plate appearances. Hernandez has had a very strong spring, going 8-for-30 at the plate with two RBI and three stolen bases, but he will need to show more at the highest level of the minors before he can contribute to the big-league club.

Donovan will spent time in the leadoff spot for the Cardinals this season, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Manager Oliver Marmol on Wednesday wouldn't commit to any lineup spots beyond Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras as his 3-4-5 hitters, but it's expected that Donovan, Lars Nootbaar and Tommy Edman will get looks at the top of the order. It could be Donovan and Nootbaar in the top two spots against right-handers, although Tyler O'Neill also seems to be in the mix for the No. 2 spot. Donovan's on-base skills make him a natural fit at leadoff, and he's shown more pop this spring after re-tooling his stance.

Urias hit a three-run homer during Monday's 6-5 loss for Team Mexico to Team Japan in the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic.

Urias swatted the homer with two runners aboard off an otherwise impressive Roki Sasaki to give Mexico a 3-0 lead in the fourth. The infielder played well in the tournament with a .278/.381/.444 slash with a homer and four RBI. With Mexico now eliminated, he'll head back to Arizona. He's expected to be a regular for the Brewers during the 2023 campaign.

Donovan is hitting .325 (13-for-40) with a team-leading four home runs over 14 Grapefruit League games.

Donovan's value to the Cardinals comes as a utility man, but his spring play should serve to get him an everyday role in the lineup to begin the season. He's the projected starter at second base, especially with Tommy Edman needed at shortstop to cover for the injured Paul DeJong (back). Donovan hit well as a rookie last year, slashing .281/.394/.379 with five home runs, 45 RBI, 64 runs scored and two stolen bases over 126 contests. With his versatility, he should remain in the mix for a starting role even if his hitting drops a bit.

Marte went 1-for-4 with a double in Sunday's spring game against Kansas City.

This was Marte's first game since returning from the World Baseball Classic, where he played for Team Dominican Republic. He had a couple of hard-hit balls, including the double and a 105.8 mph lineout to center field, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Marte had been slumping prior to playing in the WBC, so perhaps the hard-hit balls are a sign his swing has come around.

Gonzales was reassigned to minor-league camp Sunday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Gonzales is one of the Pirates' top prospects and had a strong showing in big-league camp with a 1.004 OPS in 16 contests. He spent most of 2022 at Double-A Altoona and had a .263/.383/.429 slash line, so he should move up to Triple-A Indianapolis this year.