MLB Player News

Estrada (forearm) will start at shortstop and bat cleanup Thursday in the Giants' Cactus League game against the White Sox, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Estrada is back in the lineup for the first time since getting hurt in his spring debut Saturday, when he was hit in the right forearm by a pitch. Since he missed less than a week of action, Estrada shouldn't be too disadvantaged as he looks to break camp with the Giants as a utility man. He performed reasonably well over a sample of 132 plate appearances with San Francisco in 2021, reaching base at a .333 clip while slugging 11 extra-base hits, including seven home runs.

Marte is expected to make his on-field debut in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Brewers, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Irritation in Marte's left eye limited him at the start of camp, and his lone game appearance thus far in the Cactus League has been as a designated hitter. When Marte does hit the field, he is expected to line up at second base.

Marte went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in Tuesday's spring training game against the Rangers.

Marte made his spring debut after dealing with eye irritation that prevented him from working out the first few days of camp. He served as the designated hitter Tuesday but should soon line up at second base, where he's expected to be the Diamondbacks' starter.

McNeil and the Mets agreed Tuesday on a one-year, $3 million contract to avoid arbitration, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

McNeil's 23-homer outburst in 2019 continues to look like an aberration amid a minor- and major-league career with otherwise middling power production, but his high-contact approach and disciplined eye at the plate are enough to make him useful everyday player. He's expected to serve as the Mets' primary second baseman in 2022, with Robinson Cano -- who is back from a one-year suspension -- likely to handle designated-hitter duties in most games.

Urias (quadriceps) and the Brewers agreed Tuesday on a one-year, $2.55 million contract to avoid arbitration, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

Urias was arbitration-eligible for the first time in his career following a breakthrough 2021 campaign in which he reached base at a .345 clip while supplying 23 home runs, 77 runs, 75 RBI and five stolen bases across 567 plate appearances. He played in all but 12 games last season, but Urias looks like he won't be on track to maintain that sort of durability in 2022, as he's not expected to be ready for Opening Day due to his recent shutdown caused by a left quad injury. The Brewers plan to hold Urias out for the remainder of the Cactus League slate before re-evaluating him once the team heads north at the conclusion of camp.

Guillorme agreed Tuesday with the Mets on a one-year, $875,000 contract to avoid arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

The 27-year-old was arbitration-eligible for the first time coming off a 2021 campaign in which he submitted a .685 OPS across 156 plate appearances over his 69 games with the Mets. He's expected to fill a utility role in the infield throughout the 2022 season.

Marte (eye) will bat second and serve as the designated hitter as expected Tuesday against Texas, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Marte has been delayed to start camp by irritation in his left eye. He'll hit Tuesday and is expected to take the field soon, leaving him plenty of time to get up to full speed by Opening Day.

Rodgers (back) will start at second base and bat fifth in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Angels, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

The 25-year-old will pick up his first official start of the spring, after he was previously a late scratch from the lineup in Saturday's game against the Giants while he dealt with back tightness. In his return to action, Rodgers will be part of a starting nine Tuesday that would appear to resemble the Rockies' everyday lineup versus right-handed pitching. Batting out of the fifth spot behind Charlie Blackmon, Kris Bryant, Ryan McMahon and C.J. Cron could be fruitful ground for run-producing chances, especially at Coors Field.

The Marlins designated Diaz for assignment Tuesday.

Diaz was dropped from the 40-man roster to clear a spot for outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler, whose three-year contract with the Marlins became official Tuesday. A prominent member of the Marlins' return haul in the January 2018 deal that sent Christian Yelich to Milwaukee, Diaz never emerged as the core contributor in the middle infield that Miami envisioned. Over 500 plate appearances with the Marlins across parts of the past three seasons, Diaz slashed .185/.275/.287 with nine home runs, 45 runs and 41 RBI while striking out 27.8 percent of the time.

Garcia was removed from Monday's starting lineup against St. Louis due to a stomach bug, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

This is reassuring news for the Nationals, as Garcia will likely miss only a few days at most while recovering. While he is younger and more likely to be a part of the next good Nationals team than Cesar Hernandez or Alcides Escobar, it sounds like Garcia needs to go out and win a starting spot this spring, otherwise he will open the year at Triple-A.