MLB Player News

The Nationals optioned Garcia to Triple-A Rochester on Monday, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Manager Dave Martinez said over the weekend the young infielder was unlikely to make Washington's Opening Day roster, and Garcia was then included among nine players cut from big-league camp Monday. The 22-year-old appeared in 70 major-league games last season and hit .242/.275/.411 with six home runs and 22 RBI in 247 plate appearances. Garcia is likely to see the big leagues at some point in 2022, but Alcides Escobar and Cesar Hernandez are set to open the campaign as the starters in the middle infield, with Ehire Adrianza filling a utility role.

The Brewers reassigned Mathias to their minor-league camp Monday.

Mathias is healthy again after missing the entire 2021 campaign while recovering from right shoulder surgery, but he'll likely have to produce at Triple-A Nashville before garnering another look from the big club. The 27-year-old utility man made his big-league debut with the Brewers in 2020, seeing action in 16 games and hitting .278 with three doubles and a stolen base across 36 plate appearances.

Urias (quadriceps) will open the season on the injured list, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Urias injured his left quadriceps while running the bases in mid-March. He ran on the field Saturday -- one week after he suffered the injury -- and he's expected to resume swinging and playing catch soon. If he continues progressing without setbacks, he'll have the chance to avoid a long absence, but he'll miss at least a bit of time to start the year. Jace Peterson has the inside track on a temporary starting role at third base in his absence.

Gorman (back) is listed among the Cardinals' available reserves for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Gorman was scratched ahead of Sunday's game against the Mets due to lower-back tightness, but he looks as though he'll have the chance to see some game action a day later. The 21-year-old has gone 2-for-16 at the dish during spring training and is likely to open the season at Triple-A Memphis, where he'll likely continue to make starts at both second base and third base to give him multiple avenues to playing time at the big-league level.

Marte signed a five-year, $76 million contract extension with Arizona on Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Marte has developed into a strong second baseman across the last several seasons, and he'll now have his two upcoming option years guaranteed while remaining under contract with the team through the 2027 season. The 28-year-old appeared in 90 games last year and slashed .318/.377/.532 with 14 homers, 52 runs, 50 RBI and two stolen bases.

Gorman was scratched from Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets due to lower back tightness, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Gorman was originally in the lineup at second base and batting seventh. It's unclear how serious the injury is at this point, or whether it will affect the team's plans for him to begin the campaign.

Stott is starting at third base and hitting eighth in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.

Stott has been in competition with Didi Gregorius for the starting shortstop role in camp. However, he'll now get a look at the hot corner, where Alec Bohm is currently penciled into the starting lineup. Stott has appeared in only seven games at third base during his pro career, so this could just be an exercise to get him more reps at the position in case of an injury. Though he's in camp as a non-roster invitee, Stott has reached base in seven of his 13 plate appearances this spring.

Marte and the Diamondbacks are engaged in talks about a contract extension, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Marte is under contract for this season with the team holding options for the next two seasons. News of the negotiations was first reported by Robert Murray of Fansided. Since then, Jon Heyman of MLB Network added further details, indicating the option years will be guaranteed plus another three more years. The Diamondbacks understand how important Marte is to their offense. He was a key piece in 2019, when Arizona made a late push for a wild-card spot, and he slashed .318/.377/.532 with an OPS+ of 143 over 90 games in 2021, though his season limited by hamstring injuries. The organization has taken steps to minimize the chances of injury by moving him to second base full time in 2022.

Chavis was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's game against Baltimore due to shoulder tightness, reports Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Updating earlier information, Chavis' late removal from the lineup has been deemed precautionary. This is good news for the infielder as he battles for a spot on the Opening Day roster in Pittsburgh.

Chavis was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's game against Baltimore for undisclosed reasons.

Chavis is competing for at-bats at several spots around the diamond this spring. He's struggled to a .228/.259/.386 line in 85 major-league games over the last two seasons, so he needs every chance he can get in Grapefruit League action to make his case for playing time. It's unclear if Saturday's setback will keep him off the field for an extended period.