MLB Player News

Diaz will begin the season at Triple-A Jacksonville after Jazz Chisholm was named the starter at second base by general manager Kim Ng on Sunday, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

The pair were competing for the starting job throughout spring training, but Diaz won't make the Opening Day roster after going 2-for-34 with 13 strikeouts in 19 Grapefruit League appearances. Diaz will receive regular reps in the minors rather than operating as a bench piece for the Marlins.

Garcia was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Carter Kieboom's significant spring struggles could have opened up playing time for Garcia, but his .660 spring OPS wasn't particularly impressive either. The Nationals elected to send both young infielders to the minors and will use veteran journeymen Starlin Castro, Josh Harrison, Jordy Mercer and Hernan Perez in some combination at second and third base to start the year. Garcia is still just 20 years old and was promoted ahead of schedule last season, so the move shouldn't be considered much of a setback in terms of his long-term career prospects.

Hoerner was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Hoerner appeared in 48 games in 2020 and appeared to be on track to make the Cubs' Opening Day roster, but he'll be sent to the minors to begin the regular season. The 23-year-old slashed .353/.405/.647 with six extra-base hits, five RBI and three stolen bases over 13 Cactus League games this spring. Hoerner should be back with the major-league club at some point in 2021, but David Bote and Eric Sogard will split time at second base early in the year.

Peguero went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI against Baltimore on Thursday.

He got the start even though he's already been reassigned to minor-league camp. The 20-year-old shortstop has three hits in nine spring at-bats and is showing the promise that led Pittsburgh to trade for him in the Starling Marte deal.

Gorman was reassigned to the minor-league camp Thursday.

Gorman got a lot of run in Grapefruit League action as he expanded his defensive versatility by gaining experience at second base. He didn't hit particularly well in 24 plate appearances, posting a .174/.208/.261 line. However, he'll continue to refine his game in the minors and is likely to begin the season at Double-A Springfield.

Urias has gone 6-for-16 (.375) with a home run, three doubles, three RBI and a 5:2 BB:K over his last seven spring games.

Urias missed time earlier in March with a hamstring injury, but he has been locked in since returning to action. His hit tool earned him a prominent spot on prospect lists in recent years, so his recent stretch should not come as a major surprise. Urias is set to play a key role for the Brewers on the left side of the infield this year.

Marte went 1-for-1 with a solo home run and two walks in Wednesday's spring game against Cleveland.

Marte went deep for the third time this spring, leading off the bottom half of the first inning -- the sixth time in 13 games that he's batted leadoff. He's also made six starts as the second batter in the order. Marte appears poised to return to his 2019 form, having gone 12-for-34 with five doubles, three home runs, six RBI, five walks and 11 runs scored this spring. Additionally, per David Adler of MLB.com, Marte's tied with Giancarlo Stanton for the spring lead with five balls having left his bat at 110 mph or higher.

Drury was reassigned to minor-league camp Wednesday, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

Drury missed the first few weeks of spring training for an unspecified reason, but he appeared in 12 Grapefruit League games and hit .174 with two runs, two RBI, one walk and seven strikeouts. The 28-year-old should begin the season with Triple-A Syracuse.

Guillorme (hand) will start at third base and will bat ninth in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Guillorme's health was in some question after he was struck in the hand by a pitch during a simulated game, but he apparently avoided any structural damage and escaped with some minor soreness. A few days off were all Guillorme needed to overcome the issue, so his bid for a spot on the Mets' Opening Day roster won't be derailed. He appears to be in good position to break camp with the club as a utility man.

Kim will play the outfield later this week, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Kim returned from an illness last week and came into the game at shortstop Tuesday against Cincinnati. He has been named as a candidate to log time in the outfield this season despite the fact that he has never played there in his professional career.