MLB Player News

Guillorme was struck on the hand by a pitch during a simulated game Sunday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The infielder shouldn't be out of action for long; he could see action off the bench Tuesday against the Marlins or get a start in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game. Guillorme is expected to win a spot on the Mets' bench to begin the season and has gone 6-for-22 (.273) this spring with zero extra-base hits and a 3:5 BB:K.

Rojas has hit well this spring, going 18-for-53 with three home runs and a .340/.397/.547 line.

Rojas went on a power tear in early March, swatting all three of his long balls in a two-game span. Nevertheless, he's remained impressive throughout Cactus League play and appears to be securing playing time for himself at second base. If Rojas is able to carry this type of performance through to the regular season, he could take that job and run with it.

Garcia has not seen any work at third base this spring as the Nationals focus on developing him as their long-term second baseman, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Carter Kieboom's continued struggles at the plate have generated questions about the team's contingency plans at the hot corner, but at the moment Garcia isn't among them -- at least, not directly. The 20-year-old is expected to begin the season at Triple-A to get everyday reps at second base, but if at some point the Nats decide Kieboom is not the answer, shifting Starlin Castro to third base and promoting Garcia to take over at the keystone would be on the table.

Marte (ankle) is starting in center field and batting leadoff in Friday's spring game against the Brewers.

The 27-year-old exited Tuesday's matchup with the A's due to soreness in his left ankle, but he's ready to retake the field Friday. Marte seems likely to open the season as the starter in center field but could also see time at the keystone.

Rodgers will be sidelined for at least one month with a right hamstring strain, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

The injury was downplayed after the 24-year-old exited Saturday's spring game against the Mariners, but he'll now be unavailable for at least the next four weeks. Rodgers will be sidelined until at least mid-April for the Rockies. Ryan McMahon could see time at second base in his absence, which would open opportunities at third base for Josh Fuentes.

Frazier is 12-for-18 with one stolen base in six Grapefruit League games.

The career .273 hitter batted just .230 in 209 at-bats in 2020, so he's looking for a rebound season. Frazier will serve as the team's primary second baseman, but manager Derek Shelton hasn't ruled out the occasional move to outfield. The 29-year-old got a late start this spring due to a hamstring injury -- he didn't debut until March 7 -- but the results thus far have been pretty good.

Diaz has gone 2-for-18 (.111) with a double, a triple and a 5:6 BB:K through 11 Grapefruit League games.

The patience and glimpses of extra-base power are intriguing, but they may not be enough to win Diaz the starting job at second base to begin the season. Jazz Chisholm, his main competition for the assignment, got the start Wednesday with most of the Marlins' projected Opening Day lineup and crushed his second home run of the spring, per Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. Chisholm is perceived to have higher upside at the plate, so Diaz may need to be decisively better over the next two weeks to claim the starting role at the keystone.

Albies hit his second home run of the spring during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles.

The second baseman missed a bit of time with a sore neck, but Albies is otherwise enjoying a solid spring, going 6-for-21 (.286) with a 3:6 BB:K. Still only 24 years old, he'll head into the regular season looking to regain or even top the form that saw him pile up 24 homers, 15 steals and an .852 OPS in 2019 after a wrist issue derailed his 2020 campaign.

Gorman, a natural third baseman who's acclimating to second base in the wake of the offseason acquisition of Nolan Arenado, played at the keystone for the first time in a simulated game Tuesday and helped turn a double play, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Despite being thought of as the team's third baseman of the near future before Arenado's arrival, Gorman embraced the possibility of carving out another path to the majors after the former Rockie was inked to a contract that could run through 2027. Gorman made defensive strides at the hot corner in the Low-A and High-A levels during 2019, but his focus on second base this spring has been going relatively smoothly, including in Tuesday's sim game. The 20-year-old could open the season at Double-A, but the goal is to have him at Triple-A Memphis by the end of the 2021 minor-league campaign.

Hoerner (back) is starting at second base and batting eighth in Wednesday's spring game against the Padres.

The 23-year-old was scratched from Sunday's lineup with back tightness and was held out the past couple days, but he'll return to game action Wednesday. Hoerner is competing with David Bote for the starting job at the keystone in camp.