MLB Player News

Albies is fully healthy after battling a wrist injury last season, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

While the second baseman officially missed about a month of action in August and September with a bone contusion in his right wrist, unofficially the wrist was an issue for at least a week prior to his placement on the IL. "When you're healthier, everything is easier," Albies said Saturday. "It was just about resting and getting myself back to normal." He was dynamic once he returned to the lineup, slashing .338/.372/.581 with five homers and three steals in the final 18 games of the regular season before going yard twice more in the playoffs. The 24-year-old missed only six games combined over the previous two campaigns, so there's little reason to think Albies can't stay healthy this season and at least return to the level of production he flashed in 2019.

Marte has been fielding grounders at shortstop early in camp, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Nick Ahmed is entrenched at shortstop, but manager Torey Lovullo wants to determine who will back up at shortstop when Ahmed is off. Marte has appeared in 270 games at shortstop in the majors, so this is not about seeing if he can handle the position but rather if others can't handle the job. Other backup candidates to Ahmed include Josh Rojas and Andy Young. Marte is expected to see most of his time at second base or center field this season.

Drury has yet to report to Mets' spring training, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

It's unclear why the 28-year-old has yet to join the team in Florida, though it's apparently not related to an injury. Drury signed a minor-league deal with the Mets during the offseason and figures to provide organizational infield depth in 2021.

Frazier is absent from workouts for the second straight day Friday due to a groin injury, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Manager Derek Shelton said Frazier was "a little dinged up" but didn't specify exactly when the injury occurred. This doesn't sound like anything more than normal wear and tear, and he still has more than a month to prepare for Opening Day, so there doesn't seem to be much reason to worry.

Diaz is competing with Jazz Chisholm for the starting second base job in camp, but whoever falls short in the battle will be sent to Triple-A Jacksonville, Andre C. Fernandez of The Miami Herald reports.

The Marlins have Jon Berti on hand in a utility role to back up whichever prospect wins the starting gig at the keystone. Diaz had a rough 2020, playing only seven games between an early opt-out due to COVID-19 concerns and then a strained groin once he re-joined the team, but manager Don Mattingly is confident the 24-year-old can rebound. "I've always liked his swing and he sees the baseball good," Mattingly said Thursday. "He's a strong kid who can use the whole field. He hasn't had the production we think he's capable of. We're looking forward to watching his growth." Miami would certainly prefer it if Diaz seized the job, as it still views Chisholm as the long-term answer at shortstop, but in the short term the team only has room for one of them on the big-league roster.

Kim could see time in the outfield in 2021, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Kim has not logged any time in the outfield during his professional career, but he is blocked at his usual position (shortstop) by Fernando Tatis and won't see frequent time at third as long as Manny Machado is healthy. The Padres are most likely to deploy Kim at second base, though they consider him an option in the outfield if the need arises. Jake Cronenworth is also being discussed as an outfield option, and each player may ultimately end up bouncing around the field a bit during the campaign.

Mayfield was designated for assignment by Atlanta on Wednesday.

Mayfield was claimed off waivers in November, but he'll now be cast off the 40-man roster after the team claimed outfielder Guillermo Heredia off waivers Wednesday. Mayfield appeared in 21 games for the Astros last season and hit .190 with three RBI.

Manager Craig Counsell said Monday that the Brewers will give Urias a chance to compete for the starting shortstop job during spring training, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

After the Brewers added two-time Gold Glove winner Kolten Wong earlier in the offseason to handle everyday duties at second base, Urias will turn his focus to earning a role on the left side of the infield. Orlando Arcia was the Brewers' primary starter at shortstop in 2020, and though he finished with a career-best .733 OPS, he's hardly entrenched at the position. To that end, Counsell noted Wednesday that Arcia will also see a "substantial amount" of use at third base this spring, per Haudricourt, as the Brewers look to keep both Urias and Arcia prepared to fill a utility role in the event non-roster invitee Travis Shaw emerges as the Opening Day starter at the hot corner. Urias will likely need a good spring to earn a regular starting job ahead of Arcia and/or Shaw, as he posted an underwhelming .239/.308/.294 slash line over 120 plate appearances in 2020 while missing time due to wrist surgery and a positive COVID-19 test.

Rodgers (shoulder) is fully healthy to begin spring training and could compete for time at second base, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Rodgers missed the final month of the 2020 season due to what was considered a minor right shoulder strain, but he felt healthy during the offseason and continued to add muscle. He'll compete for the starting job at second base with Garrett Hampson this spring, and he could enter Cactus League play as the favorite for the role with Ryan McMahon shifting to the hot corner, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports. He'll also take grounders at shortstop and third base and could take over as the starting shortstop if the team trades Trevor Story this season. The 24-year-old has been limited by shoulder injuries in each of his first two major-league seasons and slashed .196/.235/.227 with nine home runs and a 32.4 percent strikeout rate over 32 games across the past two years.

Hoerner will compete for the starting job at second base this spring, though he's also a candidate to begin the year at Triple-A Iowa, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Hoerner and David Bote are the top candidates for the everyday job at second, and whoever loses that battle may end up serving as a utility infielder. However, if Hoerner loses out, the organization may decide to get him regular at-bats at Triple-A Iowa rather than have him play sporadically in the majors, with Ildemaro Vargas likely taking the utility role in that scenario. Hoerner disappointed with a .571 OPS in 2020, but the 23-year-old still has plenty of potential and could seize a prominent role with a strong spring.