MLB Player News

The Nationals reassigned Garcia to their minor-league camp Wednesday, Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic reports.

Despite being one of the younger players in any big-league camp during spring training, Garcia looked advanced beyond his age. The 18-year-old went 6-for-19 with seven runs and two RBI, with his 3-for-3 effort over the weekend against the Astros standing out as his most eye-opening performance. The young shortstop only saw a half season of action at High-A Potomac in 2018, but his success in the Carolina League coupled with his stellar spring could prompt the Nationals to assign him to Double-A Harrisburg to begin the upcoming campaign.

Manager Torey Lovullo said Marte's playing time will not be impacted by the arrival of Adam Jones, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

The manager further clarified comments made by general manager Mike Hazen on Monday. Lovullo envisions Marte rotating among center field, second base and shortstop on a near-daily basis as dictated by need or matchup. "I'm not necessarily looking at total games played at each spot," Lovullo said. "It's that particular matchup on that day. Ketel's versatility is going to allow somebody to get into the game who could be a hired sniper or could be somebody who is going to go out there and have a great game because of the matchup." Marte, an infielder prior to 2019, had opened spring training as the team's primary center fielder. The bottom line is that Marte, who had 580 plate appearances over 153 games in 2018, will not see a noticeable reduction in playing time.

Herrera was assigned to the Mets' minor-league camp Tuesday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Once held in high esteem as a lower-level prospect, Herrera's mediocre numbers at Triple-A over the past four seasons in addition to his middling production in brief stints in the majors in 2014, 2015 and 2018 have significantly dimmed his luster. Considering he isn't a member of the 40-man roster, Herrera won't have a clear path to joining the Mets even if he thrives at Triple-A Syracuse in the early going.

The Mets assigned Gimenez to their minor-league camp Tuesday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The 20-year-old shortstop acquitted himself well while attending camp as a non-roster player, recording four hits (including a home run) in 16 at-bats while striking out only twice. Gimenez has displayed some strong bat-to-ball skills and an ability to rack up steals in the minors, but his below-average power profile may lower his overall ceiling once he matriculates to the big leagues. Regardless, Gimenez should have a good shot at emerging as a fixture in the middle infield for the Mets down the road, perhaps as soon as 2020.

The Marlins optioned Diaz to Triple-A New Orleans on Tuesday, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic reports.

One of the top infield prospects in the organization, Diaz is likely to reach the majors at some point in 2019, but cracking the Opening Day roster was always going to be an uphill battle. He'll first need to improve upon the lackluster .204/.281/.358 slash line he supplied during his first stint at New Orleans last season before getting a look in Miami.

Marte will continue to get starts in center field after the Diamondbacks added Adam Jones to the roster, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Arizona general manager Mike Hazen addressed Jones' addition Monday, telling reporters that the 33-year-old will play quite a bit at all three outfield positions. At the same time, Hazen addressed the speculation about Marte's anticipated playing time as the primary center fielder, which he believes has been overstated in the media. "I think 'primary' has always sort of been taken too far," he said. "We've said the whole time he's going to play center field, second base and shortstop, and that's still going to be the case." The Diamondbacks could use a rotation in center field that consists of Marte, Jones and Jarrod Dyson. The bottom line for Marte is that he'll enhance his versatility and positional eligibility in 2019.

Garcia went 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBI in Sunday's 6-4 Grapefruit League victory over the Astros.

Set to turn 19 years old in May, Garcia is the only 18-year-old in attendance at a big-league camp this spring. He was unsurprisingly quiet over his first 15 at-bats in the Grapefruit League with only three hits, but he busted out in a big way Sunday. The shortstop laid down a perfect drag bunt in his first plate appearance that he legged out for an infield single and drove home runs on his other two base hits on the day. Garcia will likely report to minor-league camp within the next week and should open the upcoming season at Double-A Harrisburg or High-A Potomac.

Marte may shift into a super utility role after the Diamondbacks signed veteran outfield Adam Jones on Sunday, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Marte was pegged to be the everyday center fielder, but the addition of Jones frees up manager Torey Lovullo to get Marte at-bats at multiple positions. The 25-year-old switch hitter can play both middle-infield spots while also seeing action in center. So long as his plate appearances don't take a dramatic hit, Marte's fantasy outlook in keeper leagues may actually improve by the addition of Jones, as fantasy managers could be able to deploy Marte at multiple positions beyond 2019.

Rosario (hand) went 1-for-1 with a three-run home run, a stolen base and two runs scored in Sunday's 9-1 win over the Cardinals in Grapefruit League play.

Rosario didn't skip a beat after missing almost a week of game action due to a hand injury. He belted a three-run homer over the left-field fence during the second inning to stake the Mets an early 4-0 lead and was plunked by a pitch in his final plate appearance in the fourth. The 23-year-old shortstop continues his impressive spring, as he's now 7-for-14 with two home runs, six RBI, a stolen base and seven runs scored.

Lux was reassigned to minor-league camp Sunday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Lux is listed as the Dodgers' No. 1 prospect and made it to Double-A Tulsa in 2018, where he slashed .324/.408/.495 with four homers and nine RBI over 28 games. He figures to remain with the Drillers for the better half of the 2019 campaign.