MLB Player News

Sweeney has a chance to earn more playing time with Aaron Altherr set to miss 4-to-6 months with a wrist injury, the PhillyVoice reports.

Sweeney played in 37 games with the Phillies last season after coming over from the Dodgers in the Chase Utley deal. He showed some pop in his limited time in the majors, but also struck out an unsightly 27.6% of the time. He's continued to struggle with the bat thus far this spring, having struck out six times in five games. He may need some additional time in the minors before the Phillies give him another opportunity.

Albies has made a strong impression on the Braves' coaching staff this spring, MLB.com reports. "He's the talk of the coaching staff after we come in after watching them play," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "The guys talk about the maturity, the talent and the ability. He's pretty good. Then, we get [former Braves manager Bobby Cox] in the room and we say, 'hey, Skip, you took a 19-year-old up with you, didn't you?'"

Andruw Jones was the player Gonzalez was referencing. Chances are, Albies will begin the year at either High-A Carolina or Double-A Mississippi, depending on where the club sends top prospect Dansby Swanson, but Albies has said that his goal is to reach the majors as a teenager. Both Albies and Swanson are expected to start off the season playing shortstop in the minors, but one of the two may ultimately land at second base long term.

Tomlinson will get a long look at shortstop this spring in an effort to make him the primary backup to Brandon Crawford, CSN Bay Area reports.

Tomlinson got off to a good start with his first hit of the spring and some smooth plays at short. He broke out in 2015 filling in for Joe Panik, slashing .303/.358/.404 in 178 at-bats. With Panik healthy for the start of the 2016 season, the Giants would like Tomlinson (a natural second baseman) to be their primary backup down the middle. He won't have much value if Crawford and Panik are healthy, but he would be an intriguing pickup if either went down due to Tomlinson's solid bat and plus speed.

Nationals manager Dusty Baker fell just short of naming Espinosa his Opening Day shortstop following Monday's intrasquad game, Jamal Collier of MLB.com reports.

This isn't much of a surprise, but the question for the Nats at shortstop is more when they intend to bring up top prospect Trea Turner rather than if. Espinosa may be the starter at the beginning of April, but his stint could be a short one.

Adames is among the candidates being considered to fill the temporary vacancy the Rockies may have at shortstop to begin the season if Jose Reyes is suspended.

Trevor Story reached the 20-20 plateau between Double-A and Triple-A last season, but the Rockies may want him to receive additional seasoning in the minors early on to avoid using an entire year of service time. Meanwhile, Adams hit .311/.362/.438 with 11 homers and 11 steals in 116 games at Triple-A Albuquerque last season, but struggled in his limited chances with the Rockies to the tune of a .245/.298/.302 line in 53 at-bats. That he's already debuted in the big leagues should at least be a small mark in Adames' favor, but he'll need to prove ready to handle the assignment this spring.

Hernandez will be Corey Seager's primary backup at shortstop but should also see time at several other positions, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Hernandez could be in line for something in the range of 300 plate appearances while seeing time at 2B, SS, 3B, and the outfield. Despite hitting a robust .307/.346/.490 in 218 plate appearances last year though, Hernandez will need one or more regulars to get hurt or underperform to see regular playing time.

Beckham is aiming to be the Braves' starting third baseman, MLB.com reports. "My goal is to play third every day, and that's what I want to do," Beckham said. "They said I would have an opportunity to do that. I'm just going to take them at their word and go out there with my head down for about a month. Hopefully, at the end of it, that will be where I am at."

A short-end platoon role at second base alongside Jace Peterson seems like a worst-case scenario for Beckham to start the season, but he's aiming much higher. Manager Fredi Gonzalez is said to be keeping an open mind, and the competition ahead of Beckham at third (Adonis Garcia and Kelly Johnson) isn't exactly stellar, but Beckham will need to show significant improvement at the dish in order to win an everyday job. He posted just a .607 OPS in 100 games for the White Sox last year and has largely struggled at the major league level since his rookie season in 2009.

Drury will compete for the D-backs' starting second base job this spring, the Arizona Republic reports.

Chris Owings, who is now more than a year removed from shoulder surgery, and Phil Gosselin appear to be the other candidates vying for the job. Drury hit better during his time at Triple-A Reno (.842 OPS) than he did at Double-A Mobile last season (.676 OPS), and he's flashed double-digit homer potential at the lower levels of the minor leagues. Just 23 years old, he may be better suited to play regularly at Triple-A to begin the year rather than work off the bench if he falls short of winning the starting job out of camp.

Solarte is in line to enter the 2016 season as the Padres' everyday third basemen, Corey Brock of MLB.com reports.

After a 2015 season where he made 85 starts at the position, it looks like the hot corner is where the 28-year-old will end up entering 2016. The Venezuela native also made 25 starts at first base and 14 starts at second last year, but after playing over half the year at third and posting a solid .967 fielding percentage, he will likely remain there. Cory Spangenberg, another third base option, is on tap to start the season at second given his 67 starts at the position for the Padres last year. Another potential option is Brett Wallace, but his meager five starts at third last season will likely keep him as a reserve for third base, not the starter.

Gumbs signed a minor league contract with the Reds, Baseball America reports.

A second-round pick by the Yankees in 2010, Gumbs hit the proverbial wall in his development, failing to move above High-A after his initial promotion to the level in 2013. He hit a low point in 2015, batting .176/.224/.213 in 202 plate appearances with High-A Tampa, but Gumbs is only 23 and the Reds want to see if there's something in his game that is correctable.