MLB Player News

Drury's contract was selected by the Reds on Thursday.

Drury dealt with a minor knee injury late in spring training, but he'll still be included on the Reds' Opening Day roster. Donovan Solano (hamstring), Jose Barrero (hand) and Max Schrock (calf) are all beginning the season on the injured list, so Drury will serve as additional depth in the infield.

Urias (quadriceps) was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday, Sophia Minnaert of Bally Sports Wisconsin reports.

Urias' recovery process was going slowly late in camp, and the 24-year-old's placement on the injured list was expected. It's not yet clear whether Urias will be forced to miss more than the minimum of 10 days to begin the year, but Jace Peterson is in line to serve in the strong side of a platoon at third base in his absence, with Mike Brosseau available against lefties.

Hoerner will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Thursday's season opener against the Brewers.

As anticipated, Hoerner will begin the season as the Cubs' everyday shortstop while Andrelton Simmons (shoulder) is on the injured list. Like double-play partner Nick Madrigal, Hoerner makes good contact and has quality speed, but he offers little production in the power department.

Merrifield and the Royals agreed to a restructured contract Wednesday, which includes the team exercising his $6.75 million club option for 2023 while adding an $18 million mutual option for 2024, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Merrifield hasn't missed a game of the past three seasons and is now officially locked in with Kansas City through the 2023 campaign. The 33-year-old had a .277/.317/.395 slash line with 10 home runs, 97 runs, 74 RBI and 40 stolen bases last year and is poised to operate as the Royals' primary right fielder in 2022.

Gonzales went 5-for-11 with a pair of doubles, a steal and a 1:2 BB:K during the Pirates' spring-training slate.

Fresh off dominating performances in High-A (.303/.385/.565) and the Arizona Fall League (.380/.483/.549), Gonzales just keeps hitting everywhere he goes. His next test will come in Double-A, where he'll open the 2022 campaign, and if his spring performance is any indicator, he won't be intimidated by the increased level of competition. If the Pirates were more competitive, Gonzales would have a shot at coming up this year -- and if Diego Castillo doesn't work out, he still might -- but it's more likely that he'll be in position to push for an Opening Day roster spot next season.

Turang went 1-for-2 with a triple, a run, an RBI and two walks in Tuesday's season opener with Triple-A Nashville.

Turang is one of the more-heralded prospects in the Brewers' system, and his 2022 campaign got off to a good start. He posted just a .696 OPS in his first go-around at the Triple-A level last season, but that did include a quality .381 OBP. The Brewers are not particularly deep on the infield, so Turang has a chance to make his big-league debut sometime this season.

Andrus, who underwent a pair of surgeries for a fractured fibula this offseason, finished Cactus League play with a .281 average (9-for-32), two doubles, a triple, a home run and four RBI.

The veteran shortstop was able to get a good tune-up in for the regular season and build confidence in his surgically repaired leg in the process. Andrus is particularly trending in the right direction at the plate as Opening Day approaches, as he finished Cactus League play with a four-game hitting streak after a slow start.

Stott will break camp on the big-league roster, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Stott was competing for time at shortstop this spring but also emerged as a potential option at third base. After posting a 1.261 OPS with more walks than strikeouts in Grapefruit League action, the Phillies seemingly had no choice but to call him up. His expected role isn't totally clear, as third baseman Alec Bohm has also made the team, leaving the Phillies with seemingly one too many infielders. He and Bohm could potentially platoon at third, with the left-handed Stott seeing the majority of the starts in that setup, though he could also start in either middle infield spot to give veterans Didi Gregorius and Jean Segura the occasional day off.

Stott owns a ridiculous .480/.581/.680 line with a homer, two doubles and 6:4 BB:K this spring.

He's been in competition for a roster spot out of camp and potentially a starting job. Stott's numbers this spring jump off the page. This comes after a big-time 2021 in which Stott rocketed from High-A to Triple-A and posted a .299/.390/.486 line across 112 games. If there's a note of caution here for fantasy managers, it's that Stott doesn't have big-time power or speed, so his value will largely hinge on his ability to deliver batting average, RBI and runs.

Acuna is expected to open 2022 at High-A Hickory, according to Baseball America.

He got off to a terrible start last season, so his final batting line (.266/.345/.404) at Low-A doesn't jump off the page. That said, Acuna was only 19, and he ended up hitting 12 homers and swiping 44 bases, with his 10.4 percent walk rate offering some promise as well. He'll likely never develop the power that his brother, Ronald, has shown off in the majors, but Luisangel is flashing plenty of promise in his own right. It's not unreasonable to think that a big 2022 could get him on the radar for a promotion sometime in 2023.