MLB Player News

Rodgers left Saturday's spring game against the Mariners in the bottom of the fifth inning with an apparent hamstring injury, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

Rodgers pulled up on a steal attempt in the bottom of the fifth inning, but he was able to walk off the field under his own power. The 24-year-old is the favorite to serve as the primary second baseman to begin the regular season. It's not yet clear whether his injury will force him to miss time.

Urias (hamstring) is running the basepaths Saturday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The Brewers had previously said that Urias could return to Cactus League play over the weekend, but he isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rangers. However, he's doing some running on the side prior to the spring matchup. It's not yet clear whether the 23-year-old will return to the lineup for Sunday's contest against the Mariners.

Guillorme got the start at third base Friday with Marcus Stroman on the mound and made two impressive defensive plays, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

One of the solutions Mets manager Luis Rojas employed last season to try and solve the team's defensive woes was putting Guillorme at the hot corner instead of J.D. Davis when a groundball pitcher was on the mound. Stroman's career 58.6 percent groundball rate is the highest among active big-league pitchers with at least 500 innings, giving Rojas even more incentive to prioritize infield defense when his turn in the rotation comes around. Davis is still expected to top the depth chart at third base, but if Guillorme -- who slashed a surprising .333/.426/.439 last year, albeit in only 68 plate appearances -- is the regular starter for Stroman's outings, he could have some fantasy appeal in deep NL-only and daily formats.

Short (COVID-19 protocols) returned to camp Saturday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Short was away from the team for several days due to COVID-19 protocols, although the 25-year-old didn't violate any rules. Manager A.J. Hinch said that Short is scheduled to play in the late innings during Sunday's spring game against the Orioles. Assuming all goes well, Short should be available for the Tigers going forward.

India was officially invited to big-league camp Friday.

India has been getting opportunities in spring games despite technically being at minor-league camp. He's been making the most of them, posting a 1.071 OPS in 20 plate appearances. He's considered close to big-league ready but has no obvious place to play, with Eugenio Suarez at third base and Mike Moustakas blocking second. The invitation indicates the Reds think highly of him, however, so it's possible they find a way to get him onto the 26-man roster.

Manager Craig Counsell said Mathias is dealing with a "serious" right shoulder injury after undergoing an MRI this week, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The 26-year-old suffered the injury Tuesday and figures to be sidelined for the foreseeable future, though the specifics of the injury remain unclear. Mathias was in the mix for a spot on the Opening Day roster but is now likely unavailable.

Kemp (hip) won't play in Friday's spring game against the Padres, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Kemp left Thursday's spring game against Texas in the bottom of the second inning after he was hit by the first pitch of the contest. Manager Bob Melvin said that Kemp's hip tightened up after being hit by the pitch, but there's still hope that he'll be able to get back in the lineup Saturday.

Kemp was removed in the second inning of Thursday's Cactus League game against the Rangers after being hit in the back by a pitch in his lone at-bat, Jacob Rudner of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Kemp was able to take his base after being hit by the pitch and proceeded to play left field in the bottom half of the first inning before leaving in the bottom of the second. The Athletics may have just removed him for precautionary reasons, but Kemp will need to be viewed as day-to-day for the time being.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Chavis won't be considered an option in the outfield "for now," Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

With Franchy Cordero's status for Opening Day in question due to his delayed start to camp while waiting to clear the COVID-19 protocols, the Red Sox could have an opening in left field to begin the season. Chavis apparently won't warrant any consideration to replace him, with Cora instead naming Marwin Gonzalez as the top candidate to fill in for Cordero if needed. While Chavis still would offer the ability to play three infield spots, his chances of winning a utility role with Boston don't appear to be high with Gonzalez, Enrique Hernandez, Danny Santana and Christian Arroyo all offering similar or better defensive versatility. In addition, Chavis has minor-league options remaining, which also figures to work against him in his bid for an Opening Day roster spot.

Gimenez may be emerging as the favorite for Cleveland's starting shortstop job, as Amed Rosario is expected to begin working out at other positions, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Gimenez and Rosario looked set to battle for playing time with the Mets, and that battle continues in Cleveland after both came over in the Francisco Lindor trade. The way Rosario is being used suggests the team views Gimenez as the better option at shortstop, but he's not exactly a proven MLB talent, so winning the job on Opening Day doesn't guarantee he'll keep it all year. Gimenez looked decent enough in his 49-game debut last season after skipping Triple-A, hitting .263/.333/.398 with three homers and eight steals.