MLB Player News

Turang will hit the bench Saturday against the Cubs.

Turang made his MLB debut in the season opener Thursday, going 1-for-3. Owen Miller will take over at the keystone with lefty Justin Steele starting for the Cubs. A strict platoon may be the plan going forward at the position.

Ortiz (concussion) is playing in Florida and is expected to join Triple-A Norfolk for the affiliate's home opener Tuesday, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

Ortiz sustained a concussion during a Grapefruit League game, which wiped out much of his chance to audition for a major-league roster spot. The 24-year-old should be expected to see significant playing time at Norfolk this season, and a strong showing could get him to the majors before the end of the campaign.

Merrifield will sit Saturday against the Cardinals.

Merrifield got the start at second base on Opening Day, but it will be Cavan Biggio who takes over in the second game of the year. Merrifield stumbled to a .250/.298/.375 line last season and turned 34 in January, so there's no guarantee he continues to earn everyday at-bats.

Urias was placed on the injured list Saturday with a hamstring strain which could keep him out for eight weeks, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Urias suffered the injury on Opening Day, and it's evidently a fairly serious one. He's been given a timetable of six-to-eight weeks, with the Brewers expecting him to fall on the latter end of that range. Mike Brosseau will take over at third base Saturday, but Brian Anderson, who starts in right field, could wind up being the primary option against righties. That would open up more at-bats for Brewers outfielders, including Joey Wiemer, who was recalled to take Urias' spot on the roster.

Vargas went 1-for-1 with a double and three walks in a loss to Arizona on Friday.

Vargas nearly hit his first home run of the season in the second inning, but the ball bounced off the wall, and he ended up with a double. The rookie set the table by walking in each of his three subsequent plate appearances, but the batters below him in the order couldn't cash him in. Vargas has displayed an astute eye at the plate through two games, walking five times over eight plate appearances.

Massey will be on the bench Saturday against the Twins.

Massey batted sixth and played second base in the season opener but finished the day 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. Nicky Lopez will take over at the keystone in the second game of the year.

Gimenez went 2-for-4 with a walk, three runs scored and a stolen base in Friday's 9-4 win over the Mariners.

The second baseman's first pilfer of the season came on the front half of a double-steal with Myles Straw in the fourth inning, setting up Steven Kwan for a two-run double that put Cleveland in the lead for good. The Guardians went 3-for-3 on the basepaths in total against Cal Raleigh and Mariners pitching, and given their speed up and down the lineup, they could be one of the clubs that benefits most from MLB's rule changes to boost the running game. Gimenez stole 20 bases in 2022, but his 94th percentile sprint speed last year per Statcast suggests he could top that total easily if given the chance.

Rosario went 2-for-6 with an RBI and his first stolen base of the season in Friday's 9-4 win over the Mariners.

Cleveland went 3-for-3 on the basepaths in total against Cal Raleigh and Seattle's pitchers, and given the Guardians' speed up and down the lineup, they could be one of the clubs that benefits most from MLB's rule changes to boost the running game. Rosario has hit second in each of the first two games of 2023, and a consistent spot in the lineup between Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez can only help his fantasy production.

Andrus went 1-for-4 with a stolen base Friday against the Astros.

After hitting eighth Opening Day, Andrus hit at the bottom of the White Sox's order Friday. He reached base on an infield single in the fifth inning and then proceeded to swipe second base -- his first steal of the season -- before being stranded. Andrus is locked into the starting second base role in Chicago, and he should be a source of moderate production in both home runs and stolen bases.

Kim went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a run scored in Friday's loss to Colorado.

Kim accounted for nearly all of San Diego's offense Friday, collecting three of the team's five hits and the only two that went for extra bases. He scored in the eighth inning on Xander Bogaerts' sacrifice fly. Kim has collected four hits through two games and has yet to record a walk or strikeout.