MLB Player News

Fermin (quad) was optioned Saturday to Triple-A Memphis, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Fermin is dealing with a quadriceps strain, but was likely to open the year in Triple-A regardless of the injury. The infielder was acquired from the Guardians in November and added to the 40-man roster immediately after. He provides the Cardinals with organizational depth up the middle of the infield.

Villar was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's game against the Dodgers due to left hip tightness, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

After hitting a promising .231/.331/.455 (albeit with a 32.0 percent strikeout rate) in 52 games as a rookie last season, Villar entered spring training with a good shot to carve out a regular role at third base. If his injury remains nothing worse than tightness and he's able to return to the field soon, he'll still be in the favorite to start at the hot corner, but if he's forced to hit the injured list, Wilmer Flores and J.D. Davis could earn a larger share of at-bats.

Oritz has been in the concussion protocol over the last few days after he was hit in the head by a batted ball, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Ortiz won't be able to return until he is not experiencing concussion symptoms. The shortstop prospect was added to the Orioles' 40-man roster in November after closing the season with a .320/.383/.534 slash line across 26 games with Triple-A Norfolk. He's likely to see much of his playing time at that level in 2023, though he could earn a midseason call-up to the majors if he plays well.

Turang went 3-for-8 (.375) with a double, an RBI, three runs, a walk and a stolen base over his last three exhibition appearances.

Turang racked up just a pair of singles over his first four games of the spring, but he got going a bit over the past week. Turang has a case to break camp with the big club, but given the glut of infielders on Milwaukee's 40-man roster, it seems most likely he will begin the season with Triple-A Nashville.

Semien went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in Friday's spring game against the Athletics.

Semien is batting .320 (8-for-25) with six runs scored over nine Cactus League contests. He fell off in all the major hitting categories in 2022, his first year with the Rangers, and he needs to bounce back in 2023 to justify the seven-year, $175 million investment Texas has in him.

Biggio went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's split-squad game against Atlanta.

Getting the start at second base and hitting second, Biggio turned on an inside pitch from Spencer Strider in the third inning and drove it over the wall in right field. Biggio has gone 8-for-22 with a homer and a steal through eight Grapefruit League appearances, and the 27-year-old could see consistent playing time in a utility role this season for the Blue Jays. With a .213/.320/.353 slash line over the last two seasons, however, his primary fantasy value could lie in his position flex rather than his performance at the plate.

Alu was optioned to Triple-A Rochester by the Nationals on Friday.

Alu was added to the Nats' 40-man roster this offseason and has impressed this camp with his versatility. The 25-year-old has a good shot to debut at some point in 2023 but will get a little more seasoning first.

Polanco has yet to play in any Grapefruit League games for the Twins this spring, but that's not due to any health issues, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Polanco missed the final month of last season with a knee injury, so his absence this spring raised some concerns. However, the infielder is healthy and doing back-field work. Polanco will see some Grapefruit League action eventually and is expected to be ready to roll for Opening Day.

India has been hitting first or second most of the time in spring training so far and appears likely to hit there in the regular season, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "I haven't thought about the lineup too much yet, but he has proven that he's very effective in the leadoff spot," Reds manager David Bell said this week. "He's comfortable there. I still think he can hit pretty much anywhere in the lineup. For now, for spring training since he's done it, it's definitely an option and it just gets him more at-bats."

India lost 10 pounds and prioritized becoming a 'more athletic' hitter over the offseason. Multiple injuries limited India to 103 games and 431 plate appearances last season, so any reports about better conditioning should be welcomed. India has already drawn seven walks and stolen two bases while making his case for the leadoff spot.

Vargas went 1-for-3 with a double and a strikeout in a Cactus League contest against Oakland on Thursday.

This was Vargas' seventh game of the spring, but he wasn't allowed to swing the bat in his first six after fracturing his right pinky finger while fielding a grounder early in camp. He was cleared to begin swinging in games ahead of Thursday's exhibition contest and nearly homered in his first at-bat, driving a ball to deep center field that bounced over the fence for a ground-rule double. Now that Vargas is back to playing without restrictions, there's nothing standing in his way of opening the campaign as the Dodgers' starting second baseman.