MLB Player News
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Yoan Moncada 3B | LAA
White Sox's Yoan Moncada: Scratched with tweaked side
Moncada won't play in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Padres after tweaking his right side, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.
Moncada felt that he could play but didn't need to risk anything in an exhibition game. If the injury turns out to be worse than expected, Leury Garcia or Danny Mendick could spend time at third base.
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Abraham Toro 1B | BOS
Mariners' Abraham Toro: Stands out all spring
Toro, who's hit .387 (12-for-31) across 13 Cactus League games, is a player president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto believes can provide strong offensive production all season, Brent Stecker of 710 ESPN Seattle reports. "We're seeing offense that looks - it's legit," Dipoto said. "He swings at the right pitches, he uses the whole field, he's doing it as both a left- and right-hander...he's going to be a guy who has high on-base skill, sprays the ball around the field."
The trade-deadline acquisition from last season had his moments after coming over from the Astros, but he seems to now be fully acclimated to Seattle this spring. Toro's switch-hitting capability and defensive versatility make him a particularly valuable utility asset, and he's even played some left field during Cactus League games in an effort to open up even more avenues to playing time.
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Isaac Paredes 3B | HOU
Rays' Isaac Paredes: Traded to Tampa Bay
Paredes was traded to the Rays on Monday in exchange for Austin Meadows and a 2022 draft pick, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Paredes has shown that he can play all over the infield, adding future versatility for Tampa Bay. The infielder was optioned to Triple-A just a few days earlier, so unless the Rays decided to bump him up to the Opening Day roster over the next few days, he'll begin the year at Triple-A Durham.
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Matt Duffy 3B | TEX
Angels' Matt Duffy: Slated for platoon role
Duffy will split time in the short side of a platoon at second base to begin the 2022 campaign, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Tyler Wade will see most of the playing time at the keystone against right-handed pitchers early in the year, but Duffy and Jack Mayfield are expected to split at-bats against southpaws. Duffy appeared in 97 games with the Cubs last year, and he's gone 6-for-9 with a homer, a double, five runs and two walks across four Cactus League games this spring.
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Jake Burger 1B | TEX
White Sox's Jake Burger: Opening at Triple-A
Burger (ankle) was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Friday.
Burger battled ankle discomfort in late March but returned to game action with a homer Thursday against the Reds. An encouraging 2021 campaign saw him make his major-league debut after missing two seasons to Achilles injuries and another due to the canceled minor-league season, but he's stuck behind a number of bat-first players on the White Sox's depth chart. Yoan Moncada has Burger's spot at the hot corner blocked off for the foreseeable future, while Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets are stuck battling for at-bats at designated hitter as long as Jose Abreu remains the team's first baseman.
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Isaac Paredes 3B | HOU
Tigers' Isaac Paredes: Optioned to minors
Paredes was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Friday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Pareds missed some time during camp with a hand injury and won't end up making Detroit's Opening Day roster. He had a .625 OPS in 23 big-league games during 2021 and could receive a call-up when the Tigers require infield depth this season.
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Rafael Devers 1B | SF
Red Sox's Rafael Devers: Goes deep again
Devers went 1-for-1 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's spring training game against the Twins.
Thursday's long ball was Devers' fifth in Grapefruit League action. The third baseman is dialed in this spring, wielding an impressive 1.211 slugging percentage over eight games.
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Jose Ramirez 3B | CLE
Guardians' Jose Ramirez: Slow progress on extension talks
Ramirez and the Guardians have made little progress on negotiating a long-term contract extension, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Ramirez's option was exercised by Cleveland in November, so he'll earn $12 million for this season. There's one more option on his current contract, but both sides would greatly benefit by locking in a strong five-tool player long term. Ramirez hit .266/.355/.538 with 36 home runs, 103 RBI, 111 runs scored and 27 stolen bases in 152 games last season, and he enters 2022 as the everyday third baseman as he has for the last six years. He figures to be a bright spot in the heart of the lineup even if the Guardians struggle again this season.
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Jose Miranda 3B | MIN
Twins' Jose Miranda: Optioned to Triple-A
Miranda was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday.
Miranda sustained a bruised jaw last weekend, but he wasn't forced to miss additional time due to the injury. The 23-year-old went 3-for-12 with three RBI, a run, a walk and a strikeout across eight Grapefruit League games this spring. While he'll begin the season in the minors, he's a strong candidate to be called up fairly early in the regular season after he slashed .343/.397/.563 with 17 homers, 61 runs and 56 RBI across 80 games in St. Paul last year.
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Isaac Paredes 3B | HOU
Tigers' Isaac Paredes: Could play Wednesday
Paredes (hand) is listed as an available reserve for Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
Paredes hasn't played since exiting Sunday's game against the Orioles after taking a pitch off his right hand, but he looks like he could see some action off the bench Wednesday. Assuming his hand doesn't bother him heading into Opening Day, Paredes could break camp with the Tigers as a utility infielder.