MLB Player News

Rosario is in the mix for starts at third base for the Padres while Manny Machado (elbow) is limited to the designated hitter spot, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Machado will need to DH at least for the club's March 20-21 series in South Korea and perhaps for a bit when it returns home, too. That opens up some at-bats at the hot corner, where Rosario is competing primarily with Graham Pauley and Matthew Batten. Rosario, 24, is 6-for-25 with a couple stolen bases in Cactus League play and went 9-for-36 with two homers during his brief time with the big club last season. He can play second base and shortstop, as well, putting him in contention for a reserve role even if he's not getting starts at third base.

Batten is a candidate for starts at third base for the Padres while Manny Machado (elbow) is limited to designated hitter duty, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Batten is in competition primarily with Graham Pauley and Eguy Rosario for playing time at third base until Machado is ready to play the field. The 28-year-old Batten is known more for his glove than his bat but held his own in 139 plate appearances with the big club last season, posting a .713 OPS with a couple homers. Batten's limited ceiling offensively makes him a lackluster fantasy option even if he were to garner starts for a while.

Pauley is in the running to start at third base for the Padres while Manny Machado (elbow) is limited to designated hitter duty, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Machado will not be ready to play third for the team's March 20-21 series in South Korea against the Dodgers and perhaps for a bit longer than that. That opens up some playing time at the hot corner, with Pauley, Matthew Batten and Eguy Rosario in the mix, per Acee. Pauley is not on the 40-man roster, has yet to advance past Double-A San Antonio and is not a strong defender, factors which could work against him cracking the Opening Day roster. However, he's forced himself into the conversation this spring by putting up a 1.012 OPS with one home run in 12 games. The 23-year-old slashed an impressive .308/.393/.539 with 23 home runs and 22 stolen bases over three minor-league levels in 2023.

Padres manager Mike Shildt said Saturday that it's a "pretty safe" bet that Machado (elbow) will be the team's designated hitter during its March 20-21 series in South Korea against the Dodgers, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Machado has yet to play third base in a spring training game and recently took a little break from throwing due to some soreness with his surgically repaired right elbow. He will resume throwing Sunday and go through drills at the hot corner, but it's unclear as to when he'll be allowed to play third base in a game. Matthew Batten, Graham Pauley or Eguy Rosario are options to handle third in South Korea, and it's possible they'll be needed for the Padres' domestic opener March 28, as well, if Machado isn't ready to play the field yet.

Machado will restart his throwing program Sunday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Machado had been on a break from throwing as he continues to recover from an offseason elbow surgery. There is still no timeline in place for Machado to return to third base, but it will almost certainly come after San Diego's first series of the year against the Dodgers. In the meantime, he has done well as the Padres' DH this spring, going 4-for-12 with an RBI across seven games.

The Giants placed Davis on waivers Saturday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Davis entered spring camp as the Giants' primary third baseman, but he quickly found himself without a clear path to playing time after the team signed Matt Chapman to a one-year deal. Rather than having Davis begin most games on the bench, the Giants will now place him on waivers in an effort to alleviate $6.9 million from their payroll. Davis slashed .248/.325/.413 with 18 homers and 69 RBI across 544 plate appearances last season and is sure to receive interest from other clubs, if not on waivers then on the free-agent market.

With Noelvi Marte serving an 80-game suspension to begin the season, Candelario will be the primary third baseman for the first three months of the season, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Reds manager David Bell repeatedly has stressed that Candelario will play a lot, but this just solidifies what position he'll play, instead of Candelario playing multiple positions to get his time. Jonathan India, Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand are all also capable of playing third in a pinch.

Wisdom (quadriceps) is in the Cubs' lineup for Saturday's spring training game against the Rockies.

Wisdom has been held out since Feb. 27 due to tightness in his right quad, but he felt good after participating in a sim game Tuesday and has been given the green light to return to the Cactus League. Wisdom was just 1-for-8 across three games before getting injured, and he figures to operate as a reserve player for the Cubs heading into the regular season.

Marte was suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball on Friday for violating the joint drug prevention and treatment program, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Marte tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug Boldenone and now will be ineligible to play until well into June. The 22-year-old had been the favorite to be the Reds' Opening Day third baseman after slashing .316/.366/.456 in 35 contests for Cincinnati in 2023. Jeimer Candelario now figures to see most of his playing time at third base, while Christian Encarnacion-Strand should settle into more at-bats at first base. The Reds could also opt to use Spencer Steer more often on the infield.

Busch went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Reds.

Busch took Cincinnati fireballer Hunter Greene deep for his first home run of the spring. The 26-year-old projects to be Chicago's primary option at first base heading into the regular season. Busch has some upside and looked great in the minors last year, though he's yet to get extended run in the majors, so there may be some growing pains as he settles in with the Cubs.