MLB Player News

Milwaukee optioned Toro to Triple-A Nashville on Monday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

As the Brewers thin down their major-league roster ahead of the 2023 campaign, Toro was the latest member of the spring roster to be relocated. The 26-year-old signed a one-year deal with Milwaukee in January and produced a .185 average with a homer, four RBI and two runs scored over 27 at-bats in 13 games during spring training. Toro struggled to a .185/.239/.324 slash line with the Mariners in 2022 and will likely have to heat up from the plate before he'd get recalled by the Brewers this season.

Riley went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

He crushed a Wil Crowe offering the other way to right-center field in the first inning, giving Riley his third long ball of the spring. The slugging third baseman has gone 11-for-39 (.282) during Grapefruit League play with an 8:8 BB:K, and he'll take aim at reaching the 30-homer plateau for the third straight season in 2023.

McMahon is likely to hit third in the Rockies' lineup to begin the season, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

The Rockies have shown significant belief in McMahon, as they signed him to a lucrative six-year, $70 million contract entering the 2022 season. He's coming off a disappointing campaign during which he maintained only a 95 wRC+ across 597 plate appearances, but the club still has high expectations for him. If McMahon continues to struggle with the bat, he'll likely slip down the order as the season progresses, but he'll begin with a strong opportunity to rack up both RBI and runs.

The Pirates could begin the season with Castro in a rotation at second base, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Castro was viewed as the favorite to land the second-base job out of spring training, but he's struggled to a .226 average while striking out 19 times across 56 plate appearances. Neither Ji Hwan Bae nor Mark Mathias has stood out this spring either, so Castro should still see some playing time early on. However, he'll have to perform well to maintain his job.

De La Cruz suffered a left hamstring strain March 18 and will miss the start of the minor-league season, Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The 21-year-old apparently suffered the injury shortly after being reassigned to minor-league camp in mid-March, and he has a tentative return date of April 12. De La Cruz is one of the top prospects in baseball, and he's poised to play for Triple-A Louisville once healthy after he posted a .947 OPS between the High-A and Double-A levels last year.

Wisdom is batting .343 with a 1.036 OPS and two home runs across 35 Cactus League at-bats.

Wisdom has had a strong spring to solidify his spot as the Cubs' regular third baseman. The team added infielders Dansby Swanson and Eric Hosmer in the offseason, which pushed Nick Madrigal out of a starting role, but it appears that Wisdom will stick at the hot corner with Madrigal likely more of a utility player off the bench. Wisdom blasted 53 home runs over the last two seasons, so he should give fantasy managers some power production, though he typically struggles to maintain a high batting average.

Rivera was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Sunday.

Rivera was acquired by Arizona at the trade deadline last season and had a .227/.304/.424 slash line with six home runs in 39 games, but he won't begin the 2023 campaign in the majors. The 26-year-old should be one of the top candidates for a call-up if the Diamondbacks require depth in the corner infield.

The Marlins optioned Groshans (shoulder) to Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Groshans' bid for a spot on the Marlins' Opening Day roster may have been derailed by a left shoulder injury that sidelined him for two weeks earlier this month, but he returned to Grapefruit League action Friday and Saturday, going 0-for-2 between those games while also seeing some time in the field at third base. He'll ultimately head to Triple-A to continue playing on an everyday basis, but Groshans could be first in line for a promotion if the Marlins are without one of their regulars in the infield for any period of time this season.

Busch went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double in a Cactus League contest against the Royals on Saturday.

Busch was optioned to minor-league camp nearly two weeks ago, but he's shown that he can hold his own against major-league pitching this spring. The 25-year-old has posted a .937 OPS over 36 plate appearances while driving in four runs. Busch will begin the campaign with Triple-A Oklahoma City but is likely to make his big-league debut at some point this season.

Arenado (hand) was in the lineup for both of the Cardinals' last two Grapefruit League games Friday and Saturday, picking up starts at third base and designated hitter while going a collective 3-for-5 with three RBI.

As anticipated, the hand injury that Arenado suffered last Sunday while playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic in a game against Cuba didn't prove to be a major concern, even though it kept him out of the lineup for the rest of the tournament. Upon reporting back to Cardinals camp, Arenado was cleared to check back into the Grapefruit League lineup Friday, and he looked to be fine at the plate while mashing a trio of base hits. He'll be ready to handle an everyday role at the hot corner once Opening Day arrives.