MLB Player News

Candelario went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

Candelario also struck out twice white the homer was his first hit in 12 spring at-bats, so it's been a bit of a rocky start. In any case, he should be locked in as Detroit's starting third baseman after slashing .271/.351/.443 last season with 16 home runs. Candelario is on a one-year, $5.8 million deal with the Tigers after agreeing to terms Tuesday to avoid arbitration, per Robert Murray of FanSided.com.

Wisdom has just one hit and a walk in nine Cactus League at-bats to go with five strikeouts.

Wisdom had a breakout 2021 campaign, smashing 28 home runs and posting an .823 OPS across 106 games, though his season ended a bit early due to a sore right wrist. He's reportedly healthy to begin camp, so the slow start is probably more just a matter of shaking off rust. Still, it'd be nice to see Wisdom get going to prove last year wasn't a flash in the pan. The 30-year-old only had four career MLB home runs prior to 2021.

Riley went 2-for-3 with two homers and three RBI in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

The long balls didn't come against minor-league arms either, as Riley took Shane McClanahan deep in the second inning before dropping a Matt Wisler offering just over the wall in left-center field three innings later. Riley is coming off a breakout 2021 campaign in which he slugged 33 homers and 107 RBI while slashing .303/.367/.531, and the 24-year-old third baseman figures to be a fixture in the heart of the Atlanta offense for years to come.

Moustakas (shoulder) didn't practice Wednesday, but the Reds are confident that he will be fine, and could return to game action as soon as Saturday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Manager David Bell is taking extra precautions with Moustakas, who missed a considerable portion of the season last year with an injury that lasted longer than he or the Reds expected. "(I) don't want to push him," Bell said. "I already took him out of the lineup for (Thursday) and we'll shoot for Saturday. I haven't heard any indication why it would be any longer than that."

Kreidler went 1-for-1 with a grand slam in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

Kreidler is making a push for an Opening Day roster spot, and grand slams definitely help that cause. The 24-year-old is still probably ticketed for Triple-A Toledo to begin the year, but after slashing .304/.407/.519 in 41 games with the Mud Hens in 2021, he may not be too far away from his MLB debut.

Jung no longer requires the use of a sling to stabilize his surgically repaired left shoulder, independent baseball journalist Jeff Wilson reports.

Now four weeks removed from arthroscopic surgery, Jung has taken the first notable step forward in his recovery by ditching the sling. Though Jung is seemingly progressing well at this early stage of his rehab program, the Rangers are still preparing for him to be sidelined for 6-to-8 months. That timeline means that Jung likely isn't on track to make his MLB debut this season, unless the Rangers find themselves in playoff contention in September and are looking to add an impact bat to the active roster.

Bregman (wrist) is starting at third base and batting cleanup in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Bregman underwent surgery on his right wrist in November, and he'll make his first start of spring training Wednesday. The 27-year-old hit .270/.355/.422 with 12 home runs, 54 runs and 55 RBI in 91 games last season, but he struggled over the final couple weeks of the regular season and had a .604 OPS during the playoffs. It's unclear exactly how much the wrist issue affected his production, but Bregman is now healthy entering 2022 with a chance for a rebound campaign.

Farmer agreed to a one-year, $3.155 million contract with the Reds on Tuesday to avoid arbitration, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

Farmer appeared in 147 games for Cincinnati last year and hit .263/.316/.416 with 16 home runs, 60 runs and 63 RBI in 529 plate appearances. The 31-year-old is poised to open the 2022 campaign as the Reds' primary shortstop.

Vargas 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Mariners.

Vargas did not go deep in 34 games at the MLB level last season with three different teams, so the power is a bit of a surprise. With the Cubs adding Andrelton Simmons in the offseason, and Nick Madrigal (hamstring) also getting healthy and joining the mix in the middle infield, Vargas may get squeezed from the MLB roster. A strong spring could help his cause, or at least make him a more likely call-up candidate down the road if he plays well at the Triple-A level.

Manager David Bell said Moustakas is fine and has full range of motion in his left shoulder after exiting Tuesday's spring game against the Dodgers, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Moustakas suffered the injury when he landed on his shoulder while making a diving attempt in the field Tuesday. The 33-year-old could take it easy for a couple days, but by the sounds of it he should be able to return to game action before too long.