MLB Player News

Jung was assigned to minor-league camp Friday, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

The Rangers don't have many compelling options competing for playing time at third base, with Rougned Odor, Brock Holt and Charlie Culberson among the top candidates. They could have theoretically turned to Jung, who earned rave reviews at the alternate site last season and is expected to debut at some point this year. Sending him down for now makes sense, as he's played in just 44 professional games, none of which have come above the Low-A level, but it may not be too long before he's knocking on the door if he looks good in the minors to start the season.

Urias is battling to earn a roster spot as a bench player, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Urias proved himself capable of playing across the infield while coming up through the Cardinals' farm system, and he spent time at second base and shortstop during his major-league debut in 2020. That versatility is something that manager Brandon Hyde stressed when discussing the traits he is looking for in bench bats heading into the 2021 campaign. Urias is in the thick of competition with Pat Valaika and Stevie Wilkerson for the role, though he may see limited playing time initially even if he breaks camp with the big-league club.

Devers went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in Wednesday's spring game against Atlanta.

Devers went opposite field off left-hander Max Fried in the first inning -- a positive sign for the young third baseman, who had a mere .613 OPS off southpaws in 2020. Last season was a down year overall for Devers after a breakout 2019, and he's continued to struggle during 2021 spring training, going just 3-for-18 (.167) so far. It looks like manager Alex Cora is banking on a bounce back, as Devers has hit cleanup in all seven of his Grapefruit League appearances.

McMahon went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and one strikeout in Wednesday's spring win over the Padres.

McMahon got off to a somewhat slow start to spring training, but he's now hit solo home runs in each of the past two Cactus League matchups. In total, the 26-year-old has gone 4-for-16 with two home runs, one double, four runs, two RBI and two strikeouts across seven spring games. McMahon should serve as the Rockies' primary third baseman to begin the season after Nolan Arenado was traded to the Cardinals during the offseason, but Josh Fuentes could also contend for playing time at the position.

Paredes went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

Paredes was a late arrival to camp due to visa issues, but he's jumped out to a 3-for-9 start at the plate with the one home run. The 22-year-old recently played some second base in a Grapefruit League game, though he projects as the Tigers' regular third baseman once the regular season begins.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Newman is no longer feeling tightness in his hamstring, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Newman left Sunday's spring game against Baltimore due to left hamstring tightness, but he's no longer dealing with the issue. The 27-year-old isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's spring matchup against the Yankees, but he should be available going forward.

Senzel homered for the second time this spring on Tuesday night, this time against the Dodgers' Josiah Gray, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "I think it took him a game or two just to settle in, which is normal," Reds manager David Bell said after the game. "... It's going to be fun to watch him really get into the flow of playing a lot."

The Reds are really giving Senzel ample opportunity for regular playing time, suggesting that the "full-time" if not necessarily "everyday" center fielder label is legit.

Peterson (thumb) will start in right field and will bat fifth in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Athletics.

Peterson missed about a week of game action due to a thumb injury before making an appearance off the bench in Monday's 10-9 win over the Angels. After playing second base and recording a base hit in his lone at-bat, Peterson will now get a look in the outfield in his second start of spring training. The non-roster invitee is in the mix for a bench role on the Brewers' Opening Day roster.

Bregman (hamstring) isn't expected to make his Cactus League debut until the middle of next week at the earliest, Mark Berman of KRIV Fox 26 reports.

Bregman came into camp battling a sore hamstring, and the Astros have seen no reason to push their star third baseman. He's been working out in some form since late February and recently said he felt 90 percent healthy, but the Astros don't intend for him to get into game action for at least another week. He'll only have about two weeks until Opening Day at that point, so it's possible he needs the occasional maintenance day early in the year, but the team doesn't sound too worried about a potential trip to the injured list.

Ramirez (not injury-related) was cleared to rejoin team workouts Tuesday and is expected to return to the lineup Wednesday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Ramirez violated COVID-19 protocols over the weekend and had to spend a few days away from the team. Now that he's tested negative, he'll be allowed to return to his teammates without any further punishment. The episode shouldn't significantly affect his preseason preparation.