MLB Player News

Chapman, who played his first game of spring in the field Friday, reported no physical setbacks after making a diving stab of a groundball in the second inning, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com reports.

The two-time Platinum Glove winner looked like he hadn't missed a beat when he dove to his right to snag the Angels' Kurt Suzuki's grounder, hopped quickly to his feet and cut down the veteran catcher at first with a strong one-hop throw. The sequence held a bit more weight than a run-of-the-mill early spring training play, considering Chapman's offseason hip surgery and how critical his defense is to the Athletics' fortunes. "He really takes pride in it," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "A lot of guys concentrate more on the bat. But defense is his calling card, even though he's a terrific offensive player, too."

Longoria has been dealing with plantar fasciitis to begin spring training, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Longoria made his spring debut Saturday as the designated hitter for San Francisco, but the team has been bringing him along slowly in the field due to his foot issue. It's not yet clear when he'll be cleared to play the field, but he didn't sound too concerned about the issue. "Hopefully we got it taken care of," Longoria said. "We're easing into it. It's not a big deal, just something we'll have to deal with."

Sosa, who is 0-for-4 across his two official Grapefruit League game appearances thus far, starred in a "B" game against the Astros on Friday, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

Sosa, competing for a utility role on the Opening Day roster, smacked a three-run home run while also throwing out a runner trying to score from second base. The 25-year-old played both second base and third base during the game and has logged time at both positions, shortstop and designated hitter in the minors. Sosa never saw action in a 2020 regular-season game, but he recorded a combined 13 plate appearances with the big-league club during the 2018 and 2019 campaigns.

Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Saturday that Peterson has been unavailable over the past few days due to a thumb injury, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Peterson appeared in Monday's spring game against the Diamondbacks, but he hasn't been available for the Brewers since then. However, Counsell said the 30-year-old is "kind of back on track," and he was hopeful that Peterson will be able to return to action Tuesday. Peterson went 1-for-2 in his first Cactus League appearance of the season.

Bregman (hamstring) is not in the lineup for Saturday's spring game against the Mets, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.

Bregman's hamstring injury has prevented him from seeing any action this spring, and his status will not change Saturday. The Astros will have a day off after their next game Sunday, so it seems likely Bregman's spring debut will not come until at least sometime next week.

Rendon didn't play in Friday's exhibition contest against Oakland, and the Angels plan to take it slowly with him early in the spring due to a recent issue with general soreness, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The organization doesn't appear to be concerned about the soreness Rendon felt at the start of spring training, and manager Joe Maddon emphasized Friday that the star third baseman is not injured. He'll likely ramp up as the spring continues and should be full go by Opening Day.

Chapman will bat cleanup and play third base Friday against the Angels, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Chapman has only faced slight limitations to start camp as he works his way back from September hip surgery. He's already played in two Cactus League games, though he was limited to designated hitter duties in both. He'll take the field with just shy of four weeks remaining until Opening Day, and it's expected he'll be up to full speed by the start of the regular season.

Hayes went 2-for-3 with an RBI triple Thursday against Atlanta.

He's gotten off to a strong start with four hits, including two doubles and a triple, in eight Grapefruit League at-bats. Hayes slashed .376/.442/.682 in 95 plate appearances with Pittsburgh in 2020, but his career minor-league line is a far more modest .279/.354/.399. He does, however, have speed he hasn't yet shown in the majors -- Hayes stole just one bag in 24 games last year but averaged 17 stolen bases in his last three minor-league campaigns.

Newman went 2-for-2 with a walk Thursday against the Braves.

He's in the middle of a three-way competition for time at shortstop with Cole Tucker and Erik Gonzalez. Newman, who bobbled away a ground ball for an error Thursday, needs to prove himself again both offensively and defensively after a miserable 2020. He slashed just .224/.281/.276 with one homer and no steals in 172 plate appearances after hitting .308 with 12 homers and 16 steals in 2019. Newman closed out last season on the injured list with a knee injury but is back to full health for 2021.

Urshela (elbow) will start at third base and will bat second Thursday in the Yankees' Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said earlier in the week that Urshela would make his spring debut Thursday, but it wasn't certain whether the 29-year-old would play the field or serve as the team's designated hitter. With Urshela now confirmed to be playing the field, the Yankees evidently have no concerns about his right elbow coming off arthroscopic surgery in December. According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, interim skipper Carlos Mendoza said that he expects Urshela to get two at-bats Thursday before leaving the contest.