MLB Player News

Newman (knee) was spotted fielding grounders at shortstop Monday during the Pirates' first workout for position players, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Newman's presence on the field to begin spring training suggests that he's made a full recovery from the left knee contusion that sidelined him late in the 2020 campaign. Before the injury surfaced, Newman was in the midst of a brutal season, with his .557 OPS over 172 plate appearances representing a 242-point drop from 2019. After being locked in as a full-time player heading into last season, Newman will likely now have to battle Erik Gonzalez and Cole Tucker for a starting job at shortstop this spring.

Chapman isn't expected to take the field for the Athletics' first few spring games but will serve as the designated hitter, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Chapman has been fully cleared for workouts to start camp as he works his way back from September hip surgery, but the team will bring him along slowly in game action. Barring setbacks, he'll still have more than enough time to prepare for Opening Day.

Texas manager Chris Woodward does not envision Jung making the major-league roster out of camp, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

There's an opportunity at third base, but the Rangers want to groom Jung, the club's top prospect, to be ready for the majors. He's had just 198 professional plate appearances, all in the lower levels, although he was reportedly a standout last summer at the alternate training site. Assistant general manager Mike Daly, who oversees player development, said last week that Jung will likely open the season at Triple-A Round Rock.

Rendon could have a late arrival to spring camp due to the inclement weather in Texas, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

With much of Texas still dealing with the ramifications of a severe winter storm, Rendon is not guaranteed to be able to make it to camp on time. The delay -- if there is one -- is unlikely to affect the veteran's preparation for the coming campaign given that camp is still in its earliest days.

Arenado feels completely recovered from the nagging left shoulder injuries that led to his subpar 2020 season, Zachary Sliver of MLB.com reports.

The ultra-consistent slugger scuffled to a .253 average and .303 on-base percentage across 201 plate appearances during the abbreviated 2020 campaign, and he was ultimately shut down by the Rockies eight days prior to the conclusion of the regular season with left AC joint inflammation and a left shoulder bone bruise. The offseason took care of that pair of issues, and Arenado, who'd played no fewer than 155 games in any of the previous five seasons, views the health hiccup as a "blip." Expectations are naturally high for the veteran ahead of the 2021 season considering he averaged 39.8 home runs, 124.2 RBI and a .937 OPS from 2015-19 while providing Gold or Platinum Glove defense at third base.

Paredes' arrival at camp has been delayed due to visa issues, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Paredes is one of six Tigers who have yet to report for similar reasons. With Opening Day still more than a month away, he'll have plenty of time to get ready for the start of the season assuming the delay doesn't stretch on for too long.

Groshans, who has added about 20 pounds of muscle to his frame since he played at Low-A in 2019, is out to prove he's ready to make his major-league debut, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports. "I know a lot of people will think I'm crazy for that, but I'm ready," Groshans said this week. "I think I've been ready for that. I'm here to show everybody that I'm ready to be in the big leagues."

The 21-year-old has gotten more explosive as well as bigger, and after spending last season at the Jays' alternate training site, Groshans feels he's better prepared mentally for the next challenge as well. With Marcus Semien signed to a one-year deal to handle second base, it's highly unlikely Groshans will be able to force his way onto the big-league roster this year no matter how he looks in camp, but a strong showing this season in the high minors will position him to join Austin Martin as the next wave of hitting talent to join the Jays in 2022.

Candelario arrived at Tigers camp Saturday and participated in fielding drills, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Candelario was one of several Detroit position players to arrive early, as full-squad workouts don't start until Monday. The 27-year-old might be preparing for increased competition at first base with the Tigers adding Renato Nunez on a minor-league deal this month. Candelario performed well in a shortened 2020 season, finishing with a career-best .872 OPS along with seven home runs and 29 RBI in 52 games, so he should get the first crack at first base, though Nunez and his 43 home runs the past two years looms as a threat to his playing time.

Chapman arrived at the Athletics spring training facility Thursday and looked to be in excellent shape, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. "I hit him some ground balls yesterday and I didn't see anything different," Melvin said during a Zoom call Friday. "We just gave him a few. I didn't make him go too far, but he's eager. It's going to be more trying to hold him back than trying to get him ready."

Chapman's strong work ethic makes his early arrival -- position players aren't required to report until Monday -- wholly unsurprising, especially when considering the Gold Glove third baseman was likely anxious to check on his mobility following last year's hip surgery. Not only did the 27-year-old seem to have as good a range as he did pre-surgery according to Melvin, but he also appeared trimmer following an arduous post-op rehab. The manager noted his biggest concern regarding Chapman will be tempering the latter's drive to push himself, with part of his load management plan involving some at-bats at designated hitter in early Cactus League action.

Kieboom still has the confidence of manager Dave Martinez and the Nationals' organization that he can emerge as the team's starting third baseman, Maria Torres of The Athletic reports. "It's hard to judge [Kieboom] on these short snippets of games and at-bats," GM Mike Rizzo said Thursday. "We have to lean towards our evaluators who have seen him for years and progressed through the system and trust that he's the player that we think he is."

The 23-year-old has only a .181/.309/.232 slash line through his first 44 big-league games spread over the last two seasons, but Kieboom was far more productive during his last extended stint at Triple-A in 2019 when he delivered a .303/.409/.493 line over 109 contests. The Nats backed up that confidence in his development by not adding any real veteran competition for him at the hot corner, but if Kieboom does falter again, the team would have the option of sliding Starlin Castro over to third base and handing second base to Luis Garcia.