MLB Player News

Anderson went 2-for-2 with two walks, a triple, a run scored and two RBI in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

Hitting second in the order between veteran bats Curtis Granderson and Neil Walker in what could easily be the Marlins' Opening Day lineup, Anderson pushed his spring slash line up to .400/.500/.725 through 48 plate appearances with an impressive 7:6 BB:K. The 25-year-old is coming off a surprisingly productive rookie season, and while he was never considered a top prospect coming up through Miami's system, the third baseman seems poised to deliver another solid campaign.

Plouffe was released by the Phillies on Thursday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The veteran was always going to be a long shot to make the team. He'll look to find work somewhere on a minor-league deal as he hopes to extend his major-league career to a 10th season.

Duffy (hamstring) will play for the first time since Feb. 28 in Thursday's spring game against the Braves, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Duffy has been bothered by a sore hamstring all spring and has been limited only to the lone game on the final day of February, but after taking three weeks to recover he is ready to get back on the field. It remains to be seen if he has enough time to get in shape for Opening Day, but if he avoids any setbacks there is still a chance he could be ready for the start of the regular season. Duffy will play third base and hit leadoff in Thursday's contest.

Candelario is slashing .220/.319/.463 through 41 Grapefruit League at-bats with a home run and six RBI.

The numbers aren't that far off from Candelario's .224/.317/.393 line in 2018. The Tigers are certainly hoping the 25-year-old takes another step forward offensively in 2019, but until he shows some sustained success, fantasy owners should probably expect an underwhelming batting average with a little bit of power.

Riley went 2-for-2 with a double, a solo home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

The Braves' No. 1 fantasy prospect connected on his first spring homer in the fifth inning off Anibal Sanchez. Riley hasn't wowed anyone at the plate in camp, slashing .267/.327/.378 with a 3:12 BB:K in 18 games, but the organization's willingness to try him out in an outfield corner suggests it expects him to force its hand on a big-league promotion sooner rather than later. The 21-year-old's best path to a 2019 debut might come via a Josh Donaldson injury, however.

Chapman went 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs and three RBI on Wednesday against the Mariners.

The slick-fielding third baseman also went 3-for-3 and reached base five times in Sunday's exhibition in Japan, so he has taken to this trip quite well. He underwent a minor shoulder surgery back in December but recovered quickly and already appears to be as dialed in as any A's hitter at the plate.

Senzel went 2-for-5 with two doubles, three runs and a stolen base in Tuesday's spring training game against the White Sox. He's hitting .314/.306/.457 in 35 at-bats so far this spring.

That OBP is not a typo - he has zero walks so far (against eight strikeouts) and a sacrifice fly, which counts against his OBP but not his batting average. Scott Schebler is having a great spring, but as we've seen with the decision to make Luis Castillo the Opening Day starter, Reds manager David Bell isn't necessarily using spring training results to determine roles on the team. The decision whether to keep Senzel on the Opening Day roster could come down to the wire.

Bregman agreed to a five-year, $100 million contract extension with the Astros on Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The contract goes into effect for the 2020 season and buys out Bregman's three arbitration years as well as two years of free agency, locking him up through the 2024 season. The third baseman -- who turns 25 on March 30 -- finished fifth in American League MVP voting last season after slashing .286/.394/.532 with 31 home runs, 51 doubles and 103 RBI in 157 games.

McMahon went 2-for-3 with a home run, double and two RBI on Monday against the Reds.

McMahon appeared to be blocked from an everyday role entering spring training, but he has done everything he can to force his way into the lineup with his Cactus League performance. After Monday's performance, he is hitting .444 with 11 extra-base hits, six strikeouts and four walks across 45 at-bats.

Kieboom went 2-for-4 with two singles and two strikeouts in Monday's action against the Mets.

Kieboom continues to make the most of his opportunity in spring training, as he is now 11-for-35 with six extra-base hits. He has also shown decent control of the strike zone, walking five times and striking out seven. He peaked at Double-A Harrisburg in 2018, so the chances of Kieboom breaking camp with the club are minuscule, but he has done nothing to hurt his future chances with his strong performance.