MLB Player News

The Braves reassigned Riley to their minor-league camp Tuesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The third baseman only recorded five hits in his 24 at-bats during the Grapefruit League, but made his hits count with a pair of home runs. The 20-year-old's bat has always been ahead of his glove, but the strides he made defensively last season leave the Braves optimistic that he'll be able to stick at the hot corner long term. It's possible that Riley could head back to Double-A Mississippi to begin the upcoming campaign after logging only 203 plate appearances there in 2017, but a second-half promotion to Triple-A Gwinnett or even the big club isn't out of the question if he continues to hit for average and power while playing a capable third base.

Marlins manager Don Mattingly confirmed Wednesday that Anderson will open the season as the team's everyday third baseman after Martin Prado (knee) suffered a setback that will result in the veteran heading to the disabled list, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Prior to experienced renewed soreness in the back of his surgically repaired right knee during a workout Tuesday, Prado hadn't appeared in any Grapefruit League games and was always facing an uphill battle to be ready for Opening Day. Prado's setback should at least give Anderson a little more leash in the full-time role, which the 24-year-old may have been able to earn outright in any case due to his strong performance at the dish in spring training. Anderson has maintained a .400 on-base percentage through 14 Grapefruit League appearances and has notched five extra-base hits, including two home runs. Fantasy owners throwing a late-round dart on Anderson shouldn't expect much in terms of power, but the youngster offers a solid batting-average floor due to his line-drive tendencies and could be a better-than-expected source of runs if his on-base skills earn him a spot in the top half of the order.

Davis went 2-for-3 in Tuesday's game against the Mets and improved his spring batting average to team-high .394.

Both of Davis' hits came off New York's Noah Syndergaard, who was dealing high-90s fastballs. From a numbers standpoint, Davis has the edge over Tyler White and A.J. Reed for the early-season playing time made available because hand surgery has sidelined first baseman Yulieski Gurriel. For whichever player makes the Opening Day roster, the playing time is not going to be a lot. Gurriel is due back sometime in April and it's very likely that while he's sidelined, most of the first base starts will go to Marwin Gonzalez.

Longoria (ankle) participated in fielding drills and took batting practice Tuesday, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Due to a bout of ankle soreness, San Francisco withheld Longoria from the lineup for a few days as a precautionary measure. After Longoria participated in Tuesday's workout without any issues, the Giants plan on having him play in Wednesday's game against the Mariners. Over six games this spring, Longoria has gone 4-for-14 (.286) at the dish and drawn three walks.

Donaldson has been battling calf cramps due to dehydration, John Lott of The Athletic Toronto reports.

Donaldson's injury wasn't thought to be serious -- it's reassuring for that to be confirmed. The team won't rush him back, but there's no reason to think that the 32-year-old won't be ready to go when Opening Day arrives.

Donaldson (illness) is dealing with a calf injury, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Donaldson had been fighting an illness, and it appears that a calf injury is also giving him some troubles. Manager John Gibbons was fairly vague when addressing Donaldson's injury, although he indicated that Donaldson would likely be ready to return by the end of the week. However, the Blue Jays will likely be cautious with their star third baseman in an effort to have him healthy for Opening Day.

Manager Ron Gardenhire suggested that Candelario could bat seventh regularly this season, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Gardenhire normally admits very little about his regular-season lineup during the spring, but he finally caved and admitted that the lineup he utilized Sunday against the Braves "could be" the regular lineup. In that game, Candelario batted seventh behind James McCann but ahead of Mikie Mahtook and Dixon Machado. Gardenhire said that he'll likely get some tips from the analytics department before settling on a lineup, but he did suggest that Leonys Martin and Miguel Cabrera would be the leadoff and three hole hitters, respectively. Candelario impressed during a short stint in Detroit last season, batting .330 with two homers and 13 RBI in 27 games. His spring showing has been just as impressive, as he's produced a .938 OPS in 13 Grapefruit League contests. Candelario could push his way into a better run-producing spot in the order or even into the two hole (Gardenhire suggested he likes having a switch-hitter in the second spot) as the season rolls along, but it seems like Gardenhire and the Tigers are looking at other options before they give Candelario a shot.

McMahon has gone 16-for-45 (.356 average) with a home run, six doubles and six RBI through 17 Cactus League appearances.

Though McMahon entered camp as the frontrunner for the starting first-base gig, the possibility lingered that the Rockies could re-sign Mark Reynolds to handle the position if they weren't confident the rookie was up to the task. McMahon hasn't given the Rockies any reason to look outside the organization for first-base help, however, as he's hit for both power and average while striking out just six times. While Reynolds remains a free agent, the Rockies did recently re-sign longtime corner-outfield stud Carlos Gonzalez, which could result in Ian Desmond logging more time at first base with the Colorado outfield looking quite crowded. Even if Desmond ends up eating into McMahon's workload at first base, the 23-year-old's path to playing time won't necessarily become closed off. McMahon also has experience at second and third base, so he could move around on the diamond if DJ LeMahieu or Nolan Arenado ever require time off.

Robinson is likely to serve as the primary left fielder for the Rangers following the demotion of presumptive favorite Willie Calhoun, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Calhoun could be back up in early May after the Rangers gain an extra year of service time, but for at least a month or so, the left field job is open. Robinson, a left-handed hitter, looks to be the favorite to open on the strong side of a platoon with the right-handed-hitting Ryan Rua. Robinson doesn't have any standout skills, having hit .224/.314/.439 in 48 games his first taste of big-league action last year, but at-bats are gold in AL-only leagues.

Donaldson (illness) isn't listed in the lineup for Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Braves, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Donaldson hasn't played since Saturday after experiencing dehydration and is apparently still in need of additional rest. After being eased into spring training while recovering from a minor shoulder issue, Donaldson has logged just 11 at-bats during Grapefruit League play. If he's able to shake off the illness in the coming days and return to the lineup, Donaldson should suit up at least semi-regularly for the rest of the spring and get in enough at-bats for the Blue Jays to feel comfortable deploying him on an everyday basis when the season begins.