MLB Player News

Moncada made multiple impressive defensive plays at second base in his first start with White Sox, which included a diving stop up the middle that started a double play.

Although it is still early, Moncada is starting to look like he can be an impact player defensively at second base. While the White Sox star prospect appears to be MLB-ready in the field, the next step in his development will be translating his off-the-charts tools into a more refined approach at the plate.

Valencia went 1-for-2 with a double, two walks and two runs in Sunday's 13-2 Cactus League win over the Padres.

The veteran, expected to platoon with Dan Vogelbach at first this season, was on base early and often in Sunday's blowout win. Valencia has rightfully earned a reputation as a lefty masher in his career, but has become a better all-around hitter the last two seasons. The 32-year-old has compiled respective averages of .285 and .275 against right-handed pitching over the 2015 and 2016 campaigns, along with a combined 23 homers and 71 RBI.

Segura went 1-for-2 with a double and run scored in Saturday's 13-3 Cactus League victory over the Padres.

Hitting out of the two-hole, Segura made an immediate impact with a line-drive double to left field in the first, eventually coming home on Nelson Cruz's three-run blast later in the frame. It was an ideal start for the offseason acquisition, who the Mariners are counting on as a formidable presence in front of Robinson Cano and Cruz near the top of the order. Given his demonstrated ability to pack the box score and the menacing pair hitting behind him, Segura could be in for an even more explosive campaign than 2016, when he compiled a whopping 68 extra-base hits with the Diamondbacks.

Chapman, a 2014 first-round pick and non-roster invitee, went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Saturday's 4-3 Cactus League loss to the Cubs.

The A's are hoping to give Chapman some much-needed seasoning against big league arms this spring, and he got off to a positive start in that regard by launching a two-run blast off reliever Jose Rosario in the fourth inning. The 23-year-old did go down on strikes in another one of his at-bats, an area of his game that both Chapman and the A's are looking for considerable improvement in during his spring training tenure. Over 514 combined at-bats at the Double-A and Triple-A levels last season, Chapman whiffed at a 30.6 percent clip, a number that needs to come down if he hopes to take over the starting third base job in 2018.

Moncada entered Saturday's game in the fifth inning and went 0-for-2 with a groundout and strikeout.

Amid the many spring storylines occupying watchers of the White Sox is the development of Moncada who is not only considered to be the organization's top prospect but one of the top ones in all of baseball. He should get ample opportunities for at-bats during the spring and possibly more than expected due to the leg injury that prevented putative starting second baseman Brett Lawrie from playing Saturday.

Donaldson (calf) played catch and took batting practice in a cage Friday, John Lott of The Athletic reports.

Donaldson reportedly still has a hitch in his gait, but says he "feels good." The three-time All-Star has been steadily progressing since straining his calf while running the bases last week. Expect him to return to game action in early-to-mid March, barring any unforeseen setbacks.

Donaldson is progressing as expected in his recovery from a strained calf, Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith reports.

Donaldson will still need some time to get back to 100 percent, but he has not encountered any setbacks on his road to recovery, so his 2-to-3 week return timetable remains as-is. It has been nearly a week since Donaldson injured his calf, so as long as his health continues to improve, he should be ready to make his spring debut at some point in early-to-mid March.

Rockies manager Bud Black said he'll likely keep LeMahieu near the top of the lineup, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

In this case, the 2016 NL batting champion again will occupy the two-hole most often behind Charlie Blackmon. LeMahieu crossed the plate 104 times last year, which fueled his fantasy value just as much as the .348 batting average, and keeping a spot near the top increases the odds he'll come close to scoring that much again in this lethal lineup. This news doesn't make Trevor Story owners happy. He'd likely bat seventh with LeMahieu at No. 2.

Longoria (illness) was feeling better and returned to workouts Wednesday, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The veteran third baseman had been dealing with a high fever recently, forcing him to miss the past two days of camp. Although he didn't miss much, he missed some conditioning and him and manager Kevin Cash will have to figure out when he's physically ready to make his Grapefruit League debut.

Peterson will compete with Chase d'Arnaud for the primary utility spot on the Braves' bench, Zak Kerr of MLB.com reports.

For a rebuilding club, the Braves actually have a fairly set starting lineup following the acquisition of Brandon Phillips, so playing time could be tough to come by for the team's bench. Peterson's better offensive resume could make him manager Brian Snitker's preferred option when someone needs a rest, but the team also lacks any depth in the outfield -- starters Matt Kemp, Ender Inciarte and Nick Markakis are currently the only outfielders on the 40-man roster -- so if d'Arnaud or Peterson show they can handle center field on a semi-regular basis, they could see enough at-bats to become a viable option in deep NL-only leagues.