MLB Player News

Valencia hit his third homer of the spring Thursday, a two-run shot off James Paxton.

Valenica enter the season as the clear cut starting third baseman for the A's after posting an .886 OPS for the A's in 183 at-bats in 2015. Valencia has been hitting in the middle of the order for the A's in the spring games that he has appeared, likely a good sign that he will find himself there to start the season.

Rendon went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored in the Nats' win over Atlanta on Thursday afternoon.

Moving back to third base on an everyday basis, Rendon no longer has to worry about the physical rigors of manning the keystone. He's not tearing the cover off the ball this spring through 10 games, but Rendon is completely healthy, and that is essential in his bid to rebound from a disappointing 2015 campaign.

Manager Kevin Cash said that Longoria (shin) was sore but was walking around fine and could be the designated hitter Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Considering it's spring training, it wouldn't be surprising for a veteran like Longoria to take a day off to rest his ailment, but the injury appears to be minor enough that even a day at designated hitter wouldn't be problematic. His status for Friday's game should become clearer as game time approaches.

Olt signed a minor league contract with San Diego that does not include an invitation to spring training, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Olt was released by the White Sox on Tuesday. He'll likely add depth at Triple-A with Yangervis Solarte set to begin the season as San Diego's starting third baseman.

Longoria left Thursday's exhibition game with a shin contusion, Steve Carney of 620 WDAE reports.

Longoria was replaced by Richie Shaffer at third base after fouling a pitch off his lower leg in his first at-bat Thursday. He figures to receive treatment the rest of the day and the Rays could hold him out of Friday's game against Boston if he is still experiencing soreness before the game.

Ruben Tejada's release potentially opens the door for Reynolds to break camp with the Mets, the NY Daily News reports.

Reynolds' chance to open 2016 in New York has spiked with Asdrubal Cabrera (knee) expected to start the year on the disabled list. Wilmer Flores is likely to open the season as the starting shortstop and Reynolds could serve as the backup. Eric Campbell may open the season as the team's insurance policy at third basem behind David Wright, which would then give Reynolds a chance at backing up Flores, who will play shortstop rather than back up Wright at the hot corner. The possibility does exist that Ty Kelly or T.J. Rivera earns that spot.

Olt was released by the White Sox on Tuesday.

Olt was designated for assignment earlier in the month to make room for Austin Jackson on the 40-man roster. It is possible the White Sox will consider re-signing the 27-year-old corner infielder, as Adam LaRoche announced just a few hours after the transaction that he will likely sit out the 2016 season for personal reasons.

Duffy went yard for the first time this spring, taking Sonny Gray deep in Monday's loss to the Athletics.

Duffy is batting just .211 through seven games. It usually isn't a wise practice to make fantasy decisions based on spring training stats, but we would have liked to see a bit more from Duffy after coming out of nowhere in 2015. This home run could be a sign that his bat is waking up, which would definitely ease the thoughts of his owners.

Ramirez saw his first action of the spring in center field Monday and will continue to see some time in the outfield this spring, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. "When he's swinging the bat like he can, he can be a weapon for us. To limit him to the infield doesn't make sense. If he can go out there and play it - left field or center field -- that can really help us," manager Terry Francona said.

It's clear that Francona views Ramirez as more than a utility player and his play this spring has backed up that confidence. Look for him to continue to get looks in the outfield this spring to better gauge his ability to handle the position defensively when games start to count.

Plouffe is hitting .353 (6-for-17) with a home run and two doubles in six games this spring.

After an offseason where it was thought Plouffe may be traded, he looks locked in at the plate and is set with the starting third base job. Miguel Sano has been moved to right field and manager Paul Molitor says Sano won't get time at third base this season.