MLB Player News

Pauley has been told he will be on the Padres' roster for their March 20-21 series in South Korea against the Dodgers, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Pauley seems likely to start at third base while Manny Machado (elbow) is limited to designated hitter, at least against right-handed pitching. When Machado might be ready to play the field in games again isn't clear, but Pauley will have a chance until then to show he deserves to stick around. The 23-year-old slashed .308/.393/.539 with 23 home runs and 22 stolen bases over three minor-league levels in 2023 and should be on deep-league radars.

Muncy is away from the Dodgers' camp Tuesday due to illness, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

He hasn't been in the team's lineup for a few days, and the illness likely explains why that's the case. The Dodgers have just one more Cactus League game before heading to South Korea to take on the Padres in the first two regular-season contests March 20 and 21, but it's not clear whether Muncy will be ready to play in Wednesday's Cactus League contest versus the Mariners.

The Rockies optioned Carreras to Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday, Patrick Lyons of Just Baseball reports.

Carreras reached Albuquerque last season but had a down year overall in posting a .664 OPS, so he'll receive more development time. The 24-year-old should be Albuquerque's regular shortstop.

The Guardians optioned Noel to Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Noel went 5-for-22 with a 10:0 K:BB over nine Cactus League showings. The 22-year-old has some of the best raw power in the organization but needs to tamp down the strikeouts.

Burger started at first base in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

While the 27-year-old is locked in as the Marlins' starting third baseman, Burger does have some limited experience at first base and the club envisions having him move across the diamond on occasion, especially on days when Josh Bell is getting a partial breather as the DH. Burger is still trying to find his timing at the plate this spring, hitting .160 (4-for-25) with a 0:8 BB:K, but after slugging a career-high 34 homers in 2023, he's expected to hit in the heart of Miami's batting order this season.

Gelof went 3-for-3 with an RBI single, a solo home run and an additional run in a Cactus League win over the Diamondbacks on Monday.

Gelof's 417-foot shot to left in the third inning opened the scoring and was his third round tripper of spring. The promising second baseman now has three multi-hit efforts during Cactus League play as well, and he's hitting .387 with a trio of doubles, six RBI, three walks and 11 runs across 11 exhibitions.

Mead may have a clearer path to the Opening Day roster due to the injury to Jonny DeLuca (hand), Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mead may have been blocked from a roster spot with everyone healthy, but with DeLuca likely to be sidelined for the early portions of the regular season, Amed Rosario could see more time in the outfield. That shift would open a spot for a right-handed bench bat along the infield, with Mead fitting the bill. He made a very brief big-league debut in 2023, posting a .253/.326/.349 line across 92 plate appearances.

Diaz, who received a demotion to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday after a very slow start to spring, may need to improve his conditioning in order to earn a call back up to the big-league club, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Diaz started 37 games at third base last season, but that didn't earn him enough capital to offset an .083 average across 10 Cactus League games to open spring training. The Athletics also have some viable contenders for the starting role at the hot corner, including Darell Hernaiz and Abraham Toro. As such, Diaz may have an uphill battle in the short term to log big-league at-bats, but getting into better condition will help his chances. "He's a kid that is working on certain things and understanding where he needs to be physically," manager Mark Kotsay said. "Getting to that place will help him not just this year, but for his future, too."

Harrison is projected for a roster spot, per the latest roster projection from C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic.

The 80-game suspension handed out to Noelvi Marte opens up a roster spot that figures to come down to Harrison, Mike Ford or Tony Kemp. Rosecrans makes the point that of those three, Harrison provides the most versatility. He started games at four different defensive positions for the Phillies in 2023. Harrison is 3-for-16 with a double and an RBI in seven games this spring.

The Rays optioned Shenton to minor-league camp Monday.

Shenton went 7-for-27 with an 8:1 K:BB over 27 at-bats this spring. The 26-year-old had a monster 1.006 OPS with 29 home runs between Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham in 2023 and is a good bet to make his MLB debut at some point this season. Shenton is primarily a corner infielder but has dabbled in left field and at second base, too, giving him multiple potential avenues to playing time with the big club.