MLB Player News

Urshela signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Tigers on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Urshela slashed .299/.329/.374 with 24 RBI in 228 plate appearances with the Angels last year before a fractured pelvis put an early end to his season in June. Now fully recovered from his injury, the 32-year-old infielder will join his fourth team in as many years. Though he primarily serves as a third baseman, Urshela has experience at all four infield positions, and he gives Detroit a bat capable of finding success versus left-handed pitchers (.790 OPS since 2021).

Reds manager David Bell said Thursday that he expects Marte (hamstring) to make his Cactus League debut March 2 versus the Rockies, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The young infielder will be held out for roughly the first week of spring training games while he continues to heal up from the Grade 2 hamstring strain he suffered in late November while playing in the Dominican Winter League. Marte hasn't experienced any setbacks while taking part in workouts since the beginning of spring, but the Reds are being mindful of managing his workload early on in camp. He's still on track to be ready to go for Opening Day, but Marte might not be guaranteed a full-time role despite posting a solid .822 OPS over 123 plate appearances with the big club in 2023 following his late-season call-up. Even though the Reds let Joey Votto walk in free agency, the team signed Jeimer Candelario to a three-year, $45 million deal. Candelario is expected to see plenty of reps at third base on days he isn't being used at first base or designated hitter, and Jonathan India (foot) is also moving into a utility role in 2024 and could poach starts from Marte at the hot corner.

Angels manager Ron Washington said Thursday that Rendon (lower leg) will be the team's cleanup hitter this season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

That's for days he's not on the injured list, of course. Rendon has played just 200 of a possible 546 games in four seasons with the Angels due to a variety of injuries but doesn't appear to be under any restrictions this spring. It's possible the Angels elect to use him often at designated hitter in 2024 in hopes that it will help keep him on the field.

Henderson (oblique) said Thursday that he is progressing well in his recovery from an oblique injury, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Henderson has been able to increase his hitting and fielding workload in recent days as he builds up slowly after suffering what the Orioles are calling an "aggravation" of his left oblique. The 22-year-old expects to only miss a week or so of Grapefruit League games. A unanimous choice for AL Rookie of the Year last season, Henderson will remain highly sought after in drafts despite the injury.

Padres manager Mike Shildt said Wednesday that Machado (elbow) will be ready to serve as a designated hitter in Cactus League games "sooner rather than later," AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Machado won't be in the lineup for the Padres' spring opener Thursday, but Shildt noted that the slugger is "trending in a really good place" as he works his way back from surgery to repair the extensor tendon in his right elbow. San Diego has an early start to its season with two games against the Dodgers on March 20 and 21 in South Korea, but Machado is tracking toward being ready for that series, even if he's deployed as a DH initially.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt has talked to Ramirez about being used at both the second and third spots in the lineup at times this season, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Ramirez has typically been the three-hole hitter for Cleveland, although he did bat second down the stretch last season. Andres Gimenez would seem to be the most likely candidate to hit second on days when Ramirez is batting third, while Josh Naylor should regularly follow Ramirez in the batting order.

Marte (hamstring) will miss the Reds' first five spring training games, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Reds have put Marte on a more "deliberate'" spring training schedule to avoid setbacks, and they still expect him to be ready by Opening Day.

Rivera played shortstop during the offseason in winter ball and is expected to be the backup there when the regular season opens, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Rivera has also played shortstop in previous winters, but the 27-year-old has not logged an inning there during his career in professional ball in the States. The organization clearly values Rivera, who is out of options, and it doesn't want to risk losing him. The right-handed batter can fill in against lefties, which starter Geraldo Perdomo had a .579 OPS against in 2023. A best-case scenario would have Rivera behind Perdomo at shortstop and backing up at third and first base.

Baty spent the offseason studying video and working to get his top hand stronger through his swing, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

"He's a typical right-hand thrower, left-hand bat where that top hand isn't your dominant hand," Mets assistant hitting coach Jeremy Barnes said. "That matters in keeping the barrel where you want to keep the barrel. It's just a matter of creating awareness around that, getting in a really good routine and then not trying to be perfect." A stronger top hand would create a more direct path to the ball and keep the 24-year-old's bat in the strike zone longer, hopefully improving his weak 69.1 percent contact rate from 2023. Baty is still the favorite to break camp as the Mets' starting third baseman, but if the club decides he needs more minor-league seasoning, veteran offseason addition Joey Wendle is available to platoon with Mark Vientos in Baty's place.

Arenado (back) is scheduled to take live batting practice Monday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Arenado's involvement in the Cardinals' first full-squad workout of spring training implies that he reported to camp with no restrictions after he closed the 2023 season on the 10-day injured list due to lower-back spasms. In an effort to improve his flexibility and avoid further back problems during the upcoming campaign, Arenado took up pilates and shed a few pounds in the offseason. The 32-year-old still boasts an elite glove at third base, but he showed his some slight signs of decline in 2023, with his .774 OPS representing a 117-point decline from 2022. Arenado's batted-ball data also mirrored the dropoff in most of the counting categories, with his barrel rate, hard-hit percentage and average exit velocity all ranking in the bottom 40 percent of hitters in the league.