MLB Player News

Baty went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins.

The 24-year-old third baseman took minor-league arm Roddery Munoz deep in the seventh inning for his first long ball of the spring. Baty established himself as one of the Mets' top prospects while coming up through the system but fell on his face in his first extended big-league action in 2023, stumbling to a .212/.275/.323 slash line over 386 plate appearances. A strong showing this spring would help reassure fantasy investors, but he'd likely need to be a complete disaster to lose the starting job at the hot corner for Opening Day.

Manager Brandon Hyde said Henderson (oblique) is expected to play in Monday's spring game against the Twins, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

The 22-year-old has yet to see the field in Grapefruit League play due to the oblique injury, but it appears he'll be making his spring debut Monday. Assuming he avoids any setbacks, Henderson will have plenty of time to ramp up his workload ahead of Opening Day.

Marte started at third base and went 1-for-2 in Saturday's spring game against the Rockies.

Marte made his spring debut after coping with a hamstring injury that delayed his participation in game action. He hit a couple of balls hard and told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com that he felt comfortable before he was removed in the fourth inning. "It was good to have Marte back, he looked good," manager David Bell said. "We didn't want to do anything crazy on the bases, but he was 100 percent. He's completely freed up to play his normal game next time out." Marte should have enough time to build up for Opening Day and is projected to be the Reds' primary third baseman.

Farmer looks set to platoon with Edouard Julien at second base and serve as the primary backup at shortstop, MLB.com reports. He's gone 1-for-9 in three games this spring.

Julien could get more playing time if he improves against left-handed pitching, but Farmer should get steady starts at second base against lefties to begin the season. Farmer is a plus glove at second base, but his lack of premium power and lower contact rate (74.4%) exposes his deficiences with everyday duty.

Davis told reporters he's willing to do "whatever the team needs," following the Giants' signing of Matt Chapman on Friday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Prior to the deal, Davis was lined up for the starting job at third base. Davis now is likely to either be a reserve or trade option, as the Giants also have Wilmer Flores available for an infield utility role and LaMonte Wade expected to handle a strong-side platoon role at first base. Davis batted. 248 with 18 home runs and a career-high 69 RBI over 144 contests last season and was awarded a $6.9 million contract in arbitration in February.

Garcia is projected as the Royals' starting third baseman and a potential leadoff hitter, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Garcia has gone 4-for-9 with a stolen base over his first three Cactus League games. He enjoyed a solid first major-league campaign, batting .272 with a .681 OPS while adding 23 stolen bases, 50 RBI and 59 runs scored. The Royals' lineup looks a little beefed up compared to 2023, and another year of growth from the prospects could help Garcia be a valuable contact hitter and speed threat if he can remain atop the lineup.

Wisdom (quad) is expected to play in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Royals, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Wisdom was scratched from Thursday's game against the Rockies due to right quadriceps tightness. It was a precautionary measure, and the infielder is expected to only miss a few days. In 302 plate appearances last season, Wisdom slashed .205/.289/.500 with 23 home runs and 46 RBI.

Muncy (hand) is starting at third base and batting fourth for the Dodgers' spring training game against the Cubs on Saturday, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Muncy had been held out for the past couple of games after getting hit in the hand by a pitch during Wednesday's contest against Texas. He resumed swinging a bat Friday and was never expected to miss much time. Muncy tied a career high with 36 homers last season and has already hit one out in six at-bats this spring.

Keith (illness) is in the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Keith was held out of the lineup Friday due to an illness, but it seems he made a quick recovery. Although he has yet to log an MLB at-bat, the 22-year-old is expected to open the season as the Tigers' primary second baseman after inking a six-year, $28.64 million contract extension with Detroit in January. He hit .287/.369/.521 with 13 homers in 67 games at the Triple-A level last season.

Chapman signed a three-year, $54 million contract with the Giants on Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Chapman will make $20 million in 2024, $18 million in 2025 and $16 million in 2026, but he will have the ability to opt out of his deal after each of the first two seasons. The 30-year-old third baseman slashed .240/.330/.424 with 17 homers and 54 RBI across 581 plate appearances for the Blue Jays last year. In San Francisco, Chapman may not see quite as heavy a workload due to the presence of J.D. Davis on the roster, but he still figures to see the majority of the playing time.