MLB Player News

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Monday that Henderson will receive the bulk of his playing time this season at shortstop, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

Henderson played a bit more third base than shortstop last season and the hot corner is "still an option," per Hyde. However, it sounds like the O's intend on Henderson settling in as their primary shortstop. The domino effect means Jorge Mateo likely being used in something of a super utility role, bouncing around the middle infield and outfield. It could also create a clearer path at second base for Jackson Holliday if Baltimore elects to use Jordan Westburg more at third base. Henderson is making his Grapefruit League debut Monday after overcoming an oblique issue, starting at shortstop and batting third against the Twins.

Henderson (oblique) will be in the Orioles' Grapefruit League lineup against the Twins on Monday, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

An aggravation of his left oblique set Henderson back to begin camp, but he is now ready for his first live action of the spring. Last season's American League Rookie of the Year, Henderson took over the top spot in the batting order down the stretch and is a candidate to lead off against right-handed pitching in 2024.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Sunday that Suarez (side) should return to action Tuesday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Suarez was scratched from the lineup last Thursday then sat out the weekend. The Diamondbacks are getting by at third base with a mix of players, including Blaze Alexander, Kevin Newman and Emmanuel Rivera.

McMahon is expected to hit fifth in the Rockies' lineup during the regular season, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The Rockies prefer to alternate left and right-handed hitters in the lineup, with Charlie Blackmon, Kris Bryant, Nolan Jones and Brendan Rodgers set to hit in the top four. McMahon will be pushed down in the order slightly as a result, as he primarily hit third in 2023. He's had consistent production across the last three seasons, recording at least 20 home runs in each with a wOBA of at least .325.

Groshans was outrighted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.

Groshans was designated for assignment Wednesday, and he will now report to Triple-A. The third baseman joined the Yankees organization Feb. 13 after he was DFA'd by the Marlins, and he'll now look to prove himself with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in order to earn a call-up to the major-league roster in 2024.

Urias has gone 3-for-11 over his first five Grapefruit League games.

Urias projects as a potential utility player for the Orioles this season. It's not necessarily anything he's done wrong -- the youth movement is on in Baltimore, leaving him without a defined place in the lineup. Urias could play all around the infield, with second base being the most likely path to regular at-bats, depending on how Jordan Westburg and Jackson Holliday progress. Kolten Wong is also in camp on a minor-league deal, but he'll likely be more organizational depth that a true threat to Urias' place on the roster.

Manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday that Jung (calf) has been cleared to resume baseball activities, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

The 26-year-old has been sidelined since he suffered a left calf strain in mid-February, but he's now ready for baseball work and is taking swings in the batting cage Sunday. Jung should ramp up his activities over the next week and could make his spring debut before too long if he has no further issues with his calf.

The Rockies optioned Bernabel to Double-A Hartford on Sunday.

Though Bernabel is on the Rockies' 40-man roster and was attending big-league spring training, he wasn't a serious threat to win an Opening Day spot for the big club. He'll instead return to Hartford for a repeat season after he slashed .225/.270/.338 over 322 plate appearances with the affiliate in 2023.

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.