MLB Player News

Baty went 2-for-2 with a walk and a two-run home run in Saturday's Grapefruit League contest against the Astros.

The Mets' top prospect has a legitimate chance to be the Opening Day third baseman with a strong camp, per MLB Pipeline. Eduardo Escobar offers a nice veteran fallback option for New York if Baty needs more seasoning at Triple-A, but the 23-year-old prospect is off to an excellent start to spring training.

It's unclear where the Giants plan to play Davis in 2023, Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Davis is expected to get most of his work at the corner infield spots and designated hitter. The Giants are looking for David Villar to be the starter at third base, while first base remains up in the air. Slusser adds Davis and fellow right-handed hitter Wilmer Flores could likely split first base and DH against left-handed pitchers, but it appears Davis isn't likely to see a significant role to start unless his play in spring forces the issue.

Rivera (wrist) will bat cleanup and play third base Saturday against the Athletics.

Rivera suffered a fractured wrist at the tail end of last season, but the injury evidently is no longer a problem. He'll compete for a bench spot in camp after hitting .238/.298/.393 with 13 home runs in 131 games across his first two big-league campaigns.

Walls has been sidelined at the start of spring camp with an oblique injury, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The infielder has not been able to participate in Grapefruit League activities while dealing with the injury. Walls is expected to serve as a backup infielder with Tampa Bay after hitting just .172.268/.285 with eight homers and 10 steals over 466 plate appearances across 142 games with the Rays in 2022. There should be further updates on Walls' status as the spring progresses.

Noel will get some time at first base, left field and right field during 2023, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.

Noel is likely to begin the season with Triple-A Columbus, where he received a late promotion and played four games last season. Across three levels of the minors in 2022, he hit 32 home runs. He still strikes out at a high rate -- that mark was at 27.4 percent last season, but the power remains enticing if he can improve his plate discipline. The 21-year-old is a natural first baseman, but getting more time in the corner outfield at the highest levels of the minors could open more pathways for his eventual major-league debut.

Senzel (toe) is on track to take live batting practice soon, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

That said, Senzel is still not running at 100 percent as he recovers from multiple surgeries to repair a fractured toe in his left foot. Reds manager David Bell acknowledged Thursday that the 27-year-old outfielder might be cutting it close for Opening Day. It's a situation that will require monitoring throughout the month of March.

Peraza is the favorite to begin the 2023 season as the Yankees' starting shortstop, MLB Pipeline reports.

This has been the general assumption, as Peraza brings a strong glove to rival Isiah Kiner-Falefa but with more offensive potential and has been a step ahead of Anthony Volpe on the climb through the minors. Peraza hit .311/.378/.555 with 14 home runs and a 21.4 percent strikeout rate over his final 53 games at Triple-A last season, and he got on base at a .404 clip during a brief cup of coffee in the majors. However, what makes him particularly intriguing in fantasy is the fact he went 35-for-40 on stolen-base attempts and has a 90th percentile sprint speed.

Longoria was away from camp on Wednesday due to illness, Nick Piecoro of the AZ Central reports.

There's no timetable for when Longoria will be back, but it doesn't sound like something that will carry over into the regular season. The 37-year-old third baseman joined the Diamondbacks over the winter after slashing .244/.315/.451 with 14 homers over 89 games for the Giants in 2022.

Kreidler may make the Tigers' Opening Day roster in a reserve role, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

The Tigers have some roster uncertainty, particularly with Nick Maton and Matt Vierling coming over in the trade for reliever Gregory Soto. Kreidler played in 26 games for Detroit last year and batted just .178, though his defensive versatility could help him carve out a utility role off the bench. The righty Kreidler could also settle into a platoon role at second or third, possibly with the left-handed-hitting Maton.

Newman is away from Reds camp Tuesday due to food poisoning, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Newman should be fine after a day or two of rest and treatment. The 29-year-old signed a one-year, $2.662 million free-agent contract with Cincinnati in January and will likely open the 2023 season as the club's everyday shortstop.