MLB Player News

Lloyd McClendon knows who will be in what is a strengthened Mariners lineup to start this season, but he is still experimenting with the batting order, per the Tacoma News-Tribune.

McClendon will bat sizzling shortstop Brad Miller second and third baseman Kyle Seager fifth in the game Wednesday against Milwaukee. He is planning on batting deposed shortstop Nick Franklin leadoff on Thursday. The Mariners have reportedly been actively seeking to trade Franklin.

Mariners shortstop Brad Miller continued to shine Tuesday, going 3 for 4 with three runs and his fourth spring home run in his team's 5-5 tie with the Padres.

Miller played second base Tuesday as the team used Nick Franklin at shortstop, likely in an attempt to showcase him for a potential trade. Miller, who is 14 for 34 with four home runs this spring, likely has the starting shortstop role all sewn up.

The Royals optioned infielder Christian Colon, catcher Francisco Pena and pitcher Michael Mariot to Triple-A Omaha Friday.

Colon went 1 for 2 with one run and one RBI Friday and went 8 for 27 in 14 games with the Royals. Pena hit his first spring home run Friday and is 2 for 9 in six games. Mariot allowed one earned run in one inning Friday and has given up six earned runs in six innings this spring.

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera crushed two home runs, leading Detroit to a 17-5 rout of the Cardinals Monday. Cabrera had a productive day, going 3 for 4 with four RBI.

Cabrera opened the scoring with a two-run homer off Shelby Miller in the third inning. He then added another two-run homer off Keith Butler in the fourth inning. It was his first home runs of the spring.

Cabrera is batting .474 (9 for 19) with one double and five RBI in eight spring games.

The Twins made a slew of roster moves Sunday. The team announced pitchers Logan Darnell, Edgar Ibarra, Brooks Raley and Trevor May were optioned to Triple-A Rochester. 

The Twins also announced first baseman Kennys Vargas was optioned to Double-A New Britain, while infielder Jorge Polanco  and outfielder Max Kepler  were optioned to Class A Ft. Myers.

The Twins also reassigned pitchers Alex Meyer, Lester Oliveros and Yohan Pino, catchers Kyle Knudson, Matt Koch  and Stuart Turner, outfielders Byron Buxton  and Chris Rahl  and infielder Miguel Sano to minor-league camp.

Mariners shortstop Brad Miller went 1 for 2 with a walk, a solo home run and a stolen base in his team's 6-5 win over the Reds Monday.

Miller opened the spring 0 for 5 over his first two games before filling up the stat sheet Monday. He's battling Nick Franklin for the starting shortstop role, with the loser of the competition set to be optioned to Triple-A Tacoma.

Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik told The News Tribune on Monday that the loser of the Nick Franklin/Brad Miller battle at shortstop will be optioned to Tacoma, where he will get regular at-bats. 

"With young players," Zduriencik said, "it's very important that they play regularly."

Franklin and Miller would have played alongside one another this season, but the team signed Robinson Cano to play second base. There have been trade rumors floating around Franklin all winter, and a deal is still just as solid a possibility as a demotion (if he loses the competition). 

Franklin, 23, hit .225 with 12 home runs and six steals in 102 games last year for the Mariners. Miller, 24, hit .265 with eight home runs and five steals in 76 games. 

Blue Jays infielder Ryan Goins was named the team's starting second baseman by manager John Gibbons Friday morning, MLB.com reports. He was expected to compete with Maicer Izturis this spring, but Izturis will instead be used in a utility role.

"Goins is our guy right now," Gibbons told MLB.com. "We want to see him do his thing. There's always a chance. Opening Day is [Tampa Bay's] David Price so maybe you'd rather have a righty facing him, that could always be a possibility. But we're giving Goins every opportunity to be the guy."

Goins made 32 appearances (29 starts) at second base in his first MLB season last year, hitting .252/.264/.345 with two home runs, eight RBI and an ugly 28:2 K:BB ratio in 119 at-bats.

Astros outfielder J.D. Martinez said he spent the offseason overhauling his offensive game, according to the Houston Chronicle.

"I changed everything. Everything," Martinez said. "From my hands to my feet my leg kick my stride my load -- just everything."

Martinez, who is trying to earn his way back onto the 40-man roster, said the overall goal was to keep his bat in the hitting zone longer. 

"I was looking at video and noticed it through watching Jason (Castro)," Martinez said. "Watching Castro and how he changed his hands from two years ago to last year, and the adjustment that he made. It was kind of the same time Ryan Braun got popped for PEDs, and the whole Ryan Braun scandal was going on and all his highlights were showing up on TV.

"And I saw him and I was like, ‘Woah, am I the only one who doesn’t know this type of deal?’ And I kept going on the Internet and looking, and looking and looking, and I would look at mine and I would see the difference. How long they were in the zone, and how long my bat was in the zone."

The Blue Jays do not anticipate adding a second baseman this spring, according to MLB.com.

General manager Alex Anthopoulos said it's unlikely the team upgrades the position during spring training, but would still engage teams in trade talks. "I would think it's unlikely that we add someone there but I would say that we'll still continue to have some dialogue trade wise," Anthopoulos said. The team is set to open the season with Ryan Goins at the position.

Goins hit .252/.264/.345 in 119 at-bats last season.