MLB Player News

Lopez (groin) could return to Grapefruit League play as soon as Wednesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Lopez suffered a left groin injury while playing for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic, but he was able to go through a full workout -- including running the bases -- Monday without issue. The utility player is aiming for a spot on Toronto's Opening Day roster.

Crawford (shoulder) is starting at shortstop and batting leadoff for the Mariners in Monday's Cactus League game versus the Brewers.

Crawford has been limited to designated hitter duties for a few days while battling a sore shoulder, but he's ready to test things out from his familiar shortstop position. The 28-year-old is 5-for-23 with zero extra-base hits so far this spring.

Although Diaz continues in a heated competition with Nick Allen for the starting shortstop role, the veteran's ability to play multiple positions should help him garner a near-everyday role irrespective of how the job battle shakes out, Steve Stockmar of MLB.com reports. "You could see Diaz at shortstop. That's kind of been a trend this Spring Training. That's not set in stone," manager Mark Kotsay said. "Aledmys can play in left, we have the opportunity to DH as well. So there's a ton of combinations that we can put together that we feel good about."

Diaz inked a two-year, $14.5 million deal this offseason, and he's wasted no time validating the investment with a strong spring that includes a .357 average across 33 Cactus League plate appearances. Diaz's career .266 average, .763 OPS and modest 14.7 percent strikeout rate should afford him plenty of job security regardless of whether Allen is declared the victor of their competition, considering Diaz's defensive versatility and the fact Kotsay has emphasized he'll be prioritizing offense this season after Oakland's struggles scoring runs throughout 2022.

Allen, who is hitting .375 across 11 Cactus League games, continues to be in a heated battle with Aledmys Diaz for the starting shortstop job, Steve Stockmar of MLB.com reports.

Allen got the start Sunday against the Dodgers, and Stockmar reports the 24-year-old helped his case with an RBI and two stellar defensive plays. However, Diaz is also enjoying a successful spring at the plate, and manager Mark Kotsay is going to emphasize offensive upside in his decision-making process with respect to the winner of the job battle. "You look at the production offensively last year, we evaluate that," Kotsay said. "Obviously, we evaluate our offense last year as a group. We didn't score enough runs, and that's a necessity this year."

Crawford (shoulder) will play in a minor-league game Saturday to receive at-bats, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.

Crawford has been out of the lineup since March 13 because of a "soggy" right shoulder. The infielder will get at-bats on the back fields of Arizona, and he has a good chance to be back at shortstop for Seattle for Monday's Cactus League contest. It looks likely that Crawford will be ready for the regular season.

McCoy has a chance to make the Opening Day roster for the Mariners, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

He has impressed during spring training with his defense, and the fact that the Mariners will open the season without Dylan Moore (oblique) certainly helps McCoy's chances of making the roster. The 27-year-old is capable of playing all over the infield, and would likely be the backup to J.P. Crawford at short, Eugenio Suarez at third and Kolten Wong at second.

Mariners manager Scott Servais expects Crawford (shoulder) to return Monday, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.

Crawford has been out of the lineup with what Servais described as a "soggy" shoulder, but the Mariners have said that the injury -- whatever it is -- isn't considered serious, and a return to the lineup Monday would seem to verify those claims. The shortstop's return becomes even more important for Seattle with Dylan Moore (oblique) likely to miss the first few weeks of the year.

Diaz is hitting .385 (10-for-26) with a double, four RBI, four walks and two runs across 10 Cactus League games.

Diaz's performance at the plate is a welcome sight after the Athletics committed $14.5 million to him through 2024 this offseason. The versatile infielder is one of several veteran signings by an Athletics team in transition, and he should serve as a decent source of power numbers as he fills in across the infield and at designated hitter during the upcoming campaign.

Volpe may be the favorite to make the Opening Day roster as the Yankees' starting shortstop, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

With Isiah Kiner-Falefa transitioning to a utility role, New York's starting shortstop job is a two-way battle between Volpe and Oswald Peraza. Though Volpe was a longshot to break camp with the club coming into the spring, he may now be the favorite for the role as the result of an excellent spring during which he's slashed .333/.460/.667 with two homers, four doubles, three RBI, four stolen bases and a 6:7 BB:K through 37 plate appearances. Peraza is considered the better defender and has put in more time in the minors, but he hasn't looked as good offensively in Grapefruit League play, slashing .227/.370/.409 over 27 plate appearances. Though the position battle is far from decided, Volpe has earned praise from both teammates and management this spring, with team captain Aaron Judge saying of him, "My thing has always been, if you're the best player, it shouldn't matter your age. You should be up helping the New York Yankees."

Lopez is considered day-to-day due to left groin soreness, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Lopez picked up the injury while playing for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic. He'll be given a couple days off before being re-evaluated. Lopez is competing for a reserve role with the Blue Jays.