MLB Player News

Duran was optioned to Double-A Frisco on Sunday.

Duran had his contract selected by the Rangers in November and was with the big-league club to open spring training, but he never had a realistic chance to make the Opening Day roster given he spent the 2021 campaign at the High-A level. He was acquired from the Yankees last season and hit .267/.342/.486 with 19 home runs, 79 RBI and 19 stolen bases in 105 games.

Story (personal) is expected to rejoin the Red Sox on Monday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Story has been away for the birth of his child, which in turn pushed back his debut with the team. Though Boston doesn't have a spring training game scheduled Monday, Story is expected to participate in an intrasquad contest, and he will likely debut in Grapefruit League action by the close of the week. Notably, manager Alex Cora said Story could receive extra days off early in the regular season as he gets fully ramped up.

Correa is hitting third and starting at shortstop in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Correa reported to spring training shortly after signing a three-year, $105.3 million contract with the Twins on March 18. However, Sunday's appearance will mark his first game action with his new club. The lineup closely resembles what could be Minnesota's Opening Day lineup, meaning Correa could regularly hit third to start the campaign.

Allen, who went 1-for-4 in a Cactus League loss to the Guardians on Saturday, is now hitting .500 (6-for-12) with two triples, a solo home run, three walks and three runs across his first seven exhibitions.

The fact the star defensive prospect is wowing with the bat certainly ups his chances of snagging an Opening Day roster spot, and the rebuilding Athletics appear to be looking to afford him every opportunity by also testing out his elite glove at second base already this spring. Allen's current success with the bat isn't necessarily surprising, either, considering he's coming off a stellar .319/.374/.471 line at Double-A Midland last season. He generated a .243/.302/.301 tally at Triple-A Las Vegas across 39 games.

Fletcher leads the battle to be the Angels' primary shortstop this season, though he'll play some second base as well, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Fletcher primarily played second base last season but has 73 career starts at shortstop, grading out as a bit better than average at the position according to both UZR and DRS. If he's the team's main shortstop this season, that leaves a battle for second base between a number of players including Luis Rengifo, Tyler Wade, Jack Mayfield and Matt Duffy.

Baez is batting third in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies, and Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said this may resemble his Opening Day lineup, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

After he signed a six-year, $140 million deal with Detroit in November, there was no doubt that Baez would bat high in the lineup, but it wasn't clear exactly where he'd slot in regularly. If Hinch's Saturday lineup is any indication, his new shortstop will be the No. 3 hitter most days, with Robbie Grossman batting second and Jeimer Candelario hitting cleanup. This could change, of course, but Baez should get plenty of chances to produce no matter who's around him in the order.

Witt went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run and two runs scored in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Reds.

With homers in back-to-back games, Witt is using his power to make a case for the Opening Day roster. He's added five RBI, three runs scored and a double in four spring training games so far. For now, Witt is penciled in as the starting third baseman to begin 2022 -- he's done well to show he belongs so far after a quick rise through the minors.

Story will be away from camp for the next few days due to the birth of his child, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Previous reports indicated that Story would make his spring debut Saturday, but that will now be pushed back a few more days. His late signing with the Red Sox means he already didn't have much time to get up to speed by Opening Day, so it's possible he's eased into things with an extra off day or two at the beginning of the campaign.

Story will appear in his first spring training game for Boston on Saturday against the Rays, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Story, who officially signed with the Red Sox on Wednesday, took at-bats in a minor-league game Thursday and will do so again Friday. After his Grapefruit League debut Saturday, he'll head back to the back fields Sunday before the Red Sox determine whether he's ready for full-time action. Boston manager Alex Cora has not committed to a specific spot in the batting order for Story, who batted in the heart of the Rockies lineup last year -- 75 times at cleanup, 49 times out of the five-hole and 15 times hitting third.

Downs was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Downs opened camp with the big-league club but will now move over to the minor-league side. The 23-year-old spent last season at Worcester and struggled with a .605 OPS and 32.3 percent strikeout rate in 99 games, and he may need a better showing in 2022 to have chance of making his MLB debut.