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  • Marco Luciano SS | NYY

    Giants' Marco Luciano: Impresses manager

    Luciano went 1-for-3 with a home run and a strikeout in Monday's Cactus League game against the Angels.

    "He's got power and he looks like there's more presence in the batter's box right now," said manager Bob Melvin of Luciano after the game. "More confidence, even in his batting practice, he's pulling the ball more and driving the ball." It was an impressive homer by Luciano, as he had the platoon advantage and hit it off the batter's eye in dead center. Luciano is in camp as an outfielder for the first time as the Giants look to reduce his defensive responsibilities in hopes of getting more offensive production out of him in his age-23 season.

  • Gavin Lux SS | TB

    Reds' Gavin Lux: Moving around infield

    Lux started at third base and went 0-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base in Monday's Cactus League game against the Dodgers.

    Lux made his second Cactus League appearance for his new team. He started at second base in one of Saturday's split-squad games before moving to the hot corner Monday. Expect to see his name at many positions this spring, and the versatile player may never settle into one home on the diamond.

  • C.J. Abrams SS | WAS

    Nationals' CJ Abrams: Will bat leadoff

    Abrams will be moved back into the leadoff spot this season, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports. "CJ's going to lead off," manager Dave Martinez said. "The [Nos.] 3-4-5 will be kind of different a little bit. The [No.] 2 might be different at times. But we do know CJ's going to lead off for us."

    Abrams was moved out of the leadoff spot late in the season last year in favor of prospect Dylan Crews when Crews was promoted, but the team will reverse that decision this year. Abrams struggled so much in the second half (.203/.260/.326 with an 11th percentile chase rate) that his ability to remain in that capacity as a leadoff hitter is in question.

  • Diamondbacks' Blaze Alexander: Makes spring debut

    Alexander started at second base and went 0-for-1 with a walk and a run scored in Saturday's spring game against the Rockies.

    Alexander made his Cactus League debut and is expected to play multiple infield positions in a quest to claim a utility role on the Opening Day roster. It's the same role Kevin Newman held last season, but he signed with the Angels in the offseason. The questions surrounding Alexander in his first exposure to MLB in 2024 were his defense and the downturn at the plate after a strong April. His primary competition for a roster spot includes Garrett Hampson and Ildemaro Vargas.

  • Reds' Elly De La Cruz: Homers twice in spring debut

    De La Cruz went 2-for-2 with two solo home runs in Saturday's split-squad game against the Guardians.

    Not only did he homer twice, De La Cruz homered from both sides of the plate in his first Cactus League game of 2025. The 23-year-old is coming off an electric sophomore season in which he hit 25 homers with a league-leading 67 steals, and he tweaked his batting stance this winter to help address lingering swing-and-miss concerns. While he brings more batting-average volatility than most in the first-round draftees, the counting-stat upside is undeniable.

  • Miguel Rojas SS | LAD

    Dodgers' Miguel Rojas: Cactus League debut Friday

    Rojas (sports hernia) will start at third base and bat sixth versus the Cubs on Friday in his Cactus League debut, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

    Rojas underwent sports hernia surgery early in the offseason and developed an infection that extended his recovery timeline. While he was slightly behind other Dodgers position players at the start of camp, it appears he's now all caught up. Rojas is projected to serve as a reserve infielder this season.

  • Matt Shaw SS | CHC

    Cubs' Matt Shaw: Resumes hitting and throwing

    Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Thursday that Shaw (oblique) is "doing great" and has resumed hitting in the batting cage and throwing, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

    Shaw suffered an oblique injury at the beginning of camp but has been trending in the right direction since then. The Cubs will continue to tread cautiously given the finicky nature of oblique injuries, but it would seem Shaw might not be far off from full activities. The top prospect is the favorite to be the Cubs' Opening Day third baseman.

  • Jordan Lawlar SS | ARI

    Diamondbacks' Jordan Lawlar: Will join big club when ready

    Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said Tuesday that "nothing has changed" regarding the organization's plans for Lawlar after the team signed starting shortstop Geraldo Perdomo to a four-year extension earlier this week, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports. "When [he] is ready to be on this team, Lawlar's gonna be on this team," Hazen said.

    Like Perdomo, Lawlar primarily plays shortstop, but both players are capable of playing second base and third base and could maintain everyday roles once the latter is deemed ready to return to the big leagues. After reaching the majors in 2023 and appearing in 14 games, Lawlar had been expected to push for a full-time job with the big club in 2024, but a spring thumb injury followed by a hamstring limited him to 23 games, all of which came in the minors. Lawlar is fully healthy and part of big-league camp this spring, and though regular at-bats in the majors wouldn't appear to be available heading into Opening Day, Hazen didn't dismiss the possibility of the 22-year-old making the Diamondbacks' 26-man active roster as a utility infielder if he proves during camp that he's one of the top 13 position players in the organization. Even so, the likelier outcome is that Lawlar opens the season at Triple-A Reno.

  • Miguel Rojas SS | LAD

    Dodgers' Miguel Rojas: Takes part in live BP, fielding work

    Rojas (sports hernia) took live batting practice against Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki during Wednesday's full-squad workout, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

    In addition, Rojas took part in defensive drills Wednesday, per DodgersNation.com. Rojas disclosed Feb. 1 that he underwent sports hernia surgery early in the offseason and developed an infection that lengthened his recovery timeline, but he said he was "pretty close to 100 percent" heading into spring training, according to MLB.com. His ability to take part in live hitting and fielding work Wednesday backs up that assessment, though it's unclear whether Rojas will immediately play in Cactus League games when the Dodgers open their exhibition schedule Thursday. In any case, Rojas doesn't look to be in any danger of missing the Dodgers' season-opening series versus the Cubs in Tokyo, which begins March 18.

  • Trea Turner SS | PHI

    Phillies' Trea Turner: Could bat leadoff in 2025

    Manager Rob Thomson said last week that he's considering moving Kyle Schwarber down to third or fourth in the Phillies' everyday lineup this season, potentially clearing the way for Turner to serve as the club's primary leadoff hitter, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

    In 2024, Schwarber started 149 of the Phillies' 162 games out of the leadoff spot, with Bryson Stott (10 starts) and Whit Merrifield (three) setting the table in the other 13 contests. Merrifield wasn't re-signed in free agency, and Stott doesn't appear to be an ideal candidate to slot in atop the lineup when the Phillies are at full strength since it would create an imbalance atop the batting order with three lefties (Stott, Schwarber and Bryce Harper) in the first four spots. With Thomson having acknowledged after the past season, during Winter Meetings and last week that he feels Schwarber's power production would be better served in the No. 3 or 4 spot behind Harper, Turner represents the most logical candidate to fill the void atop the lineup. Turner batted exclusively out of the two-hole in 2024, but he made 15 starts out of the leadoff spot during the 2023 campaign and saw plenty of usage atop the order during his stints with the Nationals and Dodgers earlier in his career. A move to the leadoff spot could open up increased running opportunities for Turner, whose 19 steals in 2024 were his fewest in a season since the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.

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