MLB Player News

Veteran reliever Ross Ohlendorf headlines a group of Nationals sent to Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday. The others are shortstop Zach Walters, catcher Jhonatan Solano and pitcher Christian Garcia. Dispatched to minor league camp were pitcher Manny Delcarmen , first baseman Brock Peterson and second baseman Will Rhymes were optioned to minor league camp.

Ohlendorf had experienced back spasms this spring that have limited him to one inning in which he surrendered two runs on four hits.

Nobody would expect shortstop Zach Walters to be turning cartwheels after his demotion by the Nationals to minor league camp, but he was particularly upset. He refused to speak to the media after it was announced.

The 24-year-old Walters seems to have earned stronger consideration. He led all Washington players with more than 13 at-bats with a .379 batting average this spring. He boasted a .455 on-base percentage and .621 slugging percentage.

Walters was the victim of a numbers crunch. Starting shortstop Ian Desmond is among the best in baseball and Danny Espinosa provides quality depth at both middle infield positions.

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said he intends to give Chris Owings and Didi Gregorius each a start during the team's two-game series against the Dodgers in Australia this weekend.

"I'm probably going to play one of them each day," Gibson said, per MLB.com. "Not sure how I'm going to do it yet."

The Diamondbacks are open to trading shortstop Didi Gregorius and not fellow shortstop Chris Owings, an industry source told ESPN. The Diamondbacks would like an MLB-ready starting pitcher in return for Gregorius.

The Tigers talked to the Diamondbacks about a trade involving shortstop Chris Owings, but the conversation didn't progress very far, sources told FOX Sports 1.

Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada's shaky play this spring has renewed concerns for management he will not be able to handle the starting shortstop job. Therefore, the Mets are continuing to monitor the shortstop market, according to the New York Daily News.

A team source said Tuesday the Mets continue to scout Mariners infielder Nick Franklin, as they decide whether or not Franklin can play shortstop well enough to justify his offensive potential and giving up a starting pitcher prospect for him.

Also, a source for another team told the Daily News the Mets are also monitoring the Diamondbacks' shortstop competition, and "could jump in" to make a trade for Didi Gregorius or Chris Owings before spring training ends. Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers said recently he would consider trading one of his young shortstops, ideally for a top catching prospect, which would likely be Mets catcher Kevin Plawecki.

There is also free-agent shortstop Stephen Drew, but there is no indication from Drew's agent, Scott Boras, that his client would be willing to sign a bargain-type contract.

The Padres are taking a long look at infielder Ryan Jackson as a potential bench bat this season, MLB.com reports.

Jackson has shown versatility in the infield this spring, playing second base, third base and shortstop, and has been impressive defensively. While he isn't a major threat with his bat, he did go 2 for 3 with a triple and a home run in his previous two games heading into Tuesday's action.

Jackson made a brief, seven-game appearance with the Cardinals last season while hitting .278/.352/.346 in 442 at-bats at Triple-A Memphis.

MLB.com Dodgers beat writer Ken Gurnick seems to think Dee Gordon has the inside track to be the primary second baseman for Los Angeles to begin the season. Gordon was teamed with shortstop Hanley Ramirez for Monday's spring game, while Alexander Guerrero -- who is also considered a strong candidate for the starting job -- was playing in an intrasquad game.

The Diamondbacks announced a slew of roster moves Sunday, which included Eury De La Rosa, Ender Inciarte, Alfredo Marte and Zeke Spruill being optioned to Triple-A Reno.

The Diamondbacks also reassigned Nick Ahmed, Jake Barrett, Mike Bolsinger, Danny Dorn, Nick Evans, Jake Lamb, Adam Russell, Matt Stites and Bobby Wilson to minor-league camp.

Making his first appearance in a week, Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada went 0 for 2 and committed a fielding error in his team's 5-5 tie with the Cardinals Friday.

Tejada missed the past week while dealing with a tight hamstring, making Friday's game his second of the spring. He's 0 for 5 at the plate thus far, and his spring struggles, if they continue, could lead the team to go a different direction at the position this season.