MLB Player News

Mauricio went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

Getting the start at shortstop and hitting ninth, Mauricio took Elvin Rodriguez deep in the fifth inning for his fourth homer of the spring. Mauricio's .304/.360/.870 slash line in camp is impressive, but the 21-year-old has yet play above Double-A and his ability to get on base once he reaches the majors is a major question mark -- he has a .296 OBP in nearly 1,000 plate appearances across the last two minor-league seasons. Even so, a quick start to his campaign at Triple-A this year could put him in line to make his MLB debut at some point over the summer.

Marte was optioned Sunday to Double-A Chattanooga by the Reds, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Goldsmith further reports that the Reds intend to move Marte to third base. Reds manager David Bell said: "I do think third base is the right spot for him. Can he play short? Probably. He has done it. I think he's going to find a home at third base. I love the actions he has there, he has plenty of arm. I think it's going to be a good home."

Marte is one of the top names in the Cincinnati system, but he wasn't a candidate for the Opening Day roster. The former Seattle prospect will head to Chattanooga and could make his MLB debut over the summer with strong results at the upper levels of the minors.

The Marlins optioned Amaya to Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

With Jazz Chisholm and Luis Arraez seemingly locked in as the Marlins' Opening Day starters in the middle infield, Amaya was never a realistic candidate to break camp with the big club. After being acquired from the Dodgers in January in the deal that sent Miguel Rojas to Los Angeles, Amaya will likely have a clearer path to reaching the big leagues in 2023 with his new organization. He was productive in his first taste of the Triple-A level with Oklahoma City in 2022, slashing .259/.368/.381 with eight home runs and three stolen bases across 351 plate appearances.

Luciano (back) was optioned to minor-league camp Saturday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Luciano hasn't appeared in a spring game because of his back trouble, but he has been a full participant in workouts as of late. The top hitting prospect in the San Francisco system is likely to begin the season with Double-A Richmond, and a strong showing there could go a long way to him making his MLB debut before 2023 comes to a close.

Alexander was optioned Friday to Triple-A Reno.

Alexander was one of seven players in this round of cuts from the major-league side of Diamondbacks camp. The 23-year-old infielder could climb to the majors at some point during the 2023 campaign after slashing .301/.389/.540 with 20 home runs and 10 stolen bases in 98 minor-league games last season. He finished up at Reno.

Winn is hitting .389 (7-for-18) with a home run, a double, three stolen bases and five runs scored through seven Grapefruit League games.

Winn's strong spring comes with the caveat that he has yet to play an inning at Triple-A and will likely begin the season with at least a brief stint at Double-A Springfield. He had a .781 OPS with 11 homers and 28 steals over 86 games at that level last season, though he took a noticeable step down from his work at High-A Peoria. Winn, a natural shortstop, is on track to contend for a major-league job in 2024. Tommy Edman and Paul DeJong figure to see most of the time there in 2023.

Barrero retooled his swing over the offseason in an effort to cut down on his swings and misses, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "When guys make adjustments and they're at a point where it needs to show up in a game, spring training can be really big," Reds manager David Bell said. "You can prove it to yourself a little bit. That's what Jose's doing right now. He's starting to trust the adjustments he has made."

Barrero had an astounding 43.7 K% in 174 big-league plate appearances last season. While he's improved so far this spring, that improvement still has translated into a 31.3 K%. This is likely to be Barrero's last hurrah until the Reds' wave of shortstops is ready for the big club.

Ahmed went 1-for-3 in Monday's spring game against the Royals.

Ahmed made his Cactus League debut after missing a week due to forearm tightness. He struck out in his first two plate appearances before singling his third time through. His return to game action kicks off shortstop watch in camp. Ahmed, who turns 33 next week, and the 23-year-old Geraldo Perdomo will share the position, though it's unclear how the playing time will be divided.

DeJong, who has been dealing with fatigue in his right arm, will be back at shortstop Tuesday for a Grapefruit League contest against the Tigers, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

DeJong has been limited to designated hitter as of late while dealing with the fatigue, but he's been cleared to return to the infield. The 29-year-old is attempting to win a utility role with St. Louis to begin the 2023 season with Tommy Edman expected to get most of the reps at shortstop this season.

Ahmed (forearm) is starting at shortstop and batting sixth Monday versus the Royals.

Ahmed will make his spring training debut Monday after experiencing some inflammation in his right forearm, forcing him to miss the first week-and-a-half of action. The 32-year-old only played in 17 games last season while dealing with injury, producing a .231 average with three homers, seven RBI and seven runs scored over 52 at-bats.