MLB Player News

Turner has gone 5-for-25 (.200) through 11 Grapefruit League games with one double and one stolen base on two attempts.

On the bright side, Turner has drawn seven walks against seven strikeouts, but otherwise the shortstop is still trying to find his timing at the plate. There's little reason to be concerned with his performance after he slashed .335/.394/.588 in 2020 with 12 homers and 12 steals in 59 games, but Nats manager Dave Martinez has experimented all spring with Victor Robles in the leadoff spot, and a move down to the two or three hole in the batting order could wind up costing Turner some stolen base opportunities.

Owings' contract was selected by the Rockies on Saturday.

Owings served as a non-roster invitee this spring, but he'll now be added to Colorado's 40-man roster ahead of the regular season. The 29-year-old has slashed .292/.357/.940 with one home run, three RBI and three stolen bases over 24 at-bats during Cactus League play and should serve as a utility player for the Rockies to begin the year.

DeJong, who was hitless over his first 23 Grapefruit League at-bats, credits a pep talk he received from manager Mike Shildt early this week for his strong performances since, Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Shildt reportedly reminded DeJong that "no one wins a Grapefruit League batting title" in an effort to loosen the shortstop up at the plate, and the message seems to have gotten through. DeJong subsequently homered and singled off staff ace Jack Flaherty in a simulated game Tuesday, singled and walked against the Astros on Wednesday, and recorded a two-run blast and a single off Marlins starter Pablo Lopez on Thursday. That still leaves the shortstop's spring average at .179, but it gives him a much bigger boost in confidence. "Just getting back to myself," said DeJong, who has made a small change in his stance to be more upright. "Getting my timing back. And I want to thank Mike for pulling me aside and telling me he wasn't worried about me. It's just one of those springs."

Rojas has gone 4-for-21 (.190) through 11 Grapefruit League games and has yet to collect an extra-base hit.

He does have four walks against only two strikeouts, but Rojas has yet to get in sync at the plate. The 32-year-old is locked in as the Marlins' starting shortstop and posted a career-high .888 OPS last year, but he's more likely to produce something closer to his career .266/.319/.358 slash line in 2021.

Ahmed went 1-for-3 in Thursday's spring game against the Dodgers.

Ahmed played for the first time in 12 days after dealing with a knee injury and a personal leave. Arizona's starting shortstop will have two weeks to get his timing down before the start of the regular season.

Ahmed (personal) will bat second and play shortstop Thursday against the Dodgers.

Ahmed hasn't played a Cactus League game in 12 days, missing time first with knee soreness and then due to a personal issue. With Opening Day still two weeks away, however, he should have enough time to continue his spring buildup and get up to full speed or close to it by the start of the regular season.

Cruz was optioned off the active roster Tuesday.

Cruz could make a push for his big-league debut at some point this season, but it's no surprise he won't be on the Opening Day roster. The 22-year-old shortstop has yet to advance beyond Double-A and has gone just 1-for-20 at the plate in Grapefruit League action so far this spring. He's expected to spend some time in center field as he looks to expand his versatility, which could give him more paths to the major-league roster.

Lindor went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, a walk and two runs scored against the Astros on Tuesday.

He'd been off to a bit of a slow start with the bat this spring, as the home run was Lindor's first extra-base hit of Grapefruit League play. It was a wonderful sight to behold for both Mets fans and those who've invested fantasy capital in the 27-year-old shortstop, as he turned on a fastball down and in, absolutely crushing it well over the right-field fence. Coming off the worst season of his career, Lindor has a lot to prove, so it'll be interesting to see how the Mets handle the pending free agent's contract negotiations.

Ahmed was removed from the lineup Tuesday against the Athletics due to a personal issue, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic reports.

Ahmed was scheduled to return to the lineup after missing nine days with knee soreness. It's good news that his absence isn't due to a knee setback, though it's unclear when he'll be back in the lineup.

The Brewers reassigned Reyes to their minor-league camp Tuesday.

Reyes had been in contention for a utility role on the Brewers' Opening Day roster, but Milwaukee evidently felt that Daniel Robertson and Jace Peterson were better candidates for that job. The 27-year-old previously saw action at the big-league level with the Pirates in 2018 and 2019, posting a .664 OPS across 220 career plate appearances.