MLB Player News
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Francisco Lindor SS | NYM
Mets' Francisco Lindor: Could resume activities soon
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said that Lindor had his stitches removed from his left hand Tuesday and could begin some "impact" activities within 2-to-3 days, Max Goodman of NJ.com reports.
Mendoza added that Lindor has experienced no complications since undergoing surgery two weeks ago to repair a stress reaction in his left hamate bone, and the star shortstop appears poised to begin a hitting progression in the coming days. Though it could take a bit of time for Lindor to regain his power coming off the procedure, he should be in good shape to avoid a stint on the injured list to begin the season so long as he's not dealing with any discomfort as he increases his baseball activities.
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Elly De La Cruz SS | CIN
Reds' Elly De La Cruz: Goes yard Tuesday
De La Cruz went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's spring game against the Royals.
De La Cruz belted his first spring homer and has three extra-base hits in his two Cactus League appearances. It's a promising sign for the dynamic De La Cruz, who has enjoyed protection from Eugenio Suarez batting behind him. Suarez followed De La Cruz's blast with his own homer and is expected to bat cleanup behind De La Cruz in the regular season.
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Konnor Griffin SS | PIT
Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Pops two homers
Griffin went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox.
Griffin was hitless across his first five at-bats of Grapefruit League action, but he blasted a pair of long balls over the replica Green Monster at jetBlue Park on Tuesday. Both of those homers came on breaking balls -- the first of which was a curveball from Ranger Suarez -- and had exit velocities of 104.8 and 111.2 mph, respectively, per Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Griffin now has four flyballs measured over 104 mph this spring.
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Jefferson Rojas SS | CHC
Cubs' Jefferson Rojas: Connects on first spring home run
Rojas went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Monday's Cactus League game against the Royals.
Rojas received an invite to major-league spring training at just 20 years of age, and he didn't look overmatched Monday as he connected for his first Cactus League home run. The young shortstop is not on Chicago's 40-man roster and has yet to play above the Double-A level, so he's almost certainly ticketed for a return to the minors, but he could turn some heads with a strong spring. Rojas is worth keeping a close eye on in dynasty formats this season, particularly if he keeps developing his power stroke.
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Jack Brannigan SS | PIT
Pirates' Jack Brannigan: Seeing specialist for nose injury
Brannigan will visit a specialist after suffering multiple injuries to the nasal complex when he was struck by a bad hop Sunday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Brannigan was re-examined by team physicians Monday and the damage appears to be confined to the nose area, but he will examined by a specialist just in case to rule out orbital fractures. The 24-year-old is also coming back from surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder, which he had last July. Brannigan should be considered day-to-day for the time being.
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Matt McLain SS | CIN
Reds' Matt McLain: Hitting second
McLain went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI while batting second in Sunday's spring training loss to the Mariners. The Reds would like to see McLain bat second this year, but manager Terry Francona won't force it, Charlie Goldsmith of The Dayton Daily News reports. He was hitting second in a lineup that featured a typical top of the order, with TJ Friedl and Elly De La Cruz sandwiching McLain and Eugenio Suarez batting cleanup.
McLain hit second 66 times last season and struggled in the role. Francona suggested that it won't merely be McLain's spring training stat line that will drive the batting-order decision. "Just like everyone, you want them to feel good about themselves when they leave here," Francona said. "That's the whole idea. If I had a formula, we'd do it. You want guys to play enough. Everyone is different, which is ok."
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Aidan Miller SS | PHI
Phillies' Aidan Miller: Dealing with back soreness
Miller is battling lower-back soreness and will be receiving treatment during the week, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
It's not quite clear when this issue popped up for Miller, but the team is understandably proceeding with caution to ensure the injury doesn't get worse. The 21-year-old received an invitation to big-league camp and has an outside chance to make the Opening Day roster, but this injury won't help his chances. Miller can be considered day-to-day until the team has another update to share.
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Jack Brannigan SS | PIT
Pirates' Jack Brannigan: Exits after being struck by ball
Brannigan (face) was removed from Sunday's Grapefruit League game versus Philadelphia after being hit by a batted ball, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Brannigan started the split-squad game at third base but was replaced in the second inning after being hit in the face by a groundball, per Anthony Murphy of DKPittsburghSports.com. He subsequently underwent examination and treatment by local and team medical staffs. Jesus Castillo entered the game for Brannigan.
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Jordan Lawlar SS | ARI
Diamondbacks' Jordan Lawlar: Pops homer in spring debut
Lawlar started in center field and went 1-for-2 with a walk and solo home run in Saturday's spring game against the Rockies.
Lawlar won an eight-pitch battle, delivering a solo home run to left field off Valente Bellozo in the second inning. He's set to see a lot of time in center field this spring, as Alek Thomas will cover left field for the injured Lourdes Gurriel (knee). Once all of Arizona's injured outfielders return, including right fielder Corbin Carroll (hand), Lawlar could earn playing time as the right-handed hitting complement to Thomas in center and in left field when Gurriel operates as the designated hitter.
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Enrique Hernandez SS | LAD
Dodgers' Enrique Hernandez: Placed on 60-day IL
The Dodgers placed Hernandez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Saturday, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.
The move creates space on the Dodgers' 40-man roster for Jack Suwinski, who was claimed off waivers from the Pirates on Saturday. Hernandez is expected to miss the first several months of the regular season while he recovers from offseason elbow surgery, though the team is hopeful that he'll resume a hitting program soon.