MLB Player News

Watson homered for the second time in as many games Sunday for Low-A Jupiter in a win over Palm Beach.

The 16th overall pick in the 2021 Draft got an aggressive assignment to full-season ball to begin the season despite not turning 19 until later this week, but it's Watson who is dominating older pitchers, not the other way around. He's 4-for-10 with two doubles and two homers through his first three games for the Hammerheads, and while his 1:5 BB:K is a sign that the hot streak could end quickly if he doesn't sharpen his plate discipline, it's hard to argue he shouldn't keep swinging given what's been happening when he makes contact. The Marlins appear to have landed a gem with Watson, but he still remains at least a couple years away from his big-league debut.

Ahmed (shoulder) hopes to begin taking at-bats at extended spring training this week, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Ahmed was enthused when discussing the state of his right shoulder after receiving two cortisone shots in late March. "It's way better than it was two weeks ago," the shortstop said. According to the report, Ahmed has been hitting and throwing since early last week, which contradicts an earlier report from Steve Gilbert of MLB.com, who indicated Ahmed was hitting and taking grounders but not throwing. Ahmed could return at some point next week while the Diamondbacks are one the road.

Cruz started in left field for Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

As part of their decision to send Cruz to Triple-A to begin the season, Pirates management stated that they wanted the prospect to get experience in the outfield. However, through five games with Indianapolis, Cruz has appeared at shortstop four times as opposed to the outfield only once. However, he looked quite accustomed to left field when he made a sliding catch in the top of the seventh inning to save a likely extra-base hit while fieldng the position Sunday. It's not clear when Cruz may get the call to Pittsburgh, though he's maintained a .381 on-base percentage with one extra-base hit across 21 plate appearances in Indianapolis.

Correa went 1-for-5 with a home run in Sunday's win over Seattle. He's hitting 2-for-12 through his first three games with the Twins.

Correa was off to a slow start before hitting the home run in the sixth inning. He's hit second or third in the order in each of Minnesota's first three contests.

Adames went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, two runs, a walk and two strikeouts in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Cubs.

Adames has recorded hits in each of the first three games in the 2022 season, and he put the Brewers on the board with his solo shot in the top of the third inning during Sunday's series finale. During his three-game hitting streak to open the year, he's gone 4-for-12 with a homer, a double, two runs, two RBI, a walk and five strikeouts.

Anderson went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored in Sunday's 10-1 win over Detroit.

Anderson wasted no time making an impact in his season debut after serving a two-game suspension; he ripped a double on the first pitch of the game and came around to score on a Jose Abreu groundout. The star shortstop then doubled and scored again in the seventh. Anderson has hit .322 over the last three years and looks poised to repeat that success in 2022.

Franco went 3-for-4 with a double, a stolen base, two RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 8-0 win over the Orioles.

Franco helped Tampa Bay complete a three-game sweep to begin the 2022 campaign. He drilled a two-run single in the seventh inning and finished the series 6-for-11 with a pair of strikeouts. Taylor Walls replaced him near the end of the game and got an at-bat in the eighth inning of the blowout victory.

Pena went 3-for-5 with a double and a run in a 4-1 win against the Angels on Sunday.

That's now three hits on two occasions for the young shortstop, who doubled in the first inning, singled in the third and singled and scored in the eighth. Though the move was most likely due to veterans Jose Altuve and Michael Brantley receiving a rest day, manager Dusty Baker expressed confidence in Pena by moving him up to the No. 2 spot in the order for Sunday's game.

Lindor went 1-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and a stolen base in Sunday's loss to the Nationals.

The rest of the Mets' lineup couldn't get much going, but Lindor provided his fantasy managers with a tasty "combo meal" to close the first weekend of MLB action. Lindor's OPS is north of 1.000 in the early going as he looks to rebound after an underwhelming first season in Queens. He was hit by a pitch on the ear flap of his helmet Friday, but Lindor quickly cleared concussion protocols.

Story is not in the lineup Sunday against the Yankees due to a non-COVID illness, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

The ailment isn't believed to be a serious concern, but it will hold Story out of the lineup for at least one contest. He should be considered day-to-day heading into Monday's series opener in Detroit, while Jonathan Arauz starts in his place Sunday.