MLB Player News

Baez is batting third in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies, and Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said this may resemble his Opening Day lineup, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

After he signed a six-year, $140 million deal with Detroit in November, there was no doubt that Baez would bat high in the lineup, but it wasn't clear exactly where he'd slot in regularly. If Hinch's Saturday lineup is any indication, his new shortstop will be the No. 3 hitter most days, with Robbie Grossman batting second and Jeimer Candelario hitting cleanup. This could change, of course, but Baez should get plenty of chances to produce no matter who's around him in the order.

Ahmed believes he has a routine designed to deal with the shoulder injuries that plagued him the last two seasons, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Ahmed has been playing in Cactus League games and is ready to resume his role as Arizona's starting shortstop in 2022, but there remains lingering concerns about the health of the shoulder over the long haul. He did not undergo surgery and was somewhat evasive when asked about the possibility. The shortstop saw is production drop significantly in 2021, when he slashed .221/.280/.339 over 129 games. The Diamondbacks believe they are better positioned to handle his absence should Ahmed's shoulder act up again in 2022. Geraldo Perdomo showed development at the plate over the second half of the minor-league season, posting a line of .329/.414/.521 in August and September.

Witt went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run and two runs scored in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Reds.

With homers in back-to-back games, Witt is using his power to make a case for the Opening Day roster. He's added five RBI, three runs scored and a double in four spring training games so far. For now, Witt is penciled in as the starting third baseman to begin 2022 -- he's done well to show he belongs so far after a quick rise through the minors.

Story will be away from camp for the next few days due to the birth of his child, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Previous reports indicated that Story would make his spring debut Saturday, but that will now be pushed back a few more days. His late signing with the Red Sox means he already didn't have much time to get up to speed by Opening Day, so it's possible he's eased into things with an extra off day or two at the beginning of the campaign.

Lindor went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins.

He went back-to-back with Mark Canha in the first inning off Will Stewart, giving Lindor his first homer of the spring. The shortstop has seen his offensive production plummet the last two seasons, as his .240/.327/.413 slash line over that stretch is a far cry from the .278/.342/.514 mark he put up the three years prior, but at 28 years old there's still reason to hope Lindor can bounce back to his previous level.

Story will appear in his first spring training game for Boston on Saturday against the Rays, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Story, who officially signed with the Red Sox on Wednesday, took at-bats in a minor-league game Thursday and will do so again Friday. After his Grapefruit League debut Saturday, he'll head back to the back fields Sunday before the Red Sox determine whether he's ready for full-time action. Boston manager Alex Cora has not committed to a specific spot in the batting order for Story, who batted in the heart of the Rockies lineup last year -- 75 times at cleanup, 49 times out of the five-hole and 15 times hitting third.

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

The shortstop turned on a Shane McClanahan pitch in the second inning and drove it completely out of CoolToday Park. Swanson delivered a career-high 27 homers and 88 RBI last season, and the 28-year-old will be counted on to supply similar or better numbers for Atlanta in 2022 as the club looks to repeat as World Series champions.

Downs was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Downs opened camp with the big-league club but will now move over to the minor-league side. The 23-year-old spent last season at Worcester and struggled with a .605 OPS and 32.3 percent strikeout rate in 99 games, and he may need a better showing in 2022 to have chance of making his MLB debut.

Smith, who arrived from the Blue Jays in the Matt Chapman trade Wednesday, is one of the primary candidates to fill the Athletics' third base job, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old was in line to compete for the Blue Jays' starting third base job before the trade, and he now reportedly has a strong chance of succeeding the player he was moved for. Smith has logged plenty of time at shortstop during his minor-league career, and he's already made 14 big-league appearances at the hot corner, all last season. Smith struggled with the bat during his 18-game cup of coffee with Toronto (.094/.194/.188), but he'd earned the promotion courtesy of his .285 average, .931 OPS, 52 extra-base hits and 69 RBI in 94 games at Triple-A Buffalo.

Berti and the Marlins avoided arbitration Tuesday by agreeing to a one-year, $1.2 million deal, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Berti will nearly double his salary despite the fact that he's coming off his worst season at the plate. After two years as an above-average hitter, he slumped to a .210/.311/.313 line last season, good for a 79 wRC+.