MLB Player News

Owings (thumb) joined the Orioles as a non-roster invitee Tuesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Owings missed most of the last two months of last season after undergoing thumb surgery. Prior to that, the veteran utility man hit .326/.420/.628 for the Rockies, though that came in a tiny sample of 50 plate appearances and was far out of line with his career .243/.288/.372 slash line. If he does wind up making the team, it will likely be in a utility role.

Barrero could see an heavier workload than previously expected for the Reds this season following the departure of Eugenio Suarez on Monday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Suarez and Jesse Winker were traded to the Mariners on Monday, which provides an opportunity for Barrero since none of the returning players are infielders. Barrero appeared in 21 big-league games last season and hit .200/.286/.320 in 56 plate appearances while seeing some time in center field, but he's focusing on shortstop at spring training this year. Kyle Farmer handled most of the work at shortstop in 2021 but could be more involved at third base with Suarez now out of the picture.

Adrianza agreed Sunday with the Nationals on a one-year, $1.5 million contract, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports. The deal also includes performance-based escalators.

With Washington, Adrianza is expected to serve as a utility man, a role he's filled for either Minnesota or Atlanta across each of the past five seasons. He was a key depth piece for Atlanta's World Series-winning club in 2021, hitting .247 with five home runs and 28 RBI across 209 plate appearances while logging innings at second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield spots.

Barrero will focus on shortstop in spring training rather than center field, Reds GM Nick Krall told Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer. "He's a shortstop. He's coming in, and we'll evaluate him where he is," Krall said. Barrero will report to camp late due to a flight/family issue, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Barrero played sparingly at shortstop after his promotion to the majors last season, only playing nine of his 23 games there as the Reds rode out most of the stretch run with Kyle Farmer at the position. That dynamic might not be in play in 2022, with the Reds having diminished expectations, at least based on their lack of offseason player activity.

Hamilton was invited to Boston's major-league spring training Saturday.

Hamilton was traded from the Brewers to the Red Sox in early December as part of the deal involving Jackie Bradley and Hunter Renfroe, and the 24-year-old will have a chance to develop with the major-league coaching staff in his new organization. He was promoted to Double-A Biloxi during the 2021 campaign and hit .242 with three homers, 16 runs, 12 RBI and 11 stolen bases across 33 games. Although the shortstop showcased his speed by stealing 52 bases between the High-A and Double-A levels last year, he'll likely begin the 2022 season at Double-A Portland and seems unlikely to make his major-league debut this year.

McLain was invited to the Reds' big-league camp Friday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

McLain was selected 17th overall in last year's draft and went on to hit .273/.387/.424 in 29 games for High-A Dayton. While he still has two more levels of the minors to conquer before he pushes for his debut, he'll get the chance to work with the big-league coaching staff for a few weeks this spring.

Yankees vice president of player development Kevin Reese said in January that he expects Volpe to open the season at Double-A Somerset, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Reese added that he thinks Volpe will "hopefully make an impact in the big leagues soon," perhaps hinting that a late-season promotion to the Yankees in 2022 shouldn't be dismissed if the shortstop continues to mash in the minors like he did between stops at Low-A Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley in 2021. After an underwhelming professional debut at the rookie-ball level in 2019, Volpe looked like an entirely different player in his return to game action following the cancellation of the 2020 minor-league season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 513 plate appearances between the two Single-A affiliates, Volpe posted an 1.027 OPS, 27 home runs and 33 stolen bases while striking out at a manageable 19.7 percent clip. The 20-year-old will face a stiffer test against more advanced Double-A pitching, but the big leap he made in 2021 makes him the Yankees' top prospect entering the upcoming season, both in real-life and fantasy terms.

Luciano is ready to build upon 2021 after feeling fatigued down the stretch last season. He has been preparing for about one month and states "I feel great," according to Maria Guardado of MLB.com.

Luciano felt fatigued during 2021 since that was his first full season in the minors. He worked on his conditioning by adding cardio and shoulder exercises to his routine. Luciano noted that fatigue likely contributed to the struggles, particularly at High-A, where he hit one home run with a .217 batting average, .577 OPS, and a 37.2 K% in 145 plate appearances. Before that, Luciano boasted a .288 batting average, .951 OPS, and 21.6% K% at Low-A. Luciano is working on improving his contact rate in 2022 via an open batting stance.

Marte left Saturday's intrasquad game after fouling a ball off his left shin, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com

By all reports the move was a precautionary one as there's no reason for Marte to push himself through an injury this close to the start of the season. The infielder is thought of as one of the top prospects in the game after an impressive 2021 campaign at Low-A and High-A.

De La Cruz is getting reps both at shortstop and third base, but the Reds view him primarily as a shortstop. His reps at third base have been a product more of their depth at shortstop in the organization rather than a concern about his 6'5" frame, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

De La Cruz had a breakout season in 2021, rocketing up the top prospect lists and organizational charts. He spent 2018 and 2019 in the Dominican Summer League and wasn't part of the Reds' alternate training site in 2020, nor was he invited to their minor-league spring training last year. However, he blew through the Arizona Complex League team last year, then collected 24 extra-base hits in 50 games at Low-A Daytona last season. He still strikes out way too much (65 Ks in 210 plate appearances), but he was also one of the youngest players in the league and hit for power in a low-power league. His progression this season will be a big story in the Reds' organization.