MLB Player News

Crawford had a .391/.440/.565 slash line with one double, one home run and one stolen base in nine games before spring training was suspended.

The 33-year-old is set to start at shortstop again for the Giants in 2020, as he's appeared in at least 143 games in each of the past eight seasons. Crawford will look for a rebound season once play resumes after posting a 74 wRC+ last year, the worst mark since his debut campaign in 2011.

Franco hit .286 (2-for-7) with one RBI and and one run over three Grapefruit League games before spring training was suspended.

Franco wasn't slated to see an abundance of exhibition action since he's not likely to log any time in the majors in the coming regular season. However, the organization did want to get its top prospect his first taste of experience against big-league arms after he quickly mastered pitching at three different levels of the minors over the last two seasons. Franco topped out at High-A Charlotte in 2019, so he's likely to start the 2020 campaign at Double-A Montgomery. Jeff Passan of ESPN also reports Franco was set to play for the Dominican Republic team that was going to try and qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics, but that event has now been postponed for at least several months due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adames hit .364 (8-for-22) with two doubles, one home run, two RBI, four walks and six runs across 12 Grapefruit League games before spring training was suspended.

Adames is set to once again serve as the everyday shortstop in 2020, but his impressive spring showing nevertheless is an encouraging sight for fantasy managers banking on a breakout season. The 24-year-old already made significant strides in his major-league sophomore campaign in 2019, as he established new career highs in doubles (25), home runs (20) and RBI (52), while also lacing his first big-league triple. Whittling down last season's bloated 26.2 percent strikeout rate will certainly be key to Adames taking the next step at the plate, and on that note, it's somewhat disappointing that eight of the 14 outs he made in spring play came on whiffs.

Owings' versatility and strong spring performance could help earn a roster spot with Colorado, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Owings joined the team on a minor-league deal this winter, but kept himself in line for a potential roster spot by hitting .360/.429/.560 across 28 Cactus League at-bats. His defensive versatility could also come into play, as he's capable of playing nearly every spot in the infield in addition to the outfield. He'll still likely have to beat out at least one of Brendan Rodgers (shoulder), Sam Hilliard and Garrett Hampson, leaving plenty of obstacles in his path to a big-league role.

Berti had gone 4-for-29 (.138) with a 1:10 BB:K when spring training was suspended.

Perhaps the most worrisome part of his spring line is the fact that he didn't even attempt a stolen base for a team that saw players like Monte Harrison (6-for-7 on steal attempts) and Jonathan Villar (4-for-4) run seemingly at will. Granted, Berti didn't get many chances to put his wheels to the test -- two of his four hits went for extra bases -- but it's still a disappointing spring effort from a player without a secure spot in the lineup. The 30-year-old's fantasy value will remain tied to his playing time and speed when the regular season begins, making him a very volatile asset.

Lindor went 12-for-30 (.400 average) with three home runs and 10 RBI across 10 Cactus League games before the MLB suspended its season.

After his name cropped up in trade rumors all winter, Lindor elected to break off talks with the Indians about a possible contract extension during spring training. The uncertainty about his future in Cleveland clearly didn't impact Lindor on the field, as he immediately caught fire at the plate during the spring and played his usual stellar defense at shortstop. A trade may still be in the cards if Cleveland's season heads south quickly, but Lindor's fantasy value shouldn't change much for better or worse if he ends up moving elsewhere.

Swanson was hitting 7-for-27 (.259) with a double and a 2:6 BB:K when spring training was suspended.

The spring numbers weren't impressive, but Swanson had nothing to prove in camp. The 26-year-old hit the ball a little harder in 2019 and saw a slight uptick in his power numbers as a result, but as yet his long-anticipated breakout hasn't occurred. Swanson is locked into the starting shortstop role in a loaded Atlanta lineup.

Downs has made 82 starts at second base during his minor-league career, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Downs is primarily a shortstop, but that spot on the Red Sox is locked up by Xander Bogaerts (six-year contract). As such, Downs' quickest path to the majors is at second base, where the Red Sox are unsettled in the long term due to Dustin Pedroia's knee injury. Developmentally, Downs' estimated time of arrival to MLB is 2021, so it wouldn't be surprising to see the organization give him more time at second base at Double-A Portland, then at Triple-A Pawtucket.

Rojas is expected to begin the regular season as the Marlins' starting shortstop despite a lackluster .250/.308/.458 slash line through 26 Grapefruit League plate appearances.

The 31-year-old isn't in the lineup for his offensive contributions but instead to provide steady defense behind a pitching staff that often needs all the help it can get. Rojas' hold on the starting job at the six is likely to be tenuous once the regular season begins, however; Jon Berti could push for more playing time if he keeps running wild as he did at the end of last year, and the organization may want to reward top prospect Jazz Chisholm with a callup if he proves himself at Triple-A Wichita.

Crawford put together a strong Cactus League resume before spring training was suspended and is ticketed for a major role this season as the everyday shortstop, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old shortstop worked to put on muscle this offseason, and the extra strength was paying some nice dividends this spring. Crawford slashed .400/.429/.560 with two triples, five RBI, two walks, two stolen bases and two runs across 10 exhibitions before the pause in play, raising the already robust expectations for him ahead of the 2020 season. Crawford will look to improve on both contact and hard-hit rates this season after posting pedestrian 75.9 and 28.4 percent figures in those categories, respectively, in 2019.