MLB Player News

Turner went 2-for-2 with a walk and a run scored in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

He also committed his second error of the spring, but for the most part, Turner's looked sound defensively at shortstop. His .222/.301/.343 line through 35 at-bats isn't impressive, but the 23-year-old seems locked in as the Nats' leadoff hitter and will be looking to prove his explosive rookie campaign was no fluke.

Rojas got the start at third base in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals, going 0-for-1 with a walk.

Martin Prado (hamstring) is suddenly questionable for Opening Day, which could open the door for Rojas to take the short side of a platoon with Derek Dietrich at the hot corner to begin the regular season. Rojas doesn't offer much fantasy upside, but he's hit well at Triple-A in his career, including a .301/.343/.430 line with New Orleans in 2015, so he could collect some hits and provide some value in NL-only formats early in the season if Prado is forced to the DL.

Gordon went 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and his first stolen base of the spring in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

He's had a rough start to the spring, slashing .219/.286/.406 through 32 at-bats, but Gordon's picked up four hits in his last four games and may be rounding into form at the plate. The 28-year-old speedster will be looking to bounce back this season to the level he displayed in 2015, when he hit .333 and stole 58 bases.

Swanson (back) will play in a minor league game Saturday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Swanson was expected to return to big league spring action Saturday, but the Braves will instead opt to use him in a minor league game at the team's training complex. "Progression, probably the smart thing," Swanson said Saturday morning. "We were talking yesterday. I was like, I want to play, but let's not be my stubborn, competitive, let's-just-go-out-and-do-it-again...We just decided this was probably the best option. I'll be going through full [batting practice] today and doing some extra BP and stuff on the backfield after regular BP." Swanson added that he hasn't sustained any sort of setback, so the expectation is that he'll be back on the field for the Braves within the next few days.

Urena was optioned to minor league camp Friday, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet.ca reports.

He was added to the 40-man roster in the offseason but that was for Rule 5 protection -- Urena has logged just 132 plate appearances above the High-A level. A top-five prospect in the Toronto farm system, he recorded eight hits in 28 plate appearances during his time in the Grapefruit League, although seven of the eight hits were singles. A full season at the upper levels of the minor leagues seems likely for the 21-year-old.

Mondesi was a late scratch from Friday's Cactus League lineup with lower back tightness, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports.

Humberto Arteaga took his place at second base. Mondesi is having a great spring, batting .433 with two home runs and three RBI over 13 games. Consider him day-to-day until further information becomes available.

Mateo was optioned to High-A Tampa and reassigned to minor league camp Friday, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

The 21-year-old will repeat his highest level in the minors, where he struggled with a .254 batting average and .685 OPS last year despite eight home runs and 36 stolen bases. His attitude has been an issue, and Mateo may need to show more maturity before being trusted at the higher levels. Adding that to his toolsy makeup eventually could produce a fantasy stud. Still, with Gleyber Torres, Clint Frazier and other top prospects bolstering the top of this system, Mateo may wind up elsewhere in the coming years if he can't correct his flaws.

Featherston was reassigned to minor league camp Friday.

The former Angel, who holds a career .156/.207/.233 line in 197 major league plate appearances, will settle in as infield farm depth with his second professional organization. Featherston's .254/.311/.428 line with Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2016 indicates his performance in the majors so far isn't just a product of bad luck, however.

Crawford was reassigned to minor league camp Friday.

The club's top prospect has been destined for Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start the season regardless of how he did this spring. At 22, Crawford could still use more seasoning, considering his underwhelming stretch with Lehigh Valley last year (.244/.328/.318 in 385 plate appearances). His path to a promotion could accelerate, however, if Freddy Galvis, regresses negatively toward the mean after his breakout 2016.

Swanson (back) got through batting practice and a workout healthy Thursday, and manager Brian Snitker hopes he can get back in the lineup Saturday, Kevin McAlpin of the Braves Radio Network reports.

The top prospect has been sidelined with an ailing back for about a week now, but after progressing through his rehab process quickly, his return seems to be imminent. As long as no setbacks occur, Swanson should be completely fine heading into the regular season.