MLB Player News
-
Darren Baker 2B | CHW
Nationals' Darren Baker: Opening season in minors
The Nationals optioned Baker to Triple-A Rochester on Monday.
Baker received his first taste of the big leagues as a September call-up in 2024, seeing action with Washington in nine games while going 7-for-14 with two doubles and one run. The 26-year-old likely projects as a utility player at the big-league level, but he'll be given the chance to play on an everyday basis in Rochester to begin the upcoming season.
-
Bo Bichette SS | NYM
Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: Swipes first bag of spring
Bichette went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, a run scored and a stolen base in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta.
Getting a look in the leadoff spot, Bichette stole his first bag of the spring. The 27-year-old shortstop could see significant time at the top of the order in 2025, especially if he quickly erases memories of his rough 2024, and he did steal 38 bases combined in 2021-22 before running mostly disappeared from his skill set over the last two seasons. Bichette is having a big spring as he looks for a clean slate at the plate, batting .351 (13-for-37) with three doubles, two homers and a 2:6 BB:K.
-
Darell Hernaiz SS | ATH
Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: Cut from big-league camp
The Athletics optioned Hernaiz to Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday.
Hernaiz turned in a lowly .503 OPS over 48 games in the majors with the Athletics last season and hit just .194 in Cactus League play, so he never seemed to built much of a case for a spot on the Opening Day roster. The 24-year-old infielder should get the chance to play on an everyday basis at Triple-A.
-
Brooks Lee SS | MIN
Twins' Brooks Lee: First post-Lewis injury start at 3B
Lee is starting at third base and batting seventh in Monday's Grapefruit League game versus the Pirates.
Royce Lewis strained his left hamstring strain during Grapefruit League action Sunday and is slated to open the season on the injured list. Lee could be the first choice to occupy the hot corner while Lewis is shelved, which would lead to more reps at second base for Willi Castro and Edouard Julien, who is starting at the keystone Monday.
-
David Hamilton SS | MIL
Red Sox's David Hamilton: Inside track for 2B?
Hamilton has made the strongest case this spring to earn the starting job at second base, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora is expected to make a decision on a primary starter at second base in a few days, but all signs point to Hamilton. Not only his spring numbers, which dwarf his competitors, Kristian Campbell and Vaughn Grissom, but also in how the manager speaks about Hamilton. "The experience matters, but at the same time we know the athlete," Cora said of Hamilton. "I don't want to get ahead of myself, all of them, they can play the position. It's just a matter of, how are we going to do it, what we're looking for." If Hamilton becomes the primary second baseman, he will be a hot fantasy draft commodity for those looking for steals. He stole 33 bags in 2024 for Boston and 50 or greater in three minor league seasons from 2021 to 2023. This supposes that Alex Bregman will play third base with Rafael Devers moving to DH.
-
Gavin Lux SS | TB
Reds' Gavin Lux: Produces run with legs
Lux started at third base and went 1-for-2 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's spring game against Seattle.
Lux got the Reds on the board in the second inning. He doubled, stole third base and went home after an errant throw. Lux is not known as a prolific base stealer, but he's been successful on all three attempts over 14 games this spring. He's moved around the diamond during the Cactus League, including time in the outfield, but Lux could hold down a regular gig at third base in the regular season.
-
Trey Sweeney SS | DET
Tigers' Trey Sweeney: Poised to win shortstop job
Sweeney "appears poised to open the season as the primary shortstop" for the Tigers, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Sweeney had just a .642 OPS for the Tigers down the stretch of last regular season and has only a .611 OPS so far this spring. However, Detroit likes his glove at shortstop and the club is also lacking alternatives, so Sweeney is slated to see most of the reps at shortstop to open the season, at least against right-handed pitching.
-
Garrett Hampson SS | CIN
Diamondbacks' Garrett Hampson: Swipes bag, knocks in two Sunday
Hampson started in left field and went 1-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base and two RBI in Sunday's spring game against San Diego.
Hampson remains in the mix for the final rotation spot along with Ildemaro Vargas and Jordan Lawlar. The Diamondbacks likely want a utility player, which precludes Lawlar, who doesn't offer much position versatility at this point. Plus, it's unlikely the organization wants the prospect sitting on a bench in the majors. That leaves Hampson (.738 OPS, two steals, seven RBI, 13 spring games) and Vargas (.971 OPS, five extra-base hits, seven RBI, 15 games) as the most likely competitors for the 26th spot on the roster.
-
Tim Anderson 2B | LAA
Angels' Tim Anderson: Could start at second base
Anderson might be the Angels' Opening Day starter at second base due to Yoan Moncada (thumb) being a question mark for the beginning of the season, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Moncada may be destined for the IL due to a thumb injury, which would likely mean that Luis Rengifo will become the starter at the hot corner at the beginning of the campaign. That could open up the second-base job for Anderson, who has been getting some reps at the keystone this spring despite playing only two regular-season games there to this point in his nine years in the big leagues. If the second-base role does become available, Christian Moore and Scott Kingery, among others, could also be candidates for the position, but Anderson has done enough this spring to have his name called, as he's slashing .243/.300/.351 with a home run and two stolen bases over 40 plate appearances.
-
J.P. Crawford SS | SEA
Mariners' J.P. Crawford: Feeling healthy entering new season
Crawford is batting just .214 with one home run and two RBI over 28 at-bats in the Cactus League, but he enters the 2025 season with a clean bill of health, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Following an injury-plagued season that saw him deal with an oblique strain and a fractured hand, Crawford is looking to put his tough 2024 campaign behind him. "I couldn't get in a rhythm and every time I started to hit good, those injuries popped up," Crawford said this past Monday. "It pretty much hurt every time I swung the bat." However, the 30-year-old infielder believes he's "in a great spot" health-wise this spring, and he's set to reprise his role as Seattle's everyday shortstop after hitting a career-low .202 across just 105 games last season.