MLB Player News

Allen is starting at shortstop and batting eighth against the Padres on Friday.

Allen didn't see the field on Opening Day, but he'll get his first start of the 2025 season Friday while Orlando Arcia retreats to the dugout. Allen appeared in 41 regular-season games for the Athletics in 2024 and slashed .175/.216/.247 with one home run and four RBI across 105 plate appearances before being traded to Atlanta in November.

Arcia is not in Atlanta's starting lineup against San Diego on Friday.

Arcia started at shortstop on Opening Day and went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. He'll begin Friday's contest in the dugout while Nick Allen gets the start at shortstop and bats eighth against Padres right-hander Dylan Cease.

Mateo will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Friday's game against the Blue Jays.

Mateo was a somewhat surprising inclusion on the Orioles' Opening Day roster after seeing limited Grapefruit League action as he worked his way back from UCL reconstruction surgery on his non-throwing elbow. He entered Thursday's contest late on defense and will get the start in the second game of the series.

The Padres selected Iglesias' contract from Triple-A El Paso ahead of Thursday's 7-4 win over Atlanta.

Iglesias went unused off the bench in the win, but he secured his spot on the Opening Day roster after beating out Tyler Wade for a utility infield job. The 34-year-old Iglesias may see occasional starts against left-handed pitching but may otherwise find consistent at-bats difficult to come by while second baseman Jake Cronenworth, third baseman Manny Machado and shortstop Xander Bogaerts are all healthy.

Koss is an option to slide into the outfield and could operate in a utility role this season, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Koss earned a spot on the 40-man roster after a successful Cactus League campaign. The 27-year-old shortstop finished with a .341/.426/.512 slash line in 41 plate appearances as a non-roster invitee. "He's another guy I watched this spring who carried himself with such confidence," president of baseball operations Buster Posey said Thursday. "At shortstop, third -- wherever he was playing. To me, he's the epitome of a baseball player." Koss didn't suit up for the Giants on Opening Day, though the first game he gets into will mark his MLB debut after several years in the minors.

Volpe went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Thursday in a 4-2 win against Milwaukee.

Volpe swatted a solo shot in the second inning after Austin Wells went deep leading off the bottom of the first for the Yankees. The Opening Day homer gave Volpe a promising start to the campaign in the power department after he clubbed just 12 long balls over 688 plate appearances last season. The young shortstop hit 21 home runs across 601 plate appearances as a rookie in 2023, so there's reason to believe there's more power in his bat than he demonstrated in his sophomore campaign.

Shaw went 1-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored in Thursday's 10-6 win over the Diamondbacks.

Shaw was making his third straight start for the Cubs, and the rookie put together his best performance to date during the team's domestic opener. There may be some growing pains for the 23-year-old, but Chicago seems committed to him at third base, and Shaw did manage a robust .867 OPS across Double-A and Triple-A last year. The 13th overall pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft has the talent to make an impact in the majors right away.

Wilson went 1-for-3 in Thursday's loss to the Mariners. He started at shortstop and hit ninth in the batting order.

Wilson won the starting shortstop job this spring and should be in the lineup nearly every day. The No. 6 overall pick in 2023 has a strong eye at the plate (9.7 percent strikeout rate and 8.0 percent walk rate in his first taste of the majors last year), and that should result in a good batting average despite meager power.

Hamilton entered Thursday's game as a pinch runner and scored a run in a 5-2 win over the Rangers. He finished the game at second base.

Hamilton lost out on the starting second base job to prospect Kristian Campbell, but it appears manager Alex Cora sees Hamilton's baserunning skills as an asset. He pinch ran for Campbell, who notched his first hit as a major leaguer in the top of the ninth inning. Hamilton could be of value as a pinch runner, a role that could easily lead to double-digit stolen bases.

Anderson went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts during Thursday's 8-1 Opening Day loss to the White Sox.

Anderson got the starting nod at the keystone Opening Day but struck out three times in a game that saw the Angels held without a run until the ninth inning. Anderson should see a fair amount of starts to begin the year due to Zach Neto (shoulder) starting the season on the 10-day IL, but the former could begin Saturday's game in the dugout if Yoan Moncada (thumb) is cleared to play, which would likely shift Luis Rengifo to second base.