MLB Player News

De La Cruz has tweaked his batting stance in hopes that it will help him cut down on strikeouts, Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard reports.

De La Cruz has opened up his stance a bit and is standing taller at the plate, with the goal of "being more in control with his forward movement," per Reds hitting coach Chris Valaika. The switch-hitting De La Cruz led the majors with 218 strikeouts in 2024, though he sported a respectable .259 average thanks to his quality of contact, speed and .359 BABIP. He could regress a bit in the average department in 2025 if he doesn't cut down on the swings and misses, but De La Cruz can still be elite in fantasy even if his average slips because he contributes so much elsewhere.

Lee, who has primarily focused on second base in the minors, has also been seeing some time at third in the early stages of camp, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

The Tigers are seemingly working on increasing Lee's positional flexibility, which could expedite his journey to the majors. Third base has some uncertainty in Detroit, as utility man Matt Vierling and youngster Jace Jung are currently the top options. Neither player has the role locked down full time, however, which could open the door for Lee down the road. The 22-year-old slashed .298/.363/.488 with 12 home runs and 16 stolen bases in 87 regular-season games for Double-A Erie last season. He's likely to begin the year with Triple-A Toledo and is not yet on the 40-man roster.

Seager (hip/sports hernia) reported to spring training Monday and isn't expected to face any restrictions during camp.

The Rangers shut Seager down for the season last September after placing him on the 60-day injured list due to hip soreness, and he was diagnosed with a sports hernia later that month that required surgery. After a roughly two-month rehab program following his sports hernia surgery, Seager was cleared for baseball activities over the winter and appears to have had a relatively normal offseason. While durability remains an annual concern, the 30-year-old shortstop has proven himself to be a four-category standout whenever he's on the field.

Angels manager Ron Washington said Monday that Anderson will see some action in the outfield later this spring, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

Anderson's main focus will be competing for time at shortstop, where the Angels will likely need a fill-in for the injured Zach Neto (shoulder) for a bit. However, it appears the 31-year-old will also attempt to add to his versatility with some reps in the outfield. Anderson started two games at second base for the White Sox in 2023, which is the only time he's ever played a position other than shortstop.

Angels manager Ron Washington said that Neto (shoulder) began his throwing progression Monday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Washington added that Neto is not yet throwing with full effort, but the process of the shortstop ramping things up following last November's right shoulder surgery has begun. The expectation is that Neto will likely need a stint on the injured list to begin the season, but a clearer picture on his timetable should be available in the coming weeks.

Reds manager Terry Francona said that he hoped that McLain would play just one position -- second base -- in spring training, according to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic.

There were a lot of rumblings that McLain might move to center field this offseason, spurred both by McLain's deployment during the Arizona Fall League and by the acquisition of Gavin Lux, but for now that doesn't seem to be in the Reds' plans.

DeJong agreed to a one-year, $1 million contract with the Nationals on Sunday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Jose Tena and Trey Lipscomb were set to compete for the starting role at third base during spring training for the Nationals, but DeJong may now be the favorite for the job. The 31-year-old played in 139 regular-season games with the White Sox and Royals last season and provided his typical low-contact, high-power production with 24 homers, a .227 average and a 32.4 percent strikeout rate.

Shaw (oblique) said Saturday that he's been cleared to begin light hitting, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Shaw suffered an oblique strain Monday, but he seems to be trending in the right direction after four days of rest. It will be important for the 23-year-old prospect to get as many reps as possible during camp while he competes for a starting job at third base.

De La Cruz said Friday that he wants to cut down on strikeouts this season, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

De La Cruz is massively talented, but the 23-year-old shortstop has been prone to mistakes. He led MLB in strikeouts (218) and is working with new hitting coach Chris Valaika to improve in that area. Reds manager Terry Francona envisions De La Cruz improving in other areas, too. The dynamic infielder also led the majors in errors (29), times caught stealing (16) and non-stealing outs on the bases (15). Francona spoke about the growth of young players in general as they get more at-bats. "With young players as they accumulate at-bats, they get to that 1,200, you see them grow," the skipper said, noting how the game slows down for players. "It just makes it easier to make better decisions. That's what we want to do." De La Cruz enters the season with 1,006 career at-bats, which puts him in line to test Francona's theory in 2025.

Lawlar is unlikely to win a bench role during spring training, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Lawlar is nominally in the mix for a backup infielder role in camp, but given the time he missed in 2024 -- injuries limited him to 14 games -- having him serve in a part-time role is "probably not what's in his best interest," per Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen. The roster spot should be a battle between Garrett Hampson and Blaze Alexander, with non-roster invitees Grae Kessinger, Ildemaro Vargas and Connor Kaiser also in the mix.