MLB Player News

Neto (illness) is starting at shortstop and batting leadoff in Friday's Cactus League game against the Mariners, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The 23-year-old is expected to bat ninth for the Angels this season, but he'll hit atop the lineup Friday after sitting out the past two days with an illness. Neto struggled offensively as a rookie last season with a .225/.308/.377 slash line in 84 contests.

Fletcher got the start at shortstop in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays and went 0-for-1 with a walk and a stolen base.

The 29-year-old infielder was picked up from the Angels in December but then got outrighted off the 40-man roster, which meant he came into camp with an extra hurdle to clear to make the final cut for Opening Day. Fletcher's done his best to earn a spot though, batting .310 (9-for-29) through 13 games with a 3:2 BB:K and three steals in three attempts. He could form a flexible, experienced bench duo with Luis Guillorme this season, but Atlanta manager Brian Snitker tends to lean heavily on his starters, which wouldn't leave much work around the infield for either utility player.

Arias (illness) is starting at shortstop and batting fifth in Friday's Cactus League game against the Royals.

Arias hasn't seen the field since last weekend due to an illness, but he's back in action for Friday's spring contest. The 24-year-old appears poised to begin the season as Cleveland's primary shortstop, though his .210/.275/.352 slash line and 32.8 percent strikeout rate likely won't bring much job security.

Arroyo is not playing for the Reds in Thursday's Spring Breakout game after suffering a left shoulder injury Wednesday in Cactus League action, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Manager David Bell said that Arroyo "felt a little tweak" in his shoulder on a dive back into first base. Bell believes Arroyo will be fine, but the team has ordered an MRI just in case. Once healthy, Arroyo will likely begin the season at Double-A Chattanooga.

Neto is out of the lineup for Thursday's spring game against the White Sox and has been unavailable recently due to the flu, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Registerreports.

Neto will miss a second straight Cactus League start Thursday, but he's feeling better and was able to go through a pregame workout. It sounds like he should be ready to return to action in a day or two. Luis Rengifo will handle shortstop again while Neto rests.

Perdomo tweaked his lower half on a slide during Monday's Cactus League game against the Athletics and will be held out until the weekend, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Jace Peterson started at shortstop in the two games since. The Diamondbacks feel Perdomo needs a few days to bounce back, but the injury doesn't appear to be anything serious. Perdomo has gone 4-for-25 over 10 Cactus League games.

Cruz is hitting .292 with four home runs and one stolen base across 25 plate appearances in Grapefruit League games.

Cruz has hit all four of his home runs in his last three contests, and his performance seemingly puts to rest any concerns about his leg injury from last season lingering into the new campaign. He's also shown strong plate discipline, striking out at a 20 percent clip while maintaining a 20 percent walk rate. Cruz should be in line to lead off for Pittsburgh against right-handed pitching and will be a key to the team's offensive success.

Tena has gone 4-for-18 with two RBI, one run scored, four walks and two strikeouts over 12 Cactus League games.

Tena is at least getting a long look as a reserve infielder, but he hasn't posted the results to justify winning a roster spot. He's also showing a solid eye at the plate, which is encouraging after he struck out 13 times in 34 plate appearances following his call-up last season. Tena's easiest path to the major-league roster would be at shortstop, but Gabriel Arias (illness), Brayan Rocchio and Tyler Freeman are also contenders to see at-bats there. It may be better for Tena's development for him to start the year at Triple-A Columbus.

Story went 3-for-3 with a double, a home run and three RBI in Tuesday's spring game against the Cardinals.

Story's having a fine spring, posting a .360 average and 1.048 OPS through 28 Grapefruit League plate appearances. He slotted in third in the batting order Tuesday, a comfortable spot behind Rafael Devers and ahead of Triston Casas. The shortstop is finally healthy after two injury-marred seasons for Boston.

Baez, who went 0-for-2 with an RBI in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, is now batting just .050 this spring.

Baez has gone just 1-for-20 with 10 strikeouts across nine spring games. Veteran players can often be given a free pass for slow starts, but with Baez struggling mightily in his first two seasons with the Tigers, the recent performance is worrisome. The 31-year-old should still have a fairly firm hold on the starting shortstop role, though fantasy managers may want to look elsewhere, at least until Baez shows any signs of getting going at the plate.