MLB Player News

The Giants announced Monday that Crawford is experiencing left knee discomfort and will be held out of baseball activities for the next week, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Crawford's week-long shutdown period wouldn't be a major concern if it came during the early portion of spring training, but now that he's battling a knee issue with Opening Day just two and a half weeks away, the veteran shortstop's availability for the start of the season is suddenly more of a question mark. Thairo Estrada will start at shortstop in Monday's Cactus League game against the Padres, and he could continue to see more work at the position for the duration of spring training in preparation for the possibility of Crawford opening the season on the injured list.

Mariners manager Scott Servais said Monday that Crawford has a "soggy" right shoulder and will be limited to designated-hitter duties in Tuesday's Cactus League game versus the Royals, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Despite Servais' unique description of Crawford's injury, the shortstop isn't believed to be dealing with anything more than the typical soreness that often sets in for veteran players during the latter stages of spring training. The Mariners will take it easy on the 28-year-old by having him play DH on Tuesday, but he should be back in the field at shortstop before long to erase any concerns about his health heading into Opening Day.

The Rangers optioned Ornelas to Triple-A Round Rock on Monday.

Ornelas was added to the team's 40-man roster this offseason after a nice showing in 2022 at Double-A Frisco, and he's followed up with an .826 OPS this spring. However, 22-year-old is in need of more seasoning and will open the 2023 campaign with Round Rock.

Mauricio went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

Getting the start at shortstop and hitting ninth, Mauricio took Elvin Rodriguez deep in the fifth inning for his fourth homer of the spring. Mauricio's .304/.360/.870 slash line in camp is impressive, but the 21-year-old has yet play above Double-A and his ability to get on base once he reaches the majors is a major question mark -- he has a .296 OBP in nearly 1,000 plate appearances across the last two minor-league seasons. Even so, a quick start to his campaign at Triple-A this year could put him in line to make his MLB debut at some point over the summer.

Marte was optioned Sunday to Double-A Chattanooga by the Reds, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Goldsmith further reports that the Reds intend to move Marte to third base. Reds manager David Bell said: "I do think third base is the right spot for him. Can he play short? Probably. He has done it. I think he's going to find a home at third base. I love the actions he has there, he has plenty of arm. I think it's going to be a good home."

Marte is one of the top names in the Cincinnati system, but he wasn't a candidate for the Opening Day roster. The former Seattle prospect will head to Chattanooga and could make his MLB debut over the summer with strong results at the upper levels of the minors.

The Marlins optioned Amaya to Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

With Jazz Chisholm and Luis Arraez seemingly locked in as the Marlins' Opening Day starters in the middle infield, Amaya was never a realistic candidate to break camp with the big club. After being acquired from the Dodgers in January in the deal that sent Miguel Rojas to Los Angeles, Amaya will likely have a clearer path to reaching the big leagues in 2023 with his new organization. He was productive in his first taste of the Triple-A level with Oklahoma City in 2022, slashing .259/.368/.381 with eight home runs and three stolen bases across 351 plate appearances.

Luciano (back) was optioned to minor-league camp Saturday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Luciano hasn't appeared in a spring game because of his back trouble, but he has been a full participant in workouts as of late. The top hitting prospect in the San Francisco system is likely to begin the season with Double-A Richmond, and a strong showing there could go a long way to him making his MLB debut before 2023 comes to a close.

Seager went 2-for-3 with a run scored in Friday's spring game against the Athletics.

Unlike his first season with Texas, when Seager struggled during the spring and had the second-lowest OPS (.772) of his career, the shortstop's having a strong Cactus League in 2023. He's 10-for-21 with a 1.474 OPS, three home runs and eight RBI. He had similarly strong springs in 2020 and 2021 and went on to post a .943 and .915 OPS, respectively.

Alexander was optioned Friday to Triple-A Reno.

Alexander was one of seven players in this round of cuts from the major-league side of Diamondbacks camp. The 23-year-old infielder could climb to the majors at some point during the 2023 campaign after slashing .301/.389/.540 with 20 home runs and 10 stolen bases in 98 minor-league games last season. He finished up at Reno.

Story (elbow) fielded grounders Thursday in Red Sox camp, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

It was his first time doing any on-field baseball activity since he underwent internal brace surgery in January to repair the UCL in his right elbow. "It's something small in the grand scheme of things," Story said Friday. "But in the progression it's big... It was a good day." The positive step here is encouraging, but there remains no exact timetable for when the 30-year-old infielder might return to action for Boston. He can be ruled out through at least the first half of the 2023 campaign.