MLB Player News

Marte went 2-for-3 with two doubles in Saturday's spring game against the Angels.

Marte has hit safely in all five Cactus League games, going 8-for-13 with three extra-base hits. He will be Arizona's primary second baseman for a third consecutive season in 2024. Since moving to the keystone in 2022, Marte has played 137 and 150 games in successive seasons. Prior to moving full-time to second base, he was bedeviled by hamstring issues when the Diamondbacks made him a full-time center fielder from 2019 to 2021.

Manager Skip Schumacher indicated Friday that Brujan has "a high likelihood" of winning a spot on the Marlins' initial 26-man roster, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

"He's got a really good chance to make the team," Schumaker said. "He's versatile. He's done enough in Triple-A. He can run. He switch hits. He can do a lot of things for us. I haven't told him that he's made the team or anything like that, but I would anticipate him being part of our club." Brujan was picked up from the Rays in an offseason trade and is out of minor-league options, so him making the Opening Day roster wouldn't be a huge surprise, but it remains to be seen what kind of role the 26-year-old can carve out on a Miami roster that already has Jon Berti entrenched in a utility role and also added Nick Gordon in February.

Manager Carlos Mendoza said Saturday that McNeil is dealing with left biceps soreness and will be shut down from hitting for a few days, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

McNeil will not undergo an MRI as the injury isn't believed to be serious enough to warrant that, but the infielder will be reassessed by the team Tuesday. He was expected to make his spring training debut in the first week of March, but the Mets are opting for the cautious approach given the biceps soreness is in the same arm that McNeil sustained a partial ligament tear late last season. He slashed .270/.333/.378 with 10 home runs and 55 RBI over 648 plate appearances in 2023.

Estrada has gone 3-for-12 over four Cactus League games.

While the Giants' infield is getting crowded after Friday's signing of Matt Chapman, there's little reason to think Estrada is in danger of losing his starting job at the keystone. Estrada hit .271 with a .731 OPS, 14 home runs, 23 stolen bases, 49 RBI and 63 runs scored over 120 contests last year. With a little more pop in the Giants' lineup, his counting stats could rise if he stays in the top half of the order.

Gonzales went 2-for-3, hitting one double and scoring once in Pittsburgh's 9-8 loss to Baltimore on Thursday.

Gonzalez is in a fierce competition for one of the final spots on the Opening Day roster, as the 2020 first-round pick is battling with Liover Peguero and Ji Hwan Bae for a utility infield job. Through a handful of spring-training at-bats, he's hitting .300, but he'll need to consistently maintain success after hitting just .209 last season across 35 games.

Turang went 2-for-3 with two runs scored in Milwaukee's 7-5 loss against Texas on Thursday.

Turang is slated to be the Opening Day second baseman, though it's possible Milwaukee could go with other options depending on if his bat remains an issue (.218 batting average across 404 plate appearances in 2023). That the 24-year-old is hitting .375 on an admittedly small three-game spring training sample size is encouraging, however. Turang's plus glove will likely afford him ample leeway, but it's possible Joey Ortiz, Owen Miller or Andruw Monasterio could play more if the hitting woes really drag into the new season.

Fermin went 3-for-3 in Friday's Grapefruit League win over the Mets.

Fermin's big game has him hitting .385 (5-for-13) over six spring games. The 24-year-old projects as a utility infielder if he makes the Cardinals' big-league roster out of camp. Fermin had limited success last year, batting .235 with a .594 OPS across 61 plate appearances. With established options at most, if not all, of the infield positions, Fermin's playing time is unlikely to be significant barring injuries to other players.

Bote went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Rockies.

Bote now has two home runs, four RBI and a 1.317 OPS across six Cactus League games. The veteran utility man spent last season with Triple-A Iowa, where he clubbed 14 long balls and posted an .811 OPS across 99 contests. With the Cubs adding depth to the infield in recent years, Bote seems to be on the outside looking in for a roster spot, though he does give the team an experienced depth option.

Villar will play in his fifth Cactus League game of the spring Thursday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Villar is getting plenty of playing time so far, and he's gone 2-for-7 with a pair of doubles and a run scored over his first four spring games. The 27-year-old is projected for a utility role if he makes the major-league roster out of camp. That said, he has no clear path to playing time with more established options at both corner infield spots and second base, his three most likely positions. Villar also bats right-handed, as are all but two (LaMonte Wade and Brett Wisely) of the Giants' infield options, so there's not much chance of Villar earning a favorable platoon situation.

Donovan revealed Thursday that his surgery last August was to repair a partial UCL tear in his right elbow, not the flexor tendon as had been previously reported, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Donovan did deal with a flexor strain last season, but the operation he ultimately had was an internal brace procedure to correct his UCL. The 27-year-old has been limited to second base so far in camp as the Cardinals monitor his throwing, but he's played a couple Grapefruit League games and shouldn't be under any restrictions by the time the season begins.