MLB Player News

Villar (hip) is in line to return to Cactus League play Saturday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Villar will have missed about a week of action with a left hip flexor strain. He's struggled so far this spring, going 1-for-14 with eight strikeouts and no walks, but he'll have time to sharpen up ahead of Opening Day. Villar is in line to be the Giants' primary third baseman.

Marte is batting .154 (2-for-13) with one double, three walks, one RBI and one run scored over five spring games.

Marte is currently at the World Baseball Classic as part of Team Dominican Republic. When he returns to MLB action, the 29-year-old will be Arizona's primary second baseman. After a brief dalliance as a center fielder, the Diamondbacks decided to move him back to the keystone due to injuries that were perceived as a result of him playing the outfield. As an infielder in 2022, Marte played 137 games, but his .728 OPS was his lowest output since 2016.

Stott has hit just .143/.172/.286 through his first nine Grapefruit League games this spring.

Stott will move from shortstop to second base this season due to the arrival of Trea Turner and the departure of Jean Segura. His role as the primary second baseman is unlikely to come under serious threat, but it remains to be seen whether he's a true everyday player or merely on the large side of a platoon. Edmundo Sosa (who has a 1.758 OPS with four homers this spring) started over Stott against southpaws in the playoffs, and the Phillies added another right-handed option in Josh Harrison in late January.

Estrada has gone 4-for-18 across eight Cactus League games.

Interestingly, Estrada hasn't recorded a single -- he has two doubles, a triple and a home run. The 27-year-old is expected to be the Giants' Opening Day second baseman, though it's also possible he's asked to fill in at shortstop with Brandon Crawford bothered by a knee injury that disrupted his 2022 season. Estrada enjoyed a breakout by becoming a full-timer in the majors last year, slashing .260/.322/.400 with 14 home runs, 21 stolen bases, 62 RBI and 71 runs scored over 140 contests. He should be able to see similar playing time this year, and the possibility of positional versatility makes him attractive in fantasy.

Villar (hip) said Wednesday that he believes he'll return to Cactus League games in a few days, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

He suffered a left hip flexor strain over the weekend, but it's been deemed mild and it sounds like he should be ready to play before the end of the week. Villar is expected to log the bulk of the at-bats at third base for the Giants this season.

Rojas (legs) will start at third base and bat second in Wednesday's Cactus League split-squad game against the Giants.

Rojas has been dealing with some tightness in both of his legs and hasn't played in a spring game since March 8, but the Diamondbacks' decision to hold him out of action looks to have been mostly precautionary. The 28-year-old has moved between third base and second base over his first eight spring games, perhaps signaling that the Diamondbacks envision him filling more of a utility role in 2023.

Rojas (legs) is expected to play Wednesday, Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic reports.

Rojas has been held out of action while he deals with tightness in his legs. He has not played since the middle of last week.

Kim will rejoin San Diego for spring training in Arizona with Korea eliminated from the World Baseball Classic, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Though Kim went just 3-for-16 during WBC play, all three of his hits left the park, and he tallied five runs along with six RBI. He also struck out just one time and walked twice. Kim should resume playing in Cactus League contests shortly as he prepares to open the regular season as the Padres' starting second baseman.

Diaz (hamstring) was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento by the Giants on Tuesday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Diaz came down with a bit of hamstring tightness earlier this week, but he was already on the outside looking in for an Opening Day roster spot in San Francisco. The 26-year-old will serve as organizational infield depth for the Giants in 2023.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Tuesday that Mathias is in consideration for starts at second base, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Mathias was just acquired from the Rangers last Wednesday for a player to be named later and has already made a strong impression during his short time in Pirates camp. Shelton noted that the second base competition is wide open at the moment and also suggested that Mathias could be an option in the corner outfield. The 28-year-old put up an .825 OPS in 91 major-league plate appearances last season between Milwaukee and Texas.