MLB Player News

Stott is starting at third base and hitting eighth in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.

Stott has been in competition with Didi Gregorius for the starting shortstop role in camp. However, he'll now get a look at the hot corner, where Alec Bohm is currently penciled into the starting lineup. Stott has appeared in only seven games at third base during his pro career, so this could just be an exercise to get him more reps at the position in case of an injury. Though he's in camp as a non-roster invitee, Stott has reached base in seven of his 13 plate appearances this spring.

Marte and the Diamondbacks are engaged in talks about a contract extension, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Marte is under contract for this season with the team holding options for the next two seasons. News of the negotiations was first reported by Robert Murray of Fansided. Since then, Jon Heyman of MLB Network added further details, indicating the option years will be guaranteed plus another three more years. The Diamondbacks understand how important Marte is to their offense. He was a key piece in 2019, when Arizona made a late push for a wild-card spot, and he slashed .318/.377/.532 with an OPS+ of 143 over 90 games in 2021, though his season limited by hamstring injuries. The organization has taken steps to minimize the chances of injury by moving him to second base full time in 2022.

Chavis was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's game against Baltimore due to shoulder tightness, reports Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Updating earlier information, Chavis' late removal from the lineup has been deemed precautionary. This is good news for the infielder as he battles for a spot on the Opening Day roster in Pittsburgh.

Chavis was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's game against Baltimore for undisclosed reasons.

Chavis is competing for at-bats at several spots around the diamond this spring. He's struggled to a .228/.259/.386 line in 85 major-league games over the last two seasons, so he needs every chance he can get in Grapefruit League action to make his case for playing time. It's unclear if Saturday's setback will keep him off the field for an extended period.

Manager Dave Martinez indicated Saturday that Garcia will likely begin the season at Triple-A Rochester, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

While Martinez didn't explicitly commit to Garcia starting the regular season in the minors, he referred to the 21-year-old as the "future" middle infielder for the Nationals and said that he wants Garcia to get regular at-bats somewhere. Garcia has appeared in five spring games this year and has gone 1-for-9 with a double, a run, an RBI, a stolen base and three strikeouts. Assuming Garcia reports to the minors ahead of Opening Day, Ehire Adrianza would likely be in line to serve as one of the top utility options for Washington.

Marte started at second base, batted second and went 1-for-4 in Thursday's spring training game against Milwaukee.

Marte, who had been dealing with left-eye irritation, delivered his first base hit of the Cactus League in what was his first appearance in the field. As expected, he played second base and batted in the top third of the order. Injuries have been his biggest concern in recent years, particularly the nettlesome hamstrings that limited him to 90 games in 2021. That followed back and wrist injuries the previous two seasons. Marte told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he hopes focusing on second base, which puts less stress on his body than playing center field, will keep him healthy this season.

Garcia (illness) is starting Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

Garcia dealt with a stomach bug for several days after being removed from Monday's lineup against the Cardinals. His brief absence shouldn't impact his availability for Opening Day as he competes for a roster spot during camp.

Donovan is making a case to be a utility man on the Cardinals' Opening Day roster, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Manager Oliver Marmol has noticed Donovan not just for his bat (3-for-12 with two walks in spring training) but also his defensive versatility. The 25-year-old is a natural second baseman, but he can also play first and third base in addition to all three outfield spots. He also saw 86 innings at shortstop in the minors last season, where he enjoyed a meteoric rise through the Cardinals' farm system. Donovan played in 108 minor-league games in 2021 at the High-A (25), Double-A (50) and Triple-A (33) levels, posting a combined slash line of .304/.399/.455 with 12 home runs, 66 RBI, 73 runs scored and 19 stolen bases. It's too soon to tell if he'll get his first look at the major-league level this year, but he's got the tools to get his foot in the door.

Estrada (forearm) will start at shortstop and bat cleanup Thursday in the Giants' Cactus League game against the White Sox, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Estrada is back in the lineup for the first time since getting hurt in his spring debut Saturday, when he was hit in the right forearm by a pitch. Since he missed less than a week of action, Estrada shouldn't be too disadvantaged as he looks to break camp with the Giants as a utility man. He performed reasonably well over a sample of 132 plate appearances with San Francisco in 2021, reaching base at a .333 clip while slugging 11 extra-base hits, including seven home runs.

Marte is expected to make his on-field debut in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Brewers, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Irritation in Marte's left eye limited him at the start of camp, and his lone game appearance thus far in the Cactus League has been as a designated hitter. When Marte does hit the field, he is expected to line up at second base.