MLB Player News

Albies went 2-for-3 with two RBI in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

Hitting leadoff, the 22-year-old pushed his spring batting average up to .259 (7-for-27) through 11 games. Albies still has time to get into a groove before Opening Day, but his fantasy value will depend more on whether he hits consistently near the top of the order than it does on his performance in camp.

Rosario went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

The young shortstop has been joined at the hip all spring with Robinson Cano, and Rosario seems to have picked up a few pointers at the plate from his Hall of Fame-caliber teammate. The 23-year-old now sports a .400/.478/.800 slash line with two homers and two steals in 20 at-bats, and given Rosario's outstanding athleticism, any skill growth could result in a breakout 2019.

Dubon (illness) is expected to be ready for the start of the Triple-A season, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

An intestinal illness cost Dubon much of the spring, and he has been working on putting back on all the weight he lost via the illness. The San Antonio Missions begin the season April 4 in Oklahoma City. He will likely join the Brewers at some point this season as a bench option if he stays healthy.

The Brewers optioned Dubon (illness) to their minor-league camp Wednesday.

Dubon was never a likely candidate to break camp with the Brewers after playing only 27 games at Triple-A Colorado Springs in 2018 before suffering a season-ending ACL tear. The shortstop reported to camp fully healthy but saw minimal action before succumbing to an intestinal illness that required a brief stay in the hospital. Dubon has since resumed baseball activities and is expected to be ready to handle a full-time role when the Brewers' new Triple-A affiliate in San Antonio begins its season.

The Nationals reassigned Garcia to their minor-league camp Wednesday, Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic reports.

Despite being one of the younger players in any big-league camp during spring training, Garcia looked advanced beyond his age. The 18-year-old went 6-for-19 with seven runs and two RBI, with his 3-for-3 effort over the weekend against the Astros standing out as his most eye-opening performance. The young shortstop only saw a half season of action at High-A Potomac in 2018, but his success in the Carolina League coupled with his stellar spring could prompt the Nationals to assign him to Double-A Harrisburg to begin the upcoming campaign.

Manager Torey Lovullo said Marte's playing time will not be impacted by the arrival of Adam Jones, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

The manager further clarified comments made by general manager Mike Hazen on Monday. Lovullo envisions Marte rotating among center field, second base and shortstop on a near-daily basis as dictated by need or matchup. "I'm not necessarily looking at total games played at each spot," Lovullo said. "It's that particular matchup on that day. Ketel's versatility is going to allow somebody to get into the game who could be a hired sniper or could be somebody who is going to go out there and have a great game because of the matchup." Marte, an infielder prior to 2019, had opened spring training as the team's primary center fielder. The bottom line is that Marte, who had 580 plate appearances over 153 games in 2018, will not see a noticeable reduction in playing time.

Herrera was assigned to the Mets' minor-league camp Tuesday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Once held in high esteem as a lower-level prospect, Herrera's mediocre numbers at Triple-A over the past four seasons in addition to his middling production in brief stints in the majors in 2014, 2015 and 2018 have significantly dimmed his luster. Considering he isn't a member of the 40-man roster, Herrera won't have a clear path to joining the Mets even if he thrives at Triple-A Syracuse in the early going.

The Mets assigned Gimenez to their minor-league camp Tuesday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The 20-year-old shortstop acquitted himself well while attending camp as a non-roster player, recording four hits (including a home run) in 16 at-bats while striking out only twice. Gimenez has displayed some strong bat-to-ball skills and an ability to rack up steals in the minors, but his below-average power profile may lower his overall ceiling once he matriculates to the big leagues. Regardless, Gimenez should have a good shot at emerging as a fixture in the middle infield for the Mets down the road, perhaps as soon as 2020.

The Marlins optioned Diaz to Triple-A New Orleans on Tuesday, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic reports.

One of the top infield prospects in the organization, Diaz is likely to reach the majors at some point in 2019, but cracking the Opening Day roster was always going to be an uphill battle. He'll first need to improve upon the lackluster .204/.281/.358 slash line he supplied during his first stint at New Orleans last season before getting a look in Miami.

Marte will continue to get starts in center field after the Diamondbacks added Adam Jones to the roster, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Arizona general manager Mike Hazen addressed Jones' addition Monday, telling reporters that the 33-year-old will play quite a bit at all three outfield positions. At the same time, Hazen addressed the speculation about Marte's anticipated playing time as the primary center fielder, which he believes has been overstated in the media. "I think 'primary' has always sort of been taken too far," he said. "We've said the whole time he's going to play center field, second base and shortstop, and that's still going to be the case." The Diamondbacks could use a rotation in center field that consists of Marte, Jones and Jarrod Dyson. The bottom line for Marte is that he'll enhance his versatility and positional eligibility in 2019.