MLB Player News

Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Hoerner is "showing pretty well" this spring, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com reports.

Hoerner has three hits in four Cactus League at-bats, and Maddon said he's impressed with the 21-year-old's approach at the plate and added that he's "not far off" from the majors. A first-round pick out of Stanford in last year's draft, Hoerner will likely start the season at Low-A or High-A but could move up the ladder quickly if he plays well.

Gimenez went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins.

The blast, his first of the spring, came off minor-league arm Nick Anderson, but it was still a strong performance from Gimenez. The Mets' No. 2 fantasy prospect has been getting extra playing time with Amed Rosario (hand) on the shelf, but Gimenez has no chance of breaking camp with the big-league club after reaching Double-A for the first time late last season as a 19-year-old, slashing .277/.344/.358 over 37 games for Binghamton.

McNeil went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins.

A minor wrist injury briefly derailed his preparations for the season, but McNeil seemed 100 percent Friday in slugging his first homer of the spring. He got the start in left field in this one, but the Mets plan on having him split time between the outfield and third base for the rest of camp with Jed Lowrie (knee) and Todd Frazier (oblique) both looking iffy for Opening Day.

Rosario (hand) remains out of the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Luis Guillorme will garner the starting nod at shortstop while Rosario gets another day off to recover from a sore left hand. The Mets are likely just playing things safe with Rosario, who was cleared of any structural damage to the hand when he was struck by a pitch in Monday's exhibition against the Rays.

McNeil will play third base in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against St. Louis, David Lennon of Newsday reports.

McNeil's main focus this spring has been on learning left field, where the Mets hope he'll spend the majority of this season. However, with Jed Lowrie (knee) and Todd Frazier (oblique) currently banged up, McNeil could be needed at third base instead to begin the year. McNeil appeared four times there in the majors last season and started occasionally at the position in the minors, so the transition should be an easier one.

Albies (foot) is starting at second base and batting sixth in Friday's spring game against the Phillies.

Albies exited Wednesday's game after being hit by a pitch on the left foot, but his quick return confirms his removal was precautionary. The 22-year-old is 4-for-16 with two walks and two strikeouts thus far in spring training.

Urias (hamstrings) is not in the lineup for Friday's spring game against the Athletics, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Urias has yet to return to game action since being scratched from Tuesday's contest due to general fatigue in both hamstrings. The 21-year-old is apparently close to returning to the lineup, but it's unsurprising the Padres have remained cautious with Urias, as he's battled hamstring issues over the last six months.

Rosario (hand) is out of the lineup for Friday's spring game against the Marlins, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Rosario was hit by a pitch on the left hand during Monday's game against the Rays and has yet to return to game action. The 23-year-old will hopefully return to the lineup within a few days as he appears to have avoided serious injury with X-rays coming back negative.

Marte went 3-for-3 with a run scored Thursday against Cleveland.

Marte singled in the first, third and fifth inning of Thursday's exhibition, improving his batting average to .400 this spring. He drew the start in center field, where he projects as a starter this season for the Diamondbacks.

Hernandez went 2-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored Thursday against the Angels.

Hernandez laced a single to center field in the second inning and reached base again in the third on a groundball single to left. He's slashing .333/.350/.850 and has driven in six runs so far this spring.