MLB Player News

The Marlins designated Diaz for assignment Tuesday.

Diaz was dropped from the 40-man roster to clear a spot for outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler, whose three-year contract with the Marlins became official Tuesday. A prominent member of the Marlins' return haul in the January 2018 deal that sent Christian Yelich to Milwaukee, Diaz never emerged as the core contributor in the middle infield that Miami envisioned. Over 500 plate appearances with the Marlins across parts of the past three seasons, Diaz slashed .185/.275/.287 with nine home runs, 45 runs and 41 RBI while striking out 27.8 percent of the time.

Biggio (elbow) will start at second base and bat sixth in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

Biggio will be making his spring debut Tuesday after he was slightly delayed in the early stages of camp while recovering from a sprained left elbow. The 26-year-old currently projects as the Blue Jays' Opening Day second baseman, but he won't head into the season with much job security after slashing an abysmal .224/.322/.356 with a 26.6 percent strikeout rate across 293 plate appearances during an injury-plagued 2021 campaign.

Rosario agreed to a one-year, $4.95 million contract with the Guardians on Monday, avoiding arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Rosario's contract for 2022 will more than double what he took home a season ago ($2.4 million). Last year he slashed .282/.321/.409 with 11 homers, 57 RBI and 13 stolen bases over 141 games. Rosario is an appealing fantasy option as long as he is playing every day and hitting high in the batting order. Guardians manager Terry Francona said last week that Rosario will move primarily between shortstop and left field in 2022, according to Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Garcia was removed from Monday's starting lineup against St. Louis due to a stomach bug, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

This is reassuring news for the Nationals, as Garcia will likely miss only a few days at most while recovering. While he is younger and more likely to be a part of the next good Nationals team than Cesar Hernandez or Alcides Escobar, it sounds like Garcia needs to go out and win a starting spot this spring, otherwise he will open the year at Triple-A.

Manager Dave Roberts stated Monday it's "certainly a possibility" that Vargas will contribute at the major-league level at some point this season, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Vargas has yet to play above Double-A, but he's impressed the Dodgers' skipper in spring training thus far, with Roberts also noting his improvements defensively. The infielder slashed .317/.384/.518 with 16 home runs, 59 RBI and seven stolen bases a season ago at Double-A Tulsa and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him begin the 2022 campaign at Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Garcia has been scratched from Monday's Grapefruit League lineup against the Cardinals for an unspecified reason.

Garcia was initially slated to play shortstop and bat ninth Monday, and it's not clear whether his removal from the lineup is due to an injury. Lucius Fox will take over at shortstop while batting ninth.

Drury agreed Monday with the Reds on a minor-league contract, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Drury will be attending big-league camp with Cincinnati, hoping to impress enough over the next two weeks to earn a utility role on the Reds' Opening Day roster. The 29-year-old saw action in 51 games for the injury-riddled Mets in 2021, producing a .274/.307/.476 slash line to go with four home runs and 14 RBI across 88 plate appearances.

Biggio is making his way back from a sprained left elbow but will return to game action soon, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

Biggio suffered the injury over the offseason, but he'll still be able to get close to a full Grapefruit League schedule in if he makes it back soon, so his readiness for Opening Day doesn't appear to be seriously threatened. He lines up as Toronto's primary second baseman, but his grip on the job may not be too firm after he struggled to a .224/.322/.356 line in 79 games last season.

Rojas went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, three RBI and a second run scored in Sunday's spring-training game against the Royals.

Rojas started at third base and batted second in his Cactus League debut. The versatile infielder is the leading candidate to start at third base, and he's approaching the competition like it's his to lose, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. The Diamondbacks' leadership team have talked about bringing in an established third baseman, which would move Rojas back to a utility role, but no player addition is imminent. However it shakes out, Rojas is poised to garner 500-550 plate appearances, as he did in 2021.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo expects Marte (eye) to make his first Cactus League appearance Tuesday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Marte will serve as the designated hitter Tuesday and eventually get starts at second base, where he's expected to make his primary home in 2022. He ramped up activity toward the end of last week, first batting in a cage then taking live batting practice. The 28-year-old's activity also included fielding high-intensity groundballs.