MLB Player News

Kim will sit Friday against the Diamondbacks, just as he did in Thursday's season opener.

The Padres gave Kim $28 million in December, suggesting that they saw him as capable of playing a fairly important role at the MLB level. So far, he's found himself on the bench both against lefty Madison Bumgarner and righty Merrill Kelly, a pitcher he squared off against for four seasons in Korea. Kim was expected to battle for at-bats as a utility man with Jake Cronenworth and Jurickson Profar, but the Padres will trot out Cronenworth at second base and Profar in left field in both of their first two games. Kim will surely find himself in the lineup eventually, but it doesn't look like he's in line for a significant role right out of the gate.

India went 2-for-4 with a double and a strikeout in a loss to the Cardinals on Thursday.

The 24-year-old forced his way onto the Opening Day roster with a stellar spring and got the nod at second base in his MLB debut, forcing Mike Moustakas to third and Eugenio Suarez to shortstop. Suarez at short seems doomed to fail, but the Reds appear intent on getting India playing time. The fifth overall pick in 2018 has some speed to go with a little pop, which puts him in the mix as an injury-replacement option in mixed leagues.

Marte went 4-for-5 with a double, a solo home run and a second run scored in Thursday's 8-7 loss to San Diego.

Marte, who started in center field and batted second, mashed during spring training and kept it going Opening Day. He posted a 1.181 OPS in Cactus League play, with 10 of his 14 spring hits going for extra bases. Center field may be his primary home in 2021 after he played mostly at second base in 2020.

Rojas filled in for Nick Ahmed (knee) at shortstop and went 0-for-5 in Thursday's 8-7 loss to the Padres.

Rojas is coming off a productive spring and is expected to see a lot of time at second base when Ahmed is healthy. Manager Torey Lovullo left open the possibility that Ahmed plays Friday but sounded far from certain, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Merrifield went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, two RBI and two runs scored during Thursday's Opening Day win over the Rangers.

Merrifield made his at-bats count and kept Kansas City's lead alive with a solo home run against Kolby Allard in the eighth inning. It looks like the 32-year-old is set for another season as a reliable fantasy producer in every category.

Frazier went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI, two walks and a run scored during Thursday's win over the Cubs.

Frazier created havoc at the top of the order, reaching base in four of his six trips to the dish. He posted impressive numbers during spring training, slashing .488/.511/.860 in 45 plate appearances, and he's expected to serve as the Pirates' leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching.

Arraez went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a walk during Thursday's extra-inning loss against the Brewers.

Arraez is expected to work as Minnesota's leadoff hitter in most games this season, and he certainly lived up to the role in the opener, reaching base in three of his six plate appearances. He's posted an on-base percentage north of .360 in each of his first two big-league seasons, so Arraez is a solid fit for the role despite his lack of speed.

Arraez will lead off and play left field in Thursday's season opener against the Brewers.

Arraez has spent the majority of his career in the infield, but he's no stranger to the outfield, having started 18 games in left in 2019. Per Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic, he's expected to fill the leadoff spot regularly this season, pushing Max Kepler (who's batting fifth Thursday) into the heart of the order. Arraez doesn't steal like a traditional leadoff man, as he's swiped just two bags in 124 major-league games, but his .390 on-base percentage fits well at the top of the order.

Rodgers (hamstring) was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports.

Rodgers is slated to miss about a month after he suffered a right hamstring strain in mid-March, and he'll officially begin the year on the injured list. Ryan McMahon and Garrett Hampson should see most of the playing time at second base in Rodgers' absence, while Josh Fuentes could see an uptick in playing time at the hot corner.

Haggerty has made the Mariners' Opening Day roster, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

The versatile 26-year-old flashed potential in his first Mariners season in 2020 with a .260/.315/.400 slash over 13 games. Despite the fact that he followed it up with just a .239 average this spring, his experience playing every position in the field except catcher and first base made him too valuable not to stick.