MLB Player News

Polanco left Tuesday's game against the Pirates with left adductor tightness and is considered day-to-day, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The adductor is a muscle by the groin/thigh area, and if the tightness turns out to be a strain, Polanco's status for Opening Day would be in doubt. For now, it sounds like a day-to-day issue. His injury opens up more playing time for Luis Arraez in the short term.

McNeil has only one hit, a solo home run, in 18 at-bats through his first seven Grapefruit League appearances.

He's also had some defensive issues at third base, and his 0:4 BB:K could use some work. McNeil's starting job isn't in any jeopardy, however. He should spend most of his time at second base while hitting near the top of the order after beginning his big-league career with a .319/.383/.501 slash line across three seasons.

The Brewers placed Mathias (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.

Mathias becomes the second Brewers utility man to hit the 60-day IL, joining Tim Lopes (oblique). According to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, manager Craig Counsell said Mathias was diagnosed with a torn labrum, but he doesn't believe the injury will sideline the 26-year-old for the entire season. That said, Mathias acknowledged that his recovery timeline will hinge on whether he needs surgery to address the injury. For now, Mathias is hopeful to address the labrum tear through non-surgical means, which would allow him to return to action in 3-to-4 months, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.

The Rays optioned Brujan to Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Brujan was among the 10 Rays sent to minor-league camp as Tampa Bay looks to narrow its active roster down to 26 ahead of Opening Day. Though he's overshadowed by organization mate Wander Franco, Brujan could be the first of the two to get the call to the big leagues thanks to his versatility. Brujan has prior experience at both middle-infield spots and third base, and he also dabbled in center field earlier in spring training.

Kim (illness) will start at shortstop and bat sixth in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the White Sox.

Kim missed only two days of work after coming down with the illness, so his preparation for Opening Day won't be too affected. The rookie has gone 2-for-18 with four walks and seven strikeouts through his first nine Cactus League games.

Marte (foot) is back in the lineup Tuesday against Oakland, batting second and playing center field.

Marte got hit in the foot by a pitch Monday against the Mariners, but he checked out fine after the game. He won't even need a single day off despite the fact that it's still spring training, so there's seemingly little reason to worry about any lingering effects.

Chavis went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's spring game against the Rays.

Chavis went deep in the second inning for his fourth Grapefruit League homer and is 8-for-29 with five extra-base hits and seven RBI over 12 spring games. Boston manager Alex Cora praised Chavis' ability to lay off pitches outside the zone, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports. If that were to continue, it'd improve his chances of claiming the final bench spot. Smith also noted that Chavis will likely make the Opening Day roster if Franchy Cordero opens the season on the injured list. Cordero began camp on the COVID-related IL and only recently began working out with the team. If he lands on the IL to start the season, Marwin Gonzalez would be the likely starter in left field.

Barreto is competing for a utility role this spring, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, and has helped his candidacy with a .353/.421/.529 slash line in 11 Cactus League contests.

Barreto is out of minor-league options, which could give the Angels extra motivation to include him on the Opening Day roster. The fourth-year pro struggled mightily last season, collecting only two hits and striking out 15 times in 27 at-bats, but has swung a hot stick this spring. However, Barreto has struck out seven times in his 17 spring at-bats, so he doesn't appear to be past the contact issues that have dogged him throughout his professional career.

According to manager Torey Luvullo, Marte is "fine" after being struck by a pitch on his right foot during Monday's spring game against Seattle, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic reports.

Marte was lifted from the exhibition after getting hit by the pitch, but it appears this move was only precautionary. The Diamondbacks will likely proceed with caution over the next few days with their starting center fielder, however.

The Reds are moving Eugenio Suarez to shortstop and Mike Moustakas to third base for Tuesday's spring training game against the Rockies, presumably with an eye towards using that alignment in-season. That would allow India to start at second base, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

India got a lot of work at second base during 2020 at the Reds' alternate training camp site, and they were impressed with his work. Presumably the 2018 first-round pick out of Florida is considered a net upgrade over their current alternatives at shortstop. This buys the Reds some time to send Jose Garcia back to the minors to develop further with the bat.