MLB Player News

Urias (hamstring) is in the lineup at shortstop for Sunday's spring game against the Mariners, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

The 23-year-old has been sidelined since March 5 with with a left hamstring strain, but he'll make a relatively quick return from the minor issue. Urias has the chance for significant playing time between shortstop and third base this season, but he'll likely need to produce better than the .635 OPS he has through his first 124 big-league games to continue seeing those opportunities all year.

Altuve is one of the candidates to bat leadoff for the Astros in 2021, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Manager Dusty Baker said batting the 30-year-old leadoff is something he'd "consider," and he previously named Carlos Correa and Myles Straw as candidates to hit atop the order. George Springer dominated that spot in the order over the past number of years, and his departure during the offseason leaves a hole in the lineup for the Astros. Altuve operated as Houston's primary leadoff man during 2014 and 2015, but he hasn't seen regular action in that spot since 2016. He's also looking for a rebound campaign after struggling with a .219/.286/.344 slash line and career-high 18.6 percent strikeout rate in 2020.

Marte started in center field and went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's spring game against San Diego.

Marte led off the game with his first Cactus League homer and has hit safely in six of seven games played. The Diamondbacks have not confirmed which position will be Marte's primary spot this season, but Saturday's outing was his fourth start in center field compared to one at second base and two as designated hitter.

Arraez started in left field and went 0-for-3 in Saturday's spring training win over Tampa Bay. It was the first time he's played in the outfield this spring. Arraez is hitting .222 (4-for-18) with three walks this spring.

Arraez will move to a utility role this season with the Twins signing Andrelton Simmons to play shortstop and moving Jorge Polanco to second base. Early in camp manager Rocco Baldelli said Arraez would focus on second base and third base, but Saturday's start shows he could factor into the left field mix early in the season if Alex Kirilloff begins the season in the minors. Despite the slow start at the plate, the more important development is Arraez looks healthy after knee and ankle issues limited him to 32 games last season.

Dubon is 4-for-11 with three runs, three RBI, seven walks and one stolen base through seven games in spring training.

The 26-year-old had an 8.7 percent walk rate in 52 games last season, so his increased patience in spring training is a welcome sight. Dubon began last season working in a utility role before settling into center field, and he's on track to open 2021 as San Francisco's starter in the middle of the outfield. He had a .274/.337/.389 slash line with four homers, 19 RBI and two stolen bases for the Giants in 2020.

Urias (hamstring) will play Sunday against the Mariners, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Urias has been out for just over a week after tweaking his hamstring, but the issue never appeared to be a particularly serious one. He has the opportunity to carve out a substantial role at third base or shortstop this season, but he'll have to look considerably better than he has thus far at the big-league level if he's to interest fantasy players. He's just 23 years old and was once a highly-rated prospect, but his .226/.315/.320 line through his first 124 major-league games hasn't come close to demonstrating that potential.

Rodgers has been diagnosed with a right hamstring strain, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Rodgers left Saturday's spring game against Seattle after pulling up on a steal attempt. The severity of the injury isn't yet known, and it's unclear whether the issue will impact his availability for Opening Day.

Rodgers left Saturday's spring game against the Mariners in the bottom of the fifth inning with an apparent hamstring injury, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

Rodgers pulled up on a steal attempt in the bottom of the fifth inning, but he was able to walk off the field under his own power. The 24-year-old is the favorite to serve as the primary second baseman to begin the regular season. It's not yet clear whether his injury will force him to miss time.

Urias (hamstring) is running the basepaths Saturday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The Brewers had previously said that Urias could return to Cactus League play over the weekend, but he isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rangers. However, he's doing some running on the side prior to the spring matchup. It's not yet clear whether the 23-year-old will return to the lineup for Sunday's contest against the Mariners.

Guillorme got the start at third base Friday with Marcus Stroman on the mound and made two impressive defensive plays, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

One of the solutions Mets manager Luis Rojas employed last season to try and solve the team's defensive woes was putting Guillorme at the hot corner instead of J.D. Davis when a groundball pitcher was on the mound. Stroman's career 58.6 percent groundball rate is the highest among active big-league pitchers with at least 500 innings, giving Rojas even more incentive to prioritize infield defense when his turn in the rotation comes around. Davis is still expected to top the depth chart at third base, but if Guillorme -- who slashed a surprising .333/.426/.439 last year, albeit in only 68 plate appearances -- is the regular starter for Stroman's outings, he could have some fantasy appeal in deep NL-only and daily formats.