MLB Player News

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.

Short (COVID-19 protocols) returned to camp Saturday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Short was away from the team for several days due to COVID-19 protocols, although the 25-year-old didn't violate any rules. Manager A.J. Hinch said that Short is scheduled to play in the late innings during Sunday's spring game against the Orioles. Assuming all goes well, Short should be available for the Tigers going forward.

India was officially invited to big-league camp Friday.

India has been getting opportunities in spring games despite technically being at minor-league camp. He's been making the most of them, posting a 1.071 OPS in 20 plate appearances. He's considered close to big-league ready but has no obvious place to play, with Eugenio Suarez at third base and Mike Moustakas blocking second. The invitation indicates the Reds think highly of him, however, so it's possible they find a way to get him onto the 26-man roster.

Manager Craig Counsell said Mathias is dealing with a "serious" right shoulder injury after undergoing an MRI this week, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The 26-year-old suffered the injury Tuesday and figures to be sidelined for the foreseeable future, though the specifics of the injury remain unclear. Mathias was in the mix for a spot on the Opening Day roster but is now likely unavailable.

Kemp (hip) won't play in Friday's spring game against the Padres, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Kemp left Thursday's spring game against Texas in the bottom of the second inning after he was hit by the first pitch of the contest. Manager Bob Melvin said that Kemp's hip tightened up after being hit by the pitch, but there's still hope that he'll be able to get back in the lineup Saturday.

Kemp was removed in the second inning of Thursday's Cactus League game against the Rangers after being hit in the back by a pitch in his lone at-bat, Jacob Rudner of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Kemp was able to take his base after being hit by the pitch and proceeded to play left field in the bottom half of the first inning before leaving in the bottom of the second. The Athletics may have just removed him for precautionary reasons, but Kemp will need to be viewed as day-to-day for the time being.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Chavis won't be considered an option in the outfield "for now," Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

With Franchy Cordero's status for Opening Day in question due to his delayed start to camp while waiting to clear the COVID-19 protocols, the Red Sox could have an opening in left field to begin the season. Chavis apparently won't warrant any consideration to replace him, with Cora instead naming Marwin Gonzalez as the top candidate to fill in for Cordero if needed. While Chavis still would offer the ability to play three infield spots, his chances of winning a utility role with Boston don't appear to be high with Gonzalez, Enrique Hernandez, Danny Santana and Christian Arroyo all offering similar or better defensive versatility. In addition, Chavis has minor-league options remaining, which also figures to work against him in his bid for an Opening Day roster spot.

Gimenez may be emerging as the favorite for Cleveland's starting shortstop job, as Amed Rosario is expected to begin working out at other positions, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Gimenez and Rosario looked set to battle for playing time with the Mets, and that battle continues in Cleveland after both came over in the Francisco Lindor trade. The way Rosario is being used suggests the team views Gimenez as the better option at shortstop, but he's not exactly a proven MLB talent, so winning the job on Opening Day doesn't guarantee he'll keep it all year. Gimenez looked decent enough in his 49-game debut last season after skipping Triple-A, hitting .263/.333/.398 with three homers and eight steals.

Rosario will start taking flyballs in center field within the next week, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Rosario has been almost exclusively a shortstop over his four big-league seasons, with the only exception being a three-inning stint in left field in 2019. He hasn't graded out as a particularly strong defender despite the fact that defense was considered one of his carrying tools as a prospect. His bat would seem to fit best in a utility role, as he's a career .268/.302/.403 hitter. The fact that the team is looking to improve Rosario's versatility may suggest that Andres Gimenez has moved ahead of him on the shortstop depth chart.

Albies (neck) is in the lineup for Thursday's spring game against the Rays.

Albies missed a couple days of action with a sore neck, but that will be the extent of his absence. As he figures to do regularly when the regular season gets underway, Albies will play second and hit second in Thursday's contest.