MLB Player News

Barreto (shoulder) was fully cleared for baseball activities Friday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Barreto's 2020 campaign ended in early September due to a shoulder issue which eventually required surgery. He should have enough time to build up for Opening Day, though it's far from guaranteed he plays a significant role for the Angels this season. In 237 big-league plate appearances across the last four seasons, he's struck out 42.2 percent of the time while hitting just .175/.207/.342.

Frazier is absent from workouts for the second straight day Friday due to a groin injury, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Manager Derek Shelton said Frazier was "a little dinged up" but didn't specify exactly when the injury occurred. This doesn't sound like anything more than normal wear and tear, and he still has more than a month to prepare for Opening Day, so there doesn't seem to be much reason to worry.

Biggio could be among the players most affected by the new ball being used in MLB this season if it does reduce flyball distance as expected, Gregor Chisholm of The Toronto Star reports.

The 25-year-old had the eighth-lowest average distance on his home runs last season, and over the last two years Biggio has hit nearly four more homers than predicted based on his batted-ball profile. It wouldn't take much of a change for a significant number of his flies to die on the warning track instead of just clearing the wall, but any lack of distance from the new ball could be countered by the fact that the Jays will begin the season playing in Dunedin, a stadium with a very friendly profile for left-handed power, rather than in Buffalo or across the border in Toronto.

Diaz is competing with Jazz Chisholm for the starting second base job in camp, but whoever falls short in the battle will be sent to Triple-A Jacksonville, Andre C. Fernandez of The Miami Herald reports.

The Marlins have Jon Berti on hand in a utility role to back up whichever prospect wins the starting gig at the keystone. Diaz had a rough 2020, playing only seven games between an early opt-out due to COVID-19 concerns and then a strained groin once he re-joined the team, but manager Don Mattingly is confident the 24-year-old can rebound. "I've always liked his swing and he sees the baseball good," Mattingly said Thursday. "He's a strong kid who can use the whole field. He hasn't had the production we think he's capable of. We're looking forward to watching his growth." Miami would certainly prefer it if Diaz seized the job, as it still views Chisholm as the long-term answer at shortstop, but in the short term the team only has room for one of them on the big-league roster.

Mayfield was acquired by the Angels for cash considerations Thursday after being designated for assignment by Atlanta the day before.

Mayfield is 30 years old and owns a career .170/.198/.283 slash line in 47 major-league games, so he's unlikely to be much more than organizational depth for the Angels this season.

Altuve spent more time hitting and on his defense during the offseason than in previous years, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Altuve was the poster child of Houston's down year in 2020. His .630 OPS ranked 134th among 142 qualified hitters, and those struggles led to him swinging at pitches outside the zone (35.2 chase percentage) more often than in previous seasons. While his bat returned for the postseason, Altuve's errors in the field gifted eight runs to the Rays. "That's one thing I have right now is motivation," Altuve said Wednesday. "I have a group of guys here that encourage each other and go out there and play. I'm taking everything to be encouragement and motivation right now." The Astros need Altuve to return to pre-2020 form, particularly now that George Springer is no longer on the team.

Kim could see time in the outfield in 2021, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Kim has not logged any time in the outfield during his professional career, but he is blocked at his usual position (shortstop) by Fernando Tatis and won't see frequent time at third as long as Manny Machado is healthy. The Padres are most likely to deploy Kim at second base, though they consider him an option in the outfield if the need arises. Jake Cronenworth is also being discussed as an outfield option, and each player may ultimately end up bouncing around the field a bit during the campaign.

Mayfield was designated for assignment by Atlanta on Wednesday.

Mayfield was claimed off waivers in November, but he'll now be cast off the 40-man roster after the team claimed outfielder Guillermo Heredia off waivers Wednesday. Mayfield appeared in 21 games for the Astros last season and hit .190 with three RBI.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said Wednesday that Biggio will be the team's primary third baseman in 2021, Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star reports.

Biggio was expected to see more time at third base in 2021 after the Blue Jays acquired Marcus Semien during the offseason, and Montoyo confirmed the assumption Wednesday. However, Montoyo also said that Biggio will see some work at other positions as well, which isn't surprising given his defensive versatility. The 25-year-old appeared in 59 games during the abbreviated 2020 season, slashing .250/.375/.432 with eight home runs, 28 RBI and six stolen bases.

Manager Craig Counsell said Monday that the Brewers will give Urias a chance to compete for the starting shortstop job during spring training, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

After the Brewers added two-time Gold Glove winner Kolten Wong earlier in the offseason to handle everyday duties at second base, Urias will turn his focus to earning a role on the left side of the infield. Orlando Arcia was the Brewers' primary starter at shortstop in 2020, and though he finished with a career-best .733 OPS, he's hardly entrenched at the position. To that end, Counsell noted Wednesday that Arcia will also see a "substantial amount" of use at third base this spring, per Haudricourt, as the Brewers look to keep both Urias and Arcia prepared to fill a utility role in the event non-roster invitee Travis Shaw emerges as the Opening Day starter at the hot corner. Urias will likely need a good spring to earn a regular starting job ahead of Arcia and/or Shaw, as he posted an underwhelming .239/.308/.294 slash line over 120 plate appearances in 2020 while missing time due to wrist surgery and a positive COVID-19 test.