MLB Player News

Albies is fully healthy after battling a wrist injury last season, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

While the second baseman officially missed about a month of action in August and September with a bone contusion in his right wrist, unofficially the wrist was an issue for at least a week prior to his placement on the IL. "When you're healthier, everything is easier," Albies said Saturday. "It was just about resting and getting myself back to normal." He was dynamic once he returned to the lineup, slashing .338/.372/.581 with five homers and three steals in the final 18 games of the regular season before going yard twice more in the playoffs. The 24-year-old missed only six games combined over the previous two campaigns, so there's little reason to think Albies can't stay healthy this season and at least return to the level of production he flashed in 2019.

Marte has been fielding grounders at shortstop early in camp, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Nick Ahmed is entrenched at shortstop, but manager Torey Lovullo wants to determine who will back up at shortstop when Ahmed is off. Marte has appeared in 270 games at shortstop in the majors, so this is not about seeing if he can handle the position but rather if others can't handle the job. Other backup candidates to Ahmed include Josh Rojas and Andy Young. Marte is expected to see most of his time at second base or center field this season.

Drury has yet to report to Mets' spring training, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

It's unclear why the 28-year-old has yet to join the team in Florida, though it's apparently not related to an injury. Drury signed a minor-league deal with the Mets during the offseason and figures to provide organizational infield depth in 2021.

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.