MLB Player News

Albies is a candidate to lead off against lefties this season, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Albies spent stretches early last season as the Braves' leadoff hitter, finding himself in that spot 40 times, though he didn't lead off in a single game in the second half of the year. The switch hitter posted a rather poor .213/.283/.412 line against righties last season but hit an excellent .335/.357/.548 against southpaws.

Mathias was reassigned to minor-league camp Friday.

Mathias got to spend some time in big-league camp but was never a candidate to open the season on the major-league roster, as he's yet to reach Triple-A. He's spent the entirety of the last two seasons stuck at Double-A, and it remains to be seen whether his .232/.338/.370 line for Akron last season will be enough for him to start this season at the next level.

Altuve (side) is in the lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals, Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Altuve had been out of the lineup for over a week while dealing with side soreness. With his return Friday, he should still have enough time to get fully up to speed by the start of the regular season.

McNeil went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

Hitting leadoff and playing left field, McNeil pushed his spring slash line up to .321/.321/.571 through 28 at-bats. The Mets still aren't sure whether they'll need him at third base to begin the season, or let him continue his transition to the outfield, but wherever he plays the 26-year-old figures to hit.

Kemp went 0-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Thursday's game against the Marlins.

Kemp is hitting .240 (6-for-25) with two extra-base hits and three stolen bases in Grapefruit League competition. The 27-year-old Kemp has probably done enough to break camp with the Astros. His position versatility -- all three outfield spots and second base -- and that he's out of options work in his favor.

Cubs general manager Theo Epstein said the organization hasn't determined whether to push Hoerner and start him at Double-A Tennessee, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The fact that this is even being discussed is indicative of just how impressive Hoerner has been this spring, albeit in only nine Cactus League at-bats. The 2018 first-round pick has a 2.194 OPS and has looked the part of a major league regular in camp. Hoerner finished last season by playing four games with Low-A South Bend, so he was expected to start 2019 at that level or maybe with High-A Myrtle Beach, but it sounds like he could move up the ladder quickly.

Altuve (side) will play Friday against the Braves, Alyson Footer of MLB.com reports.

Altuve has been held out of game action while recovering from soreness in his left side. He last played March 6.

Andrus went 3-for-3 with three RBI in Thursday's spring game against Kansas City.

Andrus plated a pair of runs in the third inning on a single to right field, and he drove in another during the fifth on another single to right. The 30-year-old shortstop is looking good at the plate thus far and is now 10-for-17 with a home run, eight RBI and two runs scored in spring games.

Lopez has gone 11-for-35 (.314 average) at the plate with three stolen bases in Cactus League play entering Thursday's game against the Rangers.

The excellent bat-to-ball skills Lopez has demonstrated throughout his career have again surfaced during spring training, as the 23-year-old has struck out in just five of his plate appearances. All but one of Lopez's 11 hits have gone for extra bases, however, and his lack of power will likely put a cap on his fantasy ceiling once he reaches the big leagues. Lopez has made a compelling case for the Opening Day roster, but it's most likely the Royals will send him back to Triple-A Omaha to play on an everyday basis with Whit Merrifield and Adalberto Mondesi already entrenched as the big club's starting middle-infield tandem.

Albies went 2-for-3 with two RBI in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

Hitting leadoff, the 22-year-old pushed his spring batting average up to .259 (7-for-27) through 11 games. Albies still has time to get into a groove before Opening Day, but his fantasy value will depend more on whether he hits consistently near the top of the order than it does on his performance in camp.