MLB Player News

Campbell "appears to be the favorite" to win the Red Sox' second base job, Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam of MassLive.com report.

Campbell has struggled for much of the Red Sox' camp, both offensively and defensively, but he has been trending in a good direction lately and looks to have leap-frogged David Hamilton and Vaughn Grissom. The top prospect has played both left field and second base this spring but has focused on the keystone lately. Campbell slashed .329/.437/.551 with 19 home runs and 24 steals over 115 games across three minor-league levels in 2024 and has a chance to be a major fantasy contributor right away.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Tuesday that Turang (shoulder) will open the season as the club's primary second baseman, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Milwaukee was seriously considering shifting Turang to shortstop this season, but the idea was scuttled once the infielder developed some shoulder soreness. The shoulder issue is not expected to affect his availability for Opening Day. Turang is the reigning Platinum Glove winner in the National League for his defensive work at second base.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Tuesday that Ortiz will open the season as the team's primary shortstop, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The Brewers were considering sliding Brice Turang over to shortstop and putting Ortiz at second base, but Turang's sore shoulder ended that conversation. Ortiz will enter the season with only third-base eligibility if your platform uses a 20-game threshold, but he will pick up shortstop eligibility soon.

Gonzalez will undergo an MRI on Tuesday after feeling tightness in his right oblique Monday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Gonzalez "feels like there's nothing there" but wanted to get tested as a precaution. Any injury to the oblique is cause for some concern, but at the moment, the Red Sox appear to be viewing Gonzalez as day-to-day. More will be known about Gonzalez's condition after the MRI results are in. If healthy, Gonzalez will see some starts versus lefties this season for Boston.

Campbell started at second base and went 1-for-3 with a walk and a double in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles.

Given recent news that Campbell is behind David Hamilton in the battle for the second-base job, it was interesting to see the prospect start along with eight definite regulars. He improved his positioning during Monday's game in what was his best all-around performance of the spring, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports. "He did a good job, made some plays," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "He's going to get more reps there. He'll play [Tuesday in Tampa against the Yankees], too. It feels like he's getting comfortable." Cora said earlier this week that there were aspects of defense that Campbell needs to fine tune -- mostly on throws and how he receives a throw -- but his positioning was on point during Monday's contest. He's moved between the infield and outfield during the Grapefruit League season, but second base is the best path for Campbell to break camp with the team.

Rodgers has gone 8-for-28 with six strikeouts in Grapefruit League games.

Rodgers is in Houston camp on a non-roster deal and is vying for the second base job. If he can't wrestle the role from Mauricio Dubon, Rodgers could miss out on a roster spot altogether due to his lack of defensive versatility. Included in his contract is an opt-out, per Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle, so he could find work elsewhere.

Kingery was designated for assignment by the Angels on Monday.

Kingery was in the mix for the starting shortstop gig early on in camp, but he appears to have lost out on the job after being booted from the 40-man roster to make room for the acquisition of Angel Perdomo from Atlanta. Kingery would begin the 2025 season with Triple-A Salt Lake and would be a candidate for a mid-season promotion if he goes unclaimed on waivers.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Campbell is still fine-tuning his defense at second base and admitted the 22-year-old prospect has struggled offensively during Cactus League play, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Cora talked about Campbell's need to refine ball security on transfers and how he receives the ball. The manager feels those details can be cleaned up, but it's looking like the one-time frontrunner for the second base job is losing out to David Hamilton. As for Campbell's offense, he's batting .167 (6-for-36) with 15 strikeouts this spring. If Campbell doesn't win the starting job at second, he's expected to open the 2025 season at Triple-A Worcester.

Ortiz is expected begin the 2025 season as the club's starting shortstop, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The Brewers appeared ready to give Brice Turang the nod at shortstop to begin the year, but a shoulder injury has derailed that plan. Instead, Ortiz is the likely candidate to at least start the campaign at shortstop, with Turang remaining at the keystone until he works through the shoulder issue.

Turang (shoulder) struggled during his throwing session Monday and will be shut down for 3-to-5 days, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The Brewers haven't expressed much long-term concern about Turang, whom McCalvy notes remains on track to play Opening Day. However, the reps that he'll miss out on over the next few days make it unlikely that Turang will begin the season as the starting shortstop, after Willy Adames left Milwaukee in free agency and signed with San Francisco. Joey Ortiz is now the leading candidate to play shortstop, while Turang likely handles an everyday role at second base, at least until he's able to fully move past the shoulder issue and isn't restricted with his throwing.