MLB Player News

Moncada made multiple impressive defensive plays at second base in his first start with White Sox, which included a diving stop up the middle that started a double play.

Although it is still early, Moncada is starting to look like he can be an impact player defensively at second base. While the White Sox star prospect appears to be MLB-ready in the field, the next step in his development will be translating his off-the-charts tools into a more refined approach at the plate.

Valencia went 1-for-2 with a double, two walks and two runs in Sunday's 13-2 Cactus League win over the Padres.

The veteran, expected to platoon with Dan Vogelbach at first this season, was on base early and often in Sunday's blowout win. Valencia has rightfully earned a reputation as a lefty masher in his career, but has become a better all-around hitter the last two seasons. The 32-year-old has compiled respective averages of .285 and .275 against right-handed pitching over the 2015 and 2016 campaigns, along with a combined 23 homers and 71 RBI.

Segura went 1-for-2 with a double and run scored in Saturday's 13-3 Cactus League victory over the Padres.

Hitting out of the two-hole, Segura made an immediate impact with a line-drive double to left field in the first, eventually coming home on Nelson Cruz's three-run blast later in the frame. It was an ideal start for the offseason acquisition, who the Mariners are counting on as a formidable presence in front of Robinson Cano and Cruz near the top of the order. Given his demonstrated ability to pack the box score and the menacing pair hitting behind him, Segura could be in for an even more explosive campaign than 2016, when he compiled a whopping 68 extra-base hits with the Diamondbacks.

Chapman, a 2014 first-round pick and non-roster invitee, went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Saturday's 4-3 Cactus League loss to the Cubs.

The A's are hoping to give Chapman some much-needed seasoning against big league arms this spring, and he got off to a positive start in that regard by launching a two-run blast off reliever Jose Rosario in the fourth inning. The 23-year-old did go down on strikes in another one of his at-bats, an area of his game that both Chapman and the A's are looking for considerable improvement in during his spring training tenure. Over 514 combined at-bats at the Double-A and Triple-A levels last season, Chapman whiffed at a 30.6 percent clip, a number that needs to come down if he hopes to take over the starting third base job in 2018.

Moncada entered Saturday's game in the fifth inning and went 0-for-2 with a groundout and strikeout.

Amid the many spring storylines occupying watchers of the White Sox is the development of Moncada who is not only considered to be the organization's top prospect but one of the top ones in all of baseball. He should get ample opportunities for at-bats during the spring and possibly more than expected due to the leg injury that prevented putative starting second baseman Brett Lawrie from playing Saturday.

Donaldson (calf) played catch and took batting practice in a cage Friday, John Lott of The Athletic reports.

Donaldson reportedly still has a hitch in his gait, but says he "feels good." The three-time All-Star has been steadily progressing since straining his calf while running the bases last week. Expect him to return to game action in early-to-mid March, barring any unforeseen setbacks.

Donaldson is progressing as expected in his recovery from a strained calf, Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith reports.

Donaldson will still need some time to get back to 100 percent, but he has not encountered any setbacks on his road to recovery, so his 2-to-3 week return timetable remains as-is. It has been nearly a week since Donaldson injured his calf, so as long as his health continues to improve, he should be ready to make his spring debut at some point in early-to-mid March.

Longoria (illness) was feeling better and returned to workouts Wednesday, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The veteran third baseman had been dealing with a high fever recently, forcing him to miss the past two days of camp. Although he didn't miss much, he missed some conditioning and him and manager Kevin Cash will have to figure out when he's physically ready to make his Grapefruit League debut.

Valencia, who's primarily expected to platoon at first base with rookie Dan Vogelbach this season, got in work at third base Tuesday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The veteran has played third base more than any other position in his career, but that role is fully in Kyle Seager's possession in Seattle. While manager Scott Servais wants to give Valencia some work at his previous position as a contigency plan-- and perhaps in anticipation of some spot starts when Seager rests during the coming season -- the main priority remains getting him acclimated at first. "He'll probably be mostly at first throughout the spring," Servais said. "He will play a day or two at third and get some time in the outfield, but we want to get him comfortable there at first."

Duffy reported that his surgically repaired left heel felt good after his first batting practice session of the spring, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Duffy had tracked pitches in Monday's workout, and as expected, was a full participant in Tuesday's batting practice session. The Rays' shortstop's workload will continue to be carefully managed, but progressively ramped up as the spring unfolds.