MLB Player News

Lewis will continue to develop as a shortstop for now, although he has really impressed the Twins with his brief stints in center field, Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com reports.

Essentially, it sounds like the Twins will keep Lewis at shortstop until they are forced to move him elsewhere, and they have a lot of faith in him being a quality defensive center fielder in short order if he ends up moving to the grass. Lewis also played third base and second base in the Arizona Fall League, which adds to his defensive versatility. More important for fantasy purposes is how Lewis develops at the plate. He hit .200 with two home runs, seven strikeouts and zero walks in 25 plate appearances in big-league camp after taking home MVP honors in the AFL. Lewis clearly needs more time -- likely a full season -- at Double-A and Triple-A before he is ready for the majors.

Groshans said in an interview with Jim Callis of MLB.com earlier this month that he made a full recovery from the left foot injury that sidelined him from mid-May onward last season. "Mostly just being flexible, being able to move quicker, faster," Groshans said, regarding what he focused on this offseason once he became healthy again. "I lost a little bit of body fat, put some muscle on just to try and get stronger. I actually feel lighter, faster and stronger than I did last year."

Groshans' 2020 debut looks like it will have to wait until at least mid-May after Major League Baseball recently announced the start of the season would be pushed back eight weeks or more, but he'll at least head into his third pro campaign with a clean bill of health. Before the sore left foot sidelined him, Groshans more than held his own in the Midwest League, posting a .337/.427/.482 slash line (167 wRC+). He'll likely start the season with Low-A Lansing but could be in store for a quick promotion to High-A Dunedin if he resumes raking at the plate right away.

Toro has the edge over Garrett Stubbs to become Houston's 26th man, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Toro brings more versatility to the final roster spot than Stubbs. He's a switch hitter that can play both corner infield spots, whereas Stubbs is primarily a catcher with limited outfield experience. Toro batted .125 (3-for-24) with one RBI over 24 spring at-bats.

Candelario went 1-for-2 with a home run in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

The home run was the second of the spring for Candelario, who has mostly struggled with a .143 average and .536 OPS. Dawel Lugo finished last season as the Tigers' primary third baseman, and the two are competing for the role in camp, though Candelario could also potentially snag some playing time at first.

Madrigal confirmed Tuesday that he suffered no serious injuries after a groundball struck his face Monday, but he'll sit for the next few days, Andy Masur of 720 WGN Chicago reports.

Madrigal wasn't showing any signs of a concussion immediately after leaving the game, and it appears that none have developed since then. The delay shouldn't significantly impact his readiness for Opening Day. He's expected to spend that day in the minors, but his big-league debut could come fairly early in the season. He's played just 29 games for Triple-A Charlotte but looked quite good in those games, hitting .331/.398/.424 with a typically miniscule 3.7 percent strikeout rate.

Madrigal left Monday's game against the Reds after a groundball hit him in the face, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Madrigal appeared to have suffered nothing worse than a bruise and was not showing signs of a concussion after leaving the game. It remains to be seen when he'll be back on the field.

Moncada and the White Sox agreed to a five-year $70 million contract extension Thursday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The 24-year-old's new deal includes a sixth year club option worth $25 million. The contract would potentially buy out two free-agent years and if his player option is exercised, Moncada will hit the open market after his age 30 season, according to Rosenthal. The switch-hitting third baseman will look to improve upon a 2019 campaign in which he hit .315/.367/.548 with 25 home runs, 83 runs scored and 79 RBI throughout 132 games.

Urias is out Thursday with shin splints, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Recently claimed off waivers by the Orioles after he was designated for assignment by the Cardinals, Urias is the older brother of Brewers shortstop Luis Urias. He has a legitimate shot of seeing time in the majors this year on a rebuilding club, but it is unclear when he will be ready to make his Grapefruit League debut.

Bregman (illness) is back in the lineup as expected Tuesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Bregman was out sick late last week and missed a few days of practice, but there never seemed to be much reason for concern. He'll bat third and play third base Tuesday.

Paredes (arm) is listed as an available reserve option on the lineup card for Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Paredes looks like he may be in store for his spring debut after previously tending to a sore right arm early in camp. Since the 21-year-old isn't a serious candidate for the Opening Day roster, he may only make a few appearances in the Grapefruit League slate before heading to the Tigers' minor-league camp.