MLB Player News

Pirates first baseman Pedro Alvarez suffered a hyperextended elbow and will miss a few games while recovering, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Alvarez indicated that the elbow is fine and the Pirates said he can work out as tolerable. The former third baseman is spending his first spring training at first base and said last week he feels comfortable with the shift.

Alvarez hit .231/.312/.405 with 18 home runs, 56 RBI and eight stolen bases in 398 at-bats.

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura has been working on making his swing less flat-footed, per the team's offical website.

The 24-year-old has been impressing his observers with his swing as of late due to a subtle change in mechanics.  One of those observers includes Brewers manager Ron Roenicke.

"I just like his at-bats and the new mechanics of his swing. I like what he's doing," Roenicke said. "He's [staying] back, which should allow him to see the ball better."

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado powered a three-run home run over the left field wall in Saturday's win 7-5 win over the Cubs. Arenado was ecstatic to power through the pitch, reports the Denver Post.

"It always feels good to hit the ball hard and drive the ball," Arenado said. "But there's still a lot of work to be done. I’m not feeling totally comfortable up there, but it was nice to see the ball well today."

Cubs third baseman Mike Olt clubbed a two-run homer off Athletics starting pitcher Barry Zito during Thursday's spring game. He connected on an 0-2 changeup.

“It’s one of the best at-bats I’ve had in a while,” Olt said, per MLB.com. 

Olt spent some time this offseason working on refining his swing.

“I feel like it’s night and day,” Olt said of his swing now compared to last season. “Last year, I said I felt my swing was there, but secretly I knew in my head I was swinging at pitches I wasn’t supposed to. I’m feeling like I’m tracking the ball a lot better this year and a lot of the changes we’ve made to my swing are the reason why.”

Pirates infielder Pedro Alvarez is feeling comfortable at first base, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

After playing third the past couple of seasons, Alvarez will transition to first base full-time in 2015. The 28-year-old is still getting used to the position, but he seems comfortable with the change.

"It’s just a matter of getting used to seeing the field from that point of view, get the reps in so that the responsibilities that come with playing the position become second nature," he said. "That’s just with time and repetitions."

Alvarez hit .231/.312/.405 over 398 at-bats last season. 

Braves infielder Jace Peterson has the inside track to start at second base for the club this season and manager Fredi Gonzalez was impressed with his play in the spring training debut Wednesday. Peterson doubled and drew two walks in the game.

"He smoked that ball," Gonzalez said. "I like his ability and that you can run him out there at shortstop and let him play that position. We'll play him back and forth on the diamond and see what happens."

Gonzalez knows he has the ability to step in and play very soon.

"You like his baseball abilities, his makeup and his character," Gonzalez said. "He's not just a throw-in [in the trade], he's a baseball player."

Because of he reported to camp in exceptional condition and Alberto Callaspo did not, Jace Peterson may have an outside shot at the Braves' second base job, per the Atlanta Journal Constitution on Wednesday.

Callaspo signed with the Braves as a free agent in December was penciled in as the starter while top prospect Jose Peraza works his way through the minors. However, if Callaspo doesn't play his way into game shape over the next month, Peterson, along with Phil Gosselin could have a crack at the position.

Peterson was traded to the Braves from the Padres in a deal that involved Justin Upton in late December. Last week, manager Fredi Gonzalez confirmed to reporters that the second base gig is "wide open."

Pirates infielder Pedro Alvarez launched a home run on Tuesday against the Blue Jays.

With two men on in the first inning, Alvarez pounced on a pitch from Aaron Sanchez and took it out to the opposite field. Alvarez would later double in a run in the fifth inning. He finished 2 for 3, with one run scored and four RBI. 

Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu is hoping the offseason work he put in to increase his speed will pay dividends on offense this season, particularly legging out more extra-base hits, per MLB.com.

"We were doing sprints early in the offseason and by February I was much, much faster," LeMahieu said. "We'll see how that translates, but I accomplished my goal."

Rockies manager Walt Weiss is expecting LeMahieu to improve offensively.

"He's a guy that's going to get better and better offensively," Weiss said. "I've talked about his feel for the game and that's going to play into his offense. You're going to see his on-base [.314 career] creep up. He's going to slug more than he has [.361 career] -- not homers, but there are doubles there."

Brewers general manager Doug Melvin expressed confidence Saturday that shortstop Jean Segura will bounce back after a subpar 2014 season, the Journal Sentinel reports.

"I'm pretty confident he's going to bounce back," Melvin said. "He had a very good September. He had a lot of stuff going on last year. But everybody says he's a much happier person and everything. He's a good, athletic player that we need."

After delivering a .294 average, smacking 12 home runs and stealing 44 bases in 2013, Segura hit just .246/.289/.326 with five home runs, 31 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 513 at-bats in 2014.