MLB Player News

Machado (elbow) is swinging with 100 percent effort and playing catch to start spring training, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Machado is recovering from surgery to repair an extensor tendon injury in his elbow, leaving his status for Opening Day in question. For now, the news is positive, with general manager A.J. Preller saying that Machado has hit all expected benchmarks at this point, while also stating that he is "tracking toward" playing in the Padres' series against the Dodgers in Korea to kick off the regular season. Despite the positivity, there's still nothing definitive about Machado's status, as he is limited in the volume of his work and will be eased back into game action.

Marte is not yet running at full speed after suffering a hamstring strain in late November in the Dominican Winter League, Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

It sounds like Marte is recovered from his injury, but the Reds are having him ramp things up slowly in camp to be safe. The 22-year-old played a bit at shortstop and second base in addition to third base last season with the Reds, but he'll focus mainly on the hot corner this spring as he attempts to win that job. Marte slashed an impressive .316/.366/.456 in 35 contests for Cincinnati in 2023.

Davis will make $6.9 million in 2024 after winning his arbitration case against the Giants on Thursday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Davis slashed .248/.325/.413 with 18 home runs and 69 RBI across 544 plate appearances in his first full season with San Francisco -- good enough to earn himself an extra $350,000 over what the Giants offered him. Davis appears in line to serve as the Giants' starting third baseman again in 2024 and is slated to enter free agency next winter.

The Marlins designated Groshans for assignment Tuesday.

Groshans will lose his spot on the 40-man roster following the acquisition of Jonah Bride from Oakland on Tuesday. After making his MLB debut in 2022, Groshans spent all of last season with Triple-A Jacksonville, where he slashed .244/.341/.331 with 61 RBI in 528 plate appearances. The 24-year-old will presumably return to Jacksonville to begin 2024.

The Marlins acquired Bride from the Athletics on Tuesday in exchange for cash, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

Bride was designated for assignment Friday following the Athletics' acquisition of Ross Stripling, and he'll now look to carve out a role for himself with the Marlins. Bride owns just a .528 OPS across 293 plate appearances in his MLB career, though he slashed .305/.432/.544 in the minors last season. Jordan Groshans was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Triolo is likely to get regular at-bats while playing multiple positions this season, Jake Crouse of MLB.com reports.

Triolo appeared in 54 games for the Pirates in 2023 and hit .298 across 209 plate appearances. There's significant reason to doubt that performance carries forward, as he posted a .440 BABIP to go along with a 30.1 percent strikeout rate. However, he's an above-average defender at first base, second base and third base, giving him multiple paths to playing time even if he doesn't start regularly at a single position.

Reds manager David Bell said Wednesday that Candelario will be an everyday player in 2024, Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

"Between DH, first base and third base, he's going to be an everyday player," Bell said of Candelario. The skipper will have plenty of mixing and matching to do with the Reds' abundance of infielders, which is going to lead to extra days off for some. It does not sound like Candelario will be one of those guys sitting with regularity, however. Cincinnati inked Candelario to a three-year, $45 million contract in December.

Marte (hamstring) is on track to be healthy for the start of spring training, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Marte strained his hamstring in late November while playing in the Dominican Winter League. Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said Wednesday that the injury carries a 6-to-10 week recovery timetable. Marte is roughly eight weeks into that and the start of spring training is three weeks away, so he should be fine. The 22-year-old looks to be in line for an Opening Day assignment at third base for Cincinnati, although there are lots of moving parts in its infield.

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Saturday that while Busch's ultimate position will be up to manager Craig Counsell, he expects the 26-year-old to play first base, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

"He's certainly going to play. There's no question. It's up to Craig where. I think first base is obviously a natural spot for him. He's played there a lot," Hoyer said at the team's Cubs Convention. Most of Busch's playing time with the Dodgers in 2023 came at third base, and it's possible he could wind up there if the Cubs bring in another first baseman. However, the consensus seems to be that the defensively-challenged Busch fits best at first base. If Busch is indeed confined to first, it puts a damper on Matt Mervis' dynasty outlook.

The Cubs and Madrigal avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.8 million contract Thursday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Madrigal receives a salary bump in what was his second year of arbitration eligibility. The infielder slashed .263/.311/.352 for the Cubs in 2023 and is in the mix for starts at third base again for the upcoming season.