MLB Player News

Castro was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday.

As a rookie in 2021, Castro hit five home runs with a .198 batting average in 93 plate appearances. Michael Chavis and Hoy Park will serve as the bench infielders for now, but neither have fantasy relevancy outside of NL-only leagues.

Machado was scratched from Saturday's Cactus League lineup against the Cubs due to back tightness.

Machado was initially slated to start at third base, but Eguy Rosario will now shift to the hot corner while Domingo Leyba enters the lineup at the keystone. It's not yet clear whether Machado will be forced to miss additional time following Saturday's matchup.

Longoria (finger) is participating in all baseball workouts, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Longoria has downplayed the injury, though he also noted that the pain stems from when he was hit by a pitch late in the 2021 season. Given that he's had the entire offseason to rest the issue, it's a bit concerning that he is still not feeling fully healthy. Even so, his Opening Day status does not appear threatened at this time.

Moustakas (shoulder) isn't starting Saturday's game against San Francisco. Moustakas said that his shoulder is better, however, and he should return to action on Sunday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

The Reds were hopeful that Moustakas would be able to return to game action as soon as Saturday, but he'll remain out of the lineup for at least one more matchup. In spite of his continued absence, it wouldn't be surprising to see the 33-year-old available for Opening Day.

Longoria has not played in Cactus League games due to soreness in his right index finger, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Longoria said it came from a hit-by-pitch late last season and flared up during spring training. The third baseman isn't expected to miss Opening Day, though the flexibility of the Giants' bench players could afford him to take time off it the injury persists.

Wisdom has just one hit and a walk in nine Cactus League at-bats to go with five strikeouts.

Wisdom had a breakout 2021 campaign, smashing 28 home runs and posting an .823 OPS across 106 games, though his season ended a bit early due to a sore right wrist. He's reportedly healthy to begin camp, so the slow start is probably more just a matter of shaking off rust. Still, it'd be nice to see Wisdom get going to prove last year wasn't a flash in the pan. The 30-year-old only had four career MLB home runs prior to 2021.

Riley went 2-for-3 with two homers and three RBI in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

The long balls didn't come against minor-league arms either, as Riley took Shane McClanahan deep in the second inning before dropping a Matt Wisler offering just over the wall in left-center field three innings later. Riley is coming off a breakout 2021 campaign in which he slugged 33 homers and 107 RBI while slashing .303/.367/.531, and the 24-year-old third baseman figures to be a fixture in the heart of the Atlanta offense for years to come.

Moustakas (shoulder) didn't practice Wednesday, but the Reds are confident that he will be fine, and could return to game action as soon as Saturday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Manager David Bell is taking extra precautions with Moustakas, who missed a considerable portion of the season last year with an injury that lasted longer than he or the Reds expected. "(I) don't want to push him," Bell said. "I already took him out of the lineup for (Thursday) and we'll shoot for Saturday. I haven't heard any indication why it would be any longer than that."

Farmer agreed to a one-year, $3.155 million contract with the Reds on Tuesday to avoid arbitration, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

Farmer appeared in 147 games for Cincinnati last year and hit .263/.316/.416 with 16 home runs, 60 runs and 63 RBI in 529 plate appearances. The 31-year-old is poised to open the 2022 campaign as the Reds' primary shortstop.

Vargas 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Mariners.

Vargas did not go deep in 34 games at the MLB level last season with three different teams, so the power is a bit of a surprise. With the Cubs adding Andrelton Simmons in the offseason, and Nick Madrigal (hamstring) also getting healthy and joining the mix in the middle infield, Vargas may get squeezed from the MLB roster. A strong spring could help his cause, or at least make him a more likely call-up candidate down the road if he plays well at the Triple-A level.