MLB Player News

The Phillies optioned Maton to their minor-league camp Tuesday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Didi Gregorius is locked in as the Phillies' top shortstop, and Jean Segura and Scott Kingery are both capable of playing the position in a pinch, so Maton didn't have a real shot at winning a spot on the Opening Day roster. Maton will likely spend the entire 2021 season in the minors, playing on an everyday basis in the middle infield at either Double-A Reading or Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Kieboom has gone 4-for-22 (.182) with only one extra-base hit, a triple, through his first nine Grapefruit League appearances.

The 23-year-old also has an uninspiring 2:6 BB:K. Kieboom is still penciled in as the Nats' starting third baseman to begin the season and left no stone unturned this offseason as he looked for ways to improve at the plate, undergoing LASIK surgery and working to smooth out his swing, but so far those efforts haven't paid off. If he struggles again in 2021, bench options like Josh Harrison could cut into Kieboom's playing time significantly.

Hayes went 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBI against Baltimore on Monday.

He's hitting .417 in 24 spring at-bats with five doubles, one triple and one home run. Hayes is also showing plate discipline, compiling a 2:2 BB:K. The 24-year-old is quickly becoming the face of the franchise. Projections for the third baseman aren't easy because while he's done very well in 24 MLB games (.376 batting average in 85 at-bats), he's hit .279 overall in five minor-league campaigns.

Moustakas will start at third base for Tuesday's spring training game against the Rockies, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports. This is being done in conjunction with moving Eugenio Suarez over to shortstop.

This would move Moustakas back to his original and presumably better defensive position, while giving a chance to Jonathan India to play at second base, giving the Reds an alternative to Kyle Farmer or Dee Strange-Gordon at shortstop. Giving Moustakas a third position of eligibility in-season along with first base and second base would also come in handy.

Suarez will start Tuesday's spring training game at shortstop, with Mike Moustakas moving over to third base, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports. "We have to see what it looks like, we're not making any decisions now, we have a lot of options, we have guys willing to do what's best for our team and have bought in to whatever it takes," manager David Bell said. "That's making this look at Geno at shortstop possible."

This would address two items -- how to improve the Reds lineup at shortstop while allowing Jonathan India to play second base. Suarez originally broke in as a shortstop, but he hasn't played in a game there since 2018 and has only six games at shortstop since 2016.

Riley has cleared all COVID-19-related protocols and is scheduled to rejoin Atlanta's Grapefruit League lineup Wednesday against the Orioles, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Manager Brian Snitker said earlier Monday that Riley would likely be away from the team for a few days, but the skipper wouldn't go into specifics about why the 24-year-old was going to miss time. As suspected, O'Brien's report confirms that Riley's absence was related to COVID-19 protocols, but he apparently won't be forced to quarantine even while he remains out of the lineup for the next two days. Riley took batting practice with the team prior to Monday's game against the Twins, so he should be ready to play Wednesday when eligible to do so.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Monday that Riley would be away from the team for at least a couple days due to an unspecified reason, 680 The Fan Atlanta reports. "I had him in [the Grapefruit League lineup] 'til [Monday]. Due to an unforeseen circumstance that I really can't talk about, he's not going to be able to go," Snitker said of Riley.

Snitker's comments suggest that Riley's absence is likely related to COVID-19 protocols, though it doesn't necessarily mean that the 23-year-old has tested positive for the virus. In any case, Riley looks like he'll be away from the team until at least the middle of the week, but assuming his absence doesn't last too beyond that, his availability for the start of the season shouldn't be in much peril. Riley is projected to serve as the Atlanta's everyday third baseman in 2021.

Newman (hamstring) served as the team's designated hitter and went 0-for-2 with a walk Sunday against the Phillies.

While he didn't play in the field, Newman saw his first action in a week. He made it through the game without re-injuring himself and figures to see time at shortstop in the coming days.

Longoria (foot) is batting fifth as the designated hitter in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 35-year-old has been battling plantar fasciitis throughout the early stages of camp and has been operating as a designated hitter for the past week. It's unclear when Longoria is expected to play the field, but there has yet to be much concern expressed about the injury.

Escobar started at third base and went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's spring game against the Angels.

Escobar launched his second spring homer in the sixth inning and is 6-for-19 with a triple, two home runs, five RBI and three runs scored over seven games. The offseason addition of Asdrubal Cabrera, who plays multiple infield positions, generated speculation about the division of playing time and where Escobar would see most of his starts. Adding to the uncertainty was the question of where the Diamondbacks would eventually deploy Ketel Marte, who can play second base or center field. Thus far in Cactus League play, Escobar's played third base five times and once each at second base and DH. When the regular season kicks off, expect Escobar to be the primary third baseman while both he and Cabrera get time at third and second base.