MLB Player News

Newman was removed from Sunday's spring game against the Orioles with left hamstring tightness, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

The 27-year-old went 2-for-2 with a double, a run and two RBI before leaving the game. The severity of the injury remains unclear, but even if it's a minor issue Newman figures to take it easy for a couple days.

Longoria has been dealing with plantar fasciitis to begin spring training, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Longoria made his spring debut Saturday as the designated hitter for San Francisco, but the team has been bringing him along slowly in the field due to his foot issue. It's not yet clear when he'll be cleared to play the field, but he didn't sound too concerned about the issue. "Hopefully we got it taken care of," Longoria said. "We're easing into it. It's not a big deal, just something we'll have to deal with."

Sosa, who is 0-for-4 across his two official Grapefruit League game appearances thus far, starred in a "B" game against the Astros on Friday, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

Sosa, competing for a utility role on the Opening Day roster, smacked a three-run home run while also throwing out a runner trying to score from second base. The 25-year-old played both second base and third base during the game and has logged time at both positions, shortstop and designated hitter in the minors. Sosa never saw action in a 2020 regular-season game, but he recorded a combined 13 plate appearances with the big-league club during the 2018 and 2019 campaigns.

Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Saturday that Peterson has been unavailable over the past few days due to a thumb injury, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Peterson appeared in Monday's spring game against the Diamondbacks, but he hasn't been available for the Brewers since then. However, Counsell said the 30-year-old is "kind of back on track," and he was hopeful that Peterson will be able to return to action Tuesday. Peterson went 1-for-2 in his first Cactus League appearance of the season.

Hayes went 2-for-3 with an RBI triple Thursday against Atlanta.

He's gotten off to a strong start with four hits, including two doubles and a triple, in eight Grapefruit League at-bats. Hayes slashed .376/.442/.682 in 95 plate appearances with Pittsburgh in 2020, but his career minor-league line is a far more modest .279/.354/.399. He does, however, have speed he hasn't yet shown in the majors -- Hayes stole just one bag in 24 games last year but averaged 17 stolen bases in his last three minor-league campaigns.

Newman went 2-for-2 with a walk Thursday against the Braves.

He's in the middle of a three-way competition for time at shortstop with Cole Tucker and Erik Gonzalez. Newman, who bobbled away a ground ball for an error Thursday, needs to prove himself again both offensively and defensively after a miserable 2020. He slashed just .224/.281/.276 with one homer and no steals in 172 plate appearances after hitting .308 with 12 homers and 16 steals in 2019. Newman closed out last season on the injured list with a knee injury but is back to full health for 2021.

Arenado is 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk over his last two Grapefruit League games after going hitless in two at-bats during his Sunday debut.

The prize offseason acquisition got off to an inconspicuous start Sunday against the Nationals , booting a ball at third in addition to coming up empty in his pair of plate appearances. However, Arenado has subsequently broken the ice with hits in back-to-back exhibitions, with Wednesday's knock accounting for his first official RBI in a Cardinals uniform. Arenado previously stated he'd ideally be comfortable with approximately 50 spring training at-bats ahead of the regular season, and he seems to be firmly on track for that level of volume early.

Kieboom underwent LASIK surgery over the offseason, which hitting coach Kevin Long said Tuesday is already having a noticeable effect, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Kieboom clearly needed to do something, as he hasn't come close to delivering on his considerable prospect promise through his first 44 big-league games, hitting just .181/.309/.232. In addition to the eye procedure, he also tweaked his batting stance over the winter. It's certainly possible those two changes help him reach a new level this year, especially as he's still just 23 years old, though it's of course far from guaranteed that either change will have the desired effect on his stat line.

Farmer is batting leadoff and playing shortstop in the Reds' spring training opener.

The Reds didn't get sign or trade for a full-time major league shortstop this offseason, adding only Dee Strange-Gordon and Rule 5 pick Kyle Holder as contenders to Farmer and Jose Garcia for the starting shortstop job. The Reds would prefer to have Garcia begin the season in the minors, but they hope he's their long-term option at the position.

Machado underwent laser eye surgery in the offseason, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Judging by Machado's .304/.370/.580 slash line last season, the veteran didn't exactly struggle to pick up pitches, though he noted that his vision wasn't 100 percent during night games in recent campaigns. Machado's .310 batting average under the lights last season was actually better than his .288 mark during day games, so the effects of the surgery are likely to be minimal for the career .280 hitter.