MLB Player News

Senzel homered for the second time this spring on Tuesday night, this time against the Dodgers' Josiah Gray, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "I think it took him a game or two just to settle in, which is normal," Reds manager David Bell said after the game. "... It's going to be fun to watch him really get into the flow of playing a lot."

The Reds are really giving Senzel ample opportunity for regular playing time, suggesting that the "full-time" if not necessarily "everyday" center fielder label is legit.

Peterson (thumb) will start in right field and will bat fifth in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Athletics.

Peterson missed about a week of game action due to a thumb injury before making an appearance off the bench in Monday's 10-9 win over the Angels. After playing second base and recording a base hit in his lone at-bat, Peterson will now get a look in the outfield in his second start of spring training. The non-roster invitee is in the mix for a bench role on the Brewers' Opening Day roster.

Farmer lost 10 pounds and worked on a swing change this offseason, modeling his swing off of Christian Yelich's swing, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Farmer is in contention for the Reds' starting shortstop role, and at the very least projects to start against left-handers, but he's at least a small favorite to win the job outright.

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.