MLB Player News

Kieboom went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins.

He nearly had a second jack, too, flying out to the wall in center field in his first at-bat. Kieboom, the Nats' No. 3 fantasy prospect in our rankings, could be looking at a return trip to Double-A Harrisburg to begin 2019 after posting a lackluster .721 OPS in 62 games there last year, but a solid campaign in the high minors would put him in position to compete more seriously for a big-league job next spring.

Sosa was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.

Sosa has three big-league games under his belt but was never likely to break camp with the team. He'll return to Memphis, where he hit a modest .262/.321/.408 last season, and will wait for an injury in the Cardinals' infield to open up an opportunity.

Donaldson played three innings in his debut Friday, popping up in his first at-bat before taking a walk in the third inning and then leaving for a pinch runner, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. He was pretty eager in his first at-bat, swinging at the first two pitches he saw. "Today, I wanted to be aggressive," Donaldson said. "I hadn't seen live pitching in about a week. So, I wanted to see where my timing was. It wasn't quite where I wanted it to be. But I was able to see some pitches and lay off some pretty tough pitches."

Donaldson won't play over the rest of the weekend, limiting his activity to workouts on the side, before returning to game action Monday.

Donaldson is starting at third base and batting second for Friday's spring game against the Phillies.

The Braves have pushed back Donaldson's spring debut numerous times for maintenance reasons, but he'll finally appear in a Grapefruit League game Friday. The 33-year-old was limited to 52 games between the Blue Jays and Indians last season but starts things off with the Braves in full health.

Senzel (hamstring) went 1-for-3 Thursday against the Mariners in his return to spring training action, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "I think we got lucky there that it was just minor, like a reminder to take care of his legs and making sure we're doing everything we can to help him adjust to a completely different position both with the way you run and the way you throw," manager David Bell said. "I think we'll just be on top of it even more."

Bell and the Reds were pleasantly surprised that Senzel could play Thursday, thinking instead that he'd need until Friday. We can go back to speculating when Senzel will make his Reds debut without this injury being a factor.

Senzel (hamstring) is starting in center field and hitting sixth Thursday against the Mariners.

He dealt with a minor hamstring issue but, as expected, it did not cost him much time. Senzel continues to get starts in center field in preparation to serve as the Reds' primary option there for most of 2019.

Plouffe went 1-for-2 with a solo homer Wednesday against the Blue Jays.

Plouffe's ninth-inning shot off Mark Leiter was his first of spring. The veteran infielder now has two hits -- both of which have gone for extra bases -- in nine at-bats through six spring appearances.

Senzel is dealing with hamstring tightness but is expected to return to game action Thursday or Friday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The injury doesn't appear to be a significant threat to Senzel's quest for an Opening Day roster spot, but the Reds will want him getting as much game time as possible as he tries to quickly learn center field. It remains unclear whether or not the Reds will find a reason to keep Senzel in the minors for a few weeks to earn an extra year of team control. If the hamstring issue lingers longer than expected, that could theoretically provide the team a ready-made excuse.

Donaldson went 3-for-3 with a home run and a double during a simulated game Wednesday, 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

Donaldson's stellar showing at the dish indicates that he's ready to make his Grapefruit League debut, which is set to come Friday versus the Phillies. The veteran's delayed entry into spring games has been designed merely with maintenance in mind, as the 33-year-old reported to camp at full health after an injury-plagued 2018 campaign.

Vargas went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's spring game against the Royals.

Vargas batted leadoff and served as designated hitter Tuesday and came up with a two-RBI double during the second inning. The 27-year-old is putting together a fantastic spring training, going 10-for-22 with five runs scored and seven RBI through nine games.