MLB Player News

McMahon has hit well so far this spring, with nine hits and one homer in his first 18 at-bats.

McMahon is battling Garrett Hampson to be the Rockies' starting second baseman. The team will make the decision based on more than just spring stats. Hampson has gone 5-for-16 with a pair of homers himself.

Donaldson is expected to make his Grapefruit League debut Friday against the Phillies, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Donaldson was originally hoping to make his spring debut Wednesday, but rain forced the veteran third baseman to push his schedule back by a day. He's now slated to play in a simulated game Wednesday, and if everything goes well, Donaldson will make his first appearance of spring Friday (the Braves have a scheduled off day Thursday).

Donaldson is targeting Wednesday for his first game action of the spring, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

He's going to take part in simulated game activities Tuesday, and if all goes well, Donaldson is set to be in Wednesday's lineup against the Tigers. The 33-year-old played only 52 games for Toronto and Cleveland last year, producing a disappointing .801 OPS, so expect the Braves to keep a close eye on his workload for the rest of the spring.

Escobar went 0-for-3 and is hitting .214 (3-for-14, four strikeouts) in five spring games.

Escobar, who has made four starts at third base and another at second base, is expected to be the everyday third baseman this season -- possibly to the detriment of position versatility beyond 2019. In all five spring games, Escobar's hit third in the order where there's potential to build on his career-high 84 RBI set in 2018.

Longoria went 1-for-2 with a solo home run Monday against the Dodgers.

Longoria got the Giants on the scoreboard in the second inning on a solo homer over the fence in left. He's been firing on all cylinders at the dish to open up spring training and is now 6-for-11 with two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored.

Machado went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored Monday against the Indians.

Machado secured his first hit since joining the Padres, doubling to center field in the bottom of the fourth inning. As expected, he slotted in at the hot corner and batted third, which is where he figures to stay throughout the regular season.

General manager Alex Anthopoulos said Donaldson is scheduled to partake in a simulated game Tuesday, Kevin McAlpin of 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

Anthopoulos added that Donaldson is "ready to go" and "should get into a game right after" Tuesday's simulated game, assuming everything goes off without a hitch. The Braves are slow-playing the veteran third baseman this spring after injuries derailed his 2018 campaign, though he should have no problem getting enough at-bats in before the start of the season, assuming he's able to make his Grapefruit League debut in the near future.

Arenado went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run Sunday against the Giants.

Arenado belted his second home run this spring, this time a two-run blast over the left-field fence in the fifth inning. After signing a monster contract extension at the end of February (eight years, $260 million), he should be highly motivated to put together another stellar campaign.

Donaldson is not listed in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.

Donaldson was originally set to make his Grapefruit League debut Friday but had it pushed back to Sunday, only to see the debut pushed back yet again. According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, the team is apparently likely to wait until Wednesday to start Donaldson, seemingly out of caution as there's been no indication of any injury issues.

Moustakas went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk in Thursday's win over the Reds.

Moustakas clubbed his first long ball of the spring in the second inning to give Milwaukee an early 1-0 lead. He once again slotted in at the keystone, although the transition to a new position hasn't slowed his bat thus far. He's gone 3-for-6 with a home run and two runs scored in the early days of Cactus League play.