MLB Player News

Nevin was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Nevin played in 13 games this spring, batting .233 with two extra-base hits and six RBI, but he'll begin the season with Triple-A Norfolk. The 24-year-old spent the majority of 2021 with Norfolk, playing in 111 games and slashing .227/.305/.392 while launching 16 homers and driving in 52 runs. He also went 4-for-14 during a six-game stint in the big leagues last season, with three of his hits going for extra bases. Due to the state of the Orioles' overall roster, it's likely that Nevin will be back with the MLB roster at some point this summer.

Ramirez and the Guardians agreed to terms Wednesday on a five-year, $124 million contract extension, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. The deal includes a full no-trade clause.

Ramirez will still be paid $12 million in 2022 and will automatically have his existing $14 million team option for 2023 picked up as part of the extension, which won't go into effect until the 2024 season. Though Ramirez may not be able to justify a nearly $25 million salary in his age-36 season during the final year of the deal, he's already more than overdelivered on the four-year, $26 million extension he signed with Cleveland in March 2017. In the five seasons since that deal, Ramirez has produced a collective 139 wRC+ while playing 150-plus games in three of those four years, not counting the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. Though he's now locked in long term with a Cleveland club that could be teetering toward a rebuild, Ramirez still had a compelling case for a top-five selection during fantasy drafts earlier this spring after he finished the 2021 season with a .266 average, 36 home runs, 27 steals, 111 runs and 103 RBI.

Suarez went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in a Cactus League loss to the Reds on Tuesday.

Suarez went deep for the second time this spring in the second inning off Reds starter Hunter Greene. While the long ball is encouraging, there's very little doubt about Suarez's pop; however, the slugger's ability to get on base consistently otherwise is in question after he hit a career-low .198 last season with the Reds, and he didn't exactly assuage those concerns during the exhibition slate with a .143 average and 11 strikeouts across 33 plate appearances.

Maton was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday.

Maton hit .256/.323/.385 in 52 games as a rookie last year and should be a serviceable utility infielder if the Phillies need to call on him at some point this season. He doesn't have a spot to fill right now, however, with the Phillies electing to have both Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm on their Opening Day roster.

Hayes (ankle) is expected to be in the Pirates' Opening Day lineup Thursday against the Cardinals, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Hayes suffered a minor sprained ankle in late March and hasn't appeared in a game since March 25. He's since been spotted taking batting practice and participating in defensive drills, and team trainer Todd Tomczyk told Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com on Monday that Hayes was able to do some running on the field. Hayes will likely go through another workout Wednesday before the Pirates formally decide if he'll be part of the Opening Day lineup, but even if he ends up sitting Thursday, a stint on the injured list doesn't look to be in the cards.

Moncada won't play in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Padres after tweaking his right side, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Moncada felt that he could play but didn't need to risk anything in an exhibition game. If the injury turns out to be worse than expected, Leury Garcia or Danny Mendick could spend time at third base.

Sosa has lost the battle for the Cardinals' starting shortstop job to Paul DeJong, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Sosa moved ahead of DeJong on the depth chart last season, hitting .271/.346/.389 while his teammate struggled to a .197/.284/.390 line. DeJong was given the chance to win his old job back this spring, however, and he was able to do so. Expect Sosa's at-bats to be limited early in the year as a result, though he could certainly reclaim the role if DeJong stumbles out of the gate.

Toro, who's hit .387 (12-for-31) across 13 Cactus League games, is a player president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto believes can provide strong offensive production all season, Brent Stecker of 710 ESPN Seattle reports. "We're seeing offense that looks - it's legit," Dipoto said. "He swings at the right pitches, he uses the whole field, he's doing it as both a left- and right-hander...he's going to be a guy who has high on-base skill, sprays the ball around the field."

The trade-deadline acquisition from last season had his moments after coming over from the Astros, but he seems to now be fully acclimated to Seattle this spring. Toro's switch-hitting capability and defensive versatility make him a particularly valuable utility asset, and he's even played some left field during Cactus League games in an effort to open up even more avenues to playing time.

Paredes was traded to the Rays on Monday in exchange for Austin Meadows and a 2022 draft pick, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Paredes has shown that he can play all over the infield, adding future versatility for Tampa Bay. The infielder was optioned to Triple-A just a few days earlier, so unless the Rays decided to bump him up to the Opening Day roster over the next few days, he'll begin the year at Triple-A Durham.

Madrigal (leg) went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Monday's Cactus League game against the White Sox.

Madrigal missed Cactus League games Friday and Saturday due to leg fatigue. He appeared in an intrasquad scrimmage Sunday, and it was good to see him return to regular action Monday and hit his first home run this spring. The 25-year-old has a strong .921 OPS in Cactus League play and should be ready for a good year after missing a significant chunk of the 2021 season due to proximal tendon tears in his right hamstring. The Cubs will likely limit his playing time in the early going, however, as he makes his way back following surgery.