MLB Player News

The Blue Jays reassigned Groshans to their minor-league camp Thursday.

Groshans was one of 25 players the Blue Jays sent to minor-league camp in their latest round of roster cuts. The 21-year-old third baseman is one of the top position prospects in the organization, but the Blue Jays likely aren't counting on him making any contributions in the majors in 2021 with Cavan Biggio and Vladimir Guerrero slated to handle most of the work at the hot corner. Groshans will likely head to Double-A New Hampshire or High-A Vancouver when the minor-league season begins.

The Pirates optioned Castro to minor-league camp Tuesday.

The switch-hitting infielder has gone 3-for-19 in Grapefruit League action, but he hit home runs on consecutive days in his most recent pair of games. Known for his elite exit velocity, the 21-year-old will likely begin 2021 at Double-A Altoona. Castro hit 19 homers in 2019 while splitting time between Low-A and High-A ball.

Bregman started at third base and went 0-for-3 in Tuesday's spring game against the Mets.

Bregman made his spring debut Tuesday after dealing with a sore hamstring. He faced pure heat from Jacob deGrom and flied out three times, including one deep shot that would have been for extra bases had Brandon Nimmo not hauled it in. It's a positive sign that he was able play the field immediately and not be eased in as a DH. He will be held out of Wednesday's game as a precaution, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. With a team day offThursday, Bregman is not expected to play again until Friday.

Muncy has played only at first base during spring training, Pedro Moura of The Athletic reports.

Muncy has bounced around the diamond over the past three seasons, logging a total of 184 games at first base, 95 games at second and 89 games at third. However, the Dodgers seem to have settled on a more consistent infield rotation this season, potentially allowing Muncy to concentrate solely on his primary position. While the slugger hasn't hit well this spring, he is tied for the team lead with five walks and should be given a long leash even if his Cactus League struggles carry over into the start of the campaign.

Urshela started at shortstop in Tuesday's Grapefruit League contest versus Detroit and went 2-for-2 with a walk and an RBI.

Urshela is locked in as the Yankees' starting third baseman this season, but he stated after Tuesday's game that he feels comfortable at shortstop and is willing to play there if needed, per Max Goodman of Sports Illustrated. The 29-year-old last played the position in 2018, when he logged eight games there while a member of the Blue Jays.

Burger was optioned to Double-A Birmingham on Tuesday.

Manager Tony La Russa mentioned the 24-year-old as a potential candidate for designated hitter early in camp, but he always faced long odds of cracking the Opening Day roster. Burger received some reps in an independent league last season and hasn't seen game action in affiliated ball since 2017 due to Achilles issues. He had a .271/.335/.409 slash line with four home runs, nine doubles and 27 RBI in 47 games at Low-A before the injury in 2017.

Arenado is now hitting .308 (7-for-23) across his first 10 Grapefruit League games after going 2-for-3 with an RBI single in a win over the Nationals on Monday.

Arenado is still in search of his first home run as a Cardinal, but his 3-for-6 tally over the last two games seems to hint at him rounding into regular-season form. Arenado previously said he ideally needs about 50 spring at-bats to feel prepared, and with 26 Grapefruit League plate appearances thus far, he's about halfway to that mark. Most important, Ben Fredrickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the veteran slugger appears to be completely past the AC joint issues that plagued him in 2020. "Feels great," Arenado said. "Letting it rip. This whole spring it hasn't bothered me."

Nevin was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

The 23-year-old first baseman hit .263 with zero extra-base hits, six strikeouts and one walk in 19 at-bats this spring. He could make his MLB debut this summer if he performs well at Triple-A.

The Phillies optioned Maton to their minor-league camp Tuesday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Didi Gregorius is locked in as the Phillies' top shortstop, and Jean Segura and Scott Kingery are both capable of playing the position in a pinch, so Maton didn't have a real shot at winning a spot on the Opening Day roster. Maton will likely spend the entire 2021 season in the minors, playing on an everyday basis in the middle infield at either Double-A Reading or Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Kieboom has gone 4-for-22 (.182) with only one extra-base hit, a triple, through his first nine Grapefruit League appearances.

The 23-year-old also has an uninspiring 2:6 BB:K. Kieboom is still penciled in as the Nats' starting third baseman to begin the season and left no stone unturned this offseason as he looked for ways to improve at the plate, undergoing LASIK surgery and working to smooth out his swing, but so far those efforts haven't paid off. If he struggles again in 2021, bench options like Josh Harrison could cut into Kieboom's playing time significantly.