MLB Player News

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.

Paredes looked good at second base in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Paredes made a few diving catches and received strong reviews from teammates for his play at the keystone. The 22-year-old exclusively played third base during his debut 2020 campaign, but the ability to play several infield positions could help him earn more at-bats this season. Jonathan Schoop, who arrived at camp Sunday after being delayed due to visa issues, figures to be the regular second baseman for the Tigers once he clears intake testing and gets up to speed.

Bregman (hamstring) said he feels "90 percent" healthy, but it's unclear when he's expected to make his spring debut, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The 26-year-old suffered the hamstring injury while working out in January, but he's been a full participant in pregame work and is also taking live batting practice. Bregman indicates he'll be ready in time for Opening Day, and it's no surprise to see the Astros exercising caution with their star third baseman early in camp.

Ramirez is away from the team after violating COVID-19 protocols, and he'll need to pass through the testing procedures before returning to the club, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Ramirez and teammate Franmil Reyes both violated the league's protocols and were subsequently sent home. It's unclear when either player will be cleared to rejoin the team.

Chapman, who played his first game of spring in the field Friday, reported no physical setbacks after making a diving stab of a groundball in the second inning, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com reports.

The two-time Platinum Glove winner looked like he hadn't missed a beat when he dove to his right to snag the Angels' Kurt Suzuki's grounder, hopped quickly to his feet and cut down the veteran catcher at first with a strong one-hop throw. The sequence held a bit more weight than a run-of-the-mill early spring training play, considering Chapman's offseason hip surgery and how critical his defense is to the Athletics' fortunes. "He really takes pride in it," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "A lot of guys concentrate more on the bat. But defense is his calling card, even though he's a terrific offensive player, too."

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.

Bregman (hamstring) is not in the lineup for Saturday's spring game against the Mets, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.

Bregman's hamstring injury has prevented him from seeing any action this spring, and his status will not change Saturday. The Astros will have a day off after their next game Sunday, so it seems likely Bregman's spring debut will not come until at least sometime next week.