MLB Player News

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.

Madrigal (shoulder) will start at second base and bat second in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Padres.

After completing his recovery from the left shoulder surgery he required last October, Madrigal was cleared to make his spring debut March 8. The White Sox then held him out for the next week after he experienced some residual soreness in the shoulder, but Madrigal looks to be good to go after the extended rest period. Opening Day is still two weeks away, so Madrigal still has sufficient time to get ramped up for the start of the season.

The Rays optioned Walls to their minor-league camp Tuesday.

The switch-hitting infielder will likely report to the Rays' affiliate in Durham when the Triple-A East season gets underway in May. In his last minor-league season, 2019, Walls split time between High-A Charlotte and Double-A Montgomery, slashing .270/.343/.452 with 10 home runs and 28 stolen bases.

Hayes went 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBI against Baltimore on Monday.

He's hitting .417 in 24 spring at-bats with five doubles, one triple and one home run. Hayes is also showing plate discipline, compiling a 2:2 BB:K. The 24-year-old is quickly becoming the face of the franchise. Projections for the third baseman aren't easy because while he's done very well in 24 MLB games (.376 batting average in 85 at-bats), he's hit .279 overall in five minor-league campaigns.

Bregman (hamstring) will start at third base and bat third Tuesday in the Astros' Grapefruit League game against the Mets, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Bregman will check into the lineup for the first time this spring after his debut was delayed by the sore left hamstring that he experienced shortly upon reporting to camp. According to Rome, manager Dusty Baker said that he expects Bregman to pick up two or three at-bats across four or five innings before bowing out of Tuesday's contest. If Bregman's hamstring responds well to game action, Baker indicated that the third baseman could be back in the lineup Wednesday against the Cardinals, too.

Moustakas will start at third base for Tuesday's spring training game against the Rockies, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports. This is being done in conjunction with moving Eugenio Suarez over to shortstop.

This would move Moustakas back to his original and presumably better defensive position, while giving a chance to Jonathan India to play at second base, giving the Reds an alternative to Kyle Farmer or Dee Strange-Gordon at shortstop. Giving Moustakas a third position of eligibility in-season along with first base and second base would also come in handy.