MLB Player News

Nevin or Colton Welker will have a chance to play first base for the Rockies in the coming years, according to farm director Zach Wilson, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

Wilson notes that Ryan McMahon has found a home at second base, so as things stand, it could be Nevin or Welker, assuming the Rockies decline Daniel Murphy's mutual option for 2021. Michael Toglia is the best first base prospect in the system, but he is at least a year behind Nevin and Welker. Nevin took advantage of the hitter-friendly conditions at Asheville and Lancaster in 2017 and 2018, but his slash line dipped to .251/.345/.399 in the more neutral conditions at Double-A Hartford.

Duffy could benefit by the uncertainty in the battle for the Rangers' starting job at first base, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Duffy has mostly played third base during his career, but the first-base battle between Ronald Guzman and Greg Bird has the Rangers thinking about alternate plans. Neither player has grabbed hold of the job, which has manager Chris Woodward thinking about moving third baseman Todd Frazier to first base, opening up an opportunity for Duffy or Isiah Kiner-Falefa at the hot corner. The question is whether Duffy can provide offense worthy of a corner infielder.

The Orioles optioned Urias (lower leg) to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

Baltimore scooped up the utility infielder off waivers from the Cardinals in February, but Urias never had the opportunity to make a serious run at an Opening Day bench job before spring training was suspended last week. Though he battled shin splints about a week before the shutdown, Urias should be fully healthy by the time the minor-league season gets underway.

Escobar batted .208 (5-for-24) with one extra-base hit, two walks and six RBI over nine Cactus League games.

Escobar hit third in the order in all nine games and is expected to be a key piece in the middle of the Diamondbacks' lineup in 2020. He launched a career-best 35 home runs in 2019, his third straight year with more than 20 homers, but there's reason for skepticism about his 2019 achievements: the suspicion about the 2019 baseball, a hard-hit rate that was below league average, and his track record as a power hitter. However, factoring in a regression, Escobar is still worthy of a spot on fantasy rosters. He'll be the everyday starter at third base in 2020, but the 31-year-old infielder is also eligible at second base (32 games played). It's at second base where Escobar gives fantasy teams an edge even with a statistical correction.

Muncy hit .200 (5-for-25) with a pair of home runs and two RBI before Cactus League play was suspended.

In addition to the long balls, Muncy walked six times this spring -- the second highest mark on the Dodgers -- and scored six runs. The base on balls total highlights an often-overlooked part of Muncy's skill set; the slugger walked 90 times last season, second on the squad and seventh in the National League. He's set to be the Dodgers' primary first baseman this season after playing second base in all or part of 70 games in 2019.

Suarez (shoulder) will resume his throwing, swinging and fielding programs next week, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Suarez was set to make his Cactus League debut before spring training was halted, but he'll continue to work towards a return to the field. He was always optimistic he'd be ready for Opening Day as originally scheduled, and the delay in game action should give him a better chance of being in the lineup for a significant portion of the Reds' contests.

Hayes was sent to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday.

Hayes is a highly rated prospect who spent all of last season at the Triple-A level, though he didn't exactly thrive. His .265/.336/.415 slash line was good for just a 92 wRC+, so he may still have something to prove in the minors before making his big-league debut.

Donaldson hit .292/.320/.417 with three doubles and a 7:1 K:BB in 25 Grapefruit League plate appearances.

Donaldson has been a mentor to many of the Twins hitting prospects who were in big-league camp, talking hitting philosophies and swing mechanics with some while working with Royce Lewis and Travis Blankenhorn in the infield, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. Donaldson will be ready to hit in the middle of the Twins' lineup when play resumes.

Wisdom was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Friday, Lauren Smith of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

The 28-year-old joined the Mariners on a one-year deal in November but struggled prior to the suspension of spring training, going 3-for-22 in 13 games. Wisdom had an .882 OPS over 58 plate appearances with the Cardinals in 2018, but he struggled in nine big-league contests with the Rangers last season and went 4-for-26 with 15 strikeouts.

Astudillo's odds of making the 26-man roster have increased due to the delayed start to the season, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Had the season started on time, the Twins would have likely broken camp with LaMonte Wade and Jake Cave on the roster due to the fact Byron Buxton (shoulder) and Marwin Gonzalez (knee) were expected to enter the season at less than 100 percent. However, the shutdown period will allow both players to get fully healthy, and it's possible that a condensed season with fewer off days would incline the Twins to carry three catchers, which would favor Astudillo. He hit .269 with zero extra-base hits, zero walks and one strikeout in 26 plate appearances this spring.