MLB Player News

Devers has slowly accepted the direction of teammates and coaches about being a more patient hitter, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

When Devers made his MLB debut before his 21st birthday, he was a raw, free swinger that got by on natural talent. The next step was for the free-spirited Devers to avoid swinging at bad pitches. The now 22-year-old third baseman has listened and adopted the coaching, and it's important that he doesn't fall back into old habits. "There's a two-way conversation now," hitting coach Tim Hyers said. "It's not just us feeding information to him. So now, as a hitting coach, I'm seeing the progression that we're onto something. That's a really good sign when he came in the other day and said, 'I want to work on this. I expanded in and want to make sure my sights are in this spot.' So he just worked on that for a while. For a young guy to use his time wisely like that. It was really neat to see." Manager Alex Cora has challenged Devers this spring, slotting him third in the batting order. If he's to become the primary three hitter, he knows he needs to control the strike zone and avoid getting himself out. "It would be an honor to hit third, but I have to keep working and show that I deserve to be there," he said. Judging from his spring numbers, Devers appears to have fully accepted what he's being told. He's batting .478 (11-for-23) with a 1.261 OPS.

Moncada went 1-for-2 with a walk, a home run and two runs scored in Sunday's game against Oakland.

Moncada had a good day in the field, executing all three of his chances, and continued to rake in the Cactus League. The 23-year-old third baseman is 10-for-27 (.370) with five walks, four extra-base hits and four RBI. The strikeouts are still an issue -- 10 in 32 plate appearances -- but not when he's posting a 1.098 spring OPS.

Muncy went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI in Sunday's spring game against the Rockies.

Muncy's second double of spring training came in the sixth inning to center field and would plate a pair of runs. The 28-year-old has yet to hit his first homer of camp and is 5-for-23 with four RBI to this point.

Escobar went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI on Sunday against Colorado.

Escobar doubled home a run in both the first and third innings, his first two RBI of spring training. He's now 6-for-26 with two RBI and a run scored in camp.

Davis went 3-for-4 with a run scored in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox.

The 25-year-old has had an up-and-down spring so far, but his overall numbers (.324/.378/.471 through 37 plate appearances) are solid. Davis, who joined the Mets from the Astros in an offseason trade, has been seeing a lot of work at third base with Jed Lowrie (knee) and Todd Frazier (oblique) on the shelf, but the team's recent decision to get Jeff McNeil more work at the hot corner makes it unclear whether the Mets view Davis as a viable Opening Day starter, or whether he'll remain in a utility role to begin the season.

Riley is starting at first base and batting cleanup in Sunday's spring game against the Marlins, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

There was some indication previously that the Braves may test Riley in the outfield in spring training, but it instead appears as though they would prefer to give him a look at first base. The signing of Josh Donaldson this offseason pushed Riley from the organization's immediate plans at third base, and any additional versatility would only further his chances of cracking the majors in the near future.

Kieboom went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins.

He nearly had a second jack, too, flying out to the wall in center field in his first at-bat. Kieboom, the Nats' No. 3 fantasy prospect in our rankings, could be looking at a return trip to Double-A Harrisburg to begin 2019 after posting a lackluster .721 OPS in 62 games there last year, but a solid campaign in the high minors would put him in position to compete more seriously for a big-league job next spring.

The Twins assigned Lewis (oblique) to minor-league camp Sunday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Lewis' oblique injury has prevented him from seeing any spring action with the Twins this year, but he was able to take swings Saturday, and if all goes well over the rest of March, he could get into a game before March comes to a close and be ready to go when minor-league games begin in early April.

Sosa was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.

Sosa has three big-league games under his belt but was never likely to break camp with the team. He'll return to Memphis, where he hit a modest .262/.321/.408 last season, and will wait for an injury in the Cardinals' infield to open up an opportunity.

Bregman (back) will serve as the Astros' designated hitter and will bat third in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Astros had held Bregman out of action the past two days after he experienced back stiffness during his appearance in Wednesday's exhibition versus the Marlins. He'll be eased back into the starting nine in a non-defensive role but should reprise his normal duties at third base within the next few days.