MLB Player News

Donaldson went 3-for-3 with a home run and a double during a simulated game Wednesday, 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

Donaldson's stellar showing at the dish indicates that he's ready to make his Grapefruit League debut, which is set to come Friday versus the Phillies. The veteran's delayed entry into spring games has been designed merely with maintenance in mind, as the 33-year-old reported to camp at full health after an injury-plagued 2018 campaign.

Astudillo will compete with Ehire Adrianza and Ronald Torreyes for the backup third base role to Marwin Gonzalez while Miguel Sano is sidelined for a month due to a foot injury, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Sano's injury means Astudillo is much more likely to make the final 25-man roster as a third catcher and utility player. His ability to show he can handle playing third base this spring will likely be paramount to him making the squad.

Vargas went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's spring game against the Royals.

Vargas batted leadoff and served as designated hitter Tuesday and came up with a two-RBI double during the second inning. The 27-year-old is putting together a fantastic spring training, going 10-for-22 with five runs scored and seven RBI through nine games.

McMahon has hit well so far this spring, with nine hits and one homer in his first 18 at-bats.

McMahon is battling Garrett Hampson to be the Rockies' starting second baseman. The team will make the decision based on more than just spring stats. Hampson has gone 5-for-16 with a pair of homers himself.

Donaldson is expected to make his Grapefruit League debut Friday against the Phillies, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Donaldson was originally hoping to make his spring debut Wednesday, but rain forced the veteran third baseman to push his schedule back by a day. He's now slated to play in a simulated game Wednesday, and if everything goes well, Donaldson will make his first appearance of spring Friday (the Braves have a scheduled off day Thursday).

Donaldson is targeting Wednesday for his first game action of the spring, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

He's going to take part in simulated game activities Tuesday, and if all goes well, Donaldson is set to be in Wednesday's lineup against the Tigers. The 33-year-old played only 52 games for Toronto and Cleveland last year, producing a disappointing .801 OPS, so expect the Braves to keep a close eye on his workload for the rest of the spring.

Duffy relayed that his injured hamstring "feels pretty good" and said he hopes to test it by running Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After a team off-day Monday, Duffy had planned to resume running Tuesday, but the Rays decided he could benefit from another day of less strenuous workouts. Assuming his hamstring doesn't act up again once he's cleared to run, Duffy is confident he'll be able to return to Grapefruit League action shortly thereafter and erase any concern about his availability for Opening Day, especially considering an MRI he took Saturday came back clear. The 28-year-old is slated to serve as the Rays' everyday third baseman this season after hitting .294 with four home runs and 12 stolen bases across 560 plate appearances in 2018.

Escobar went 0-for-3 and is hitting .214 (3-for-14, four strikeouts) in five spring games.

Escobar, who has made four starts at third base and another at second base, is expected to be the everyday third baseman this season -- possibly to the detriment of position versatility beyond 2019. In all five spring games, Escobar's hit third in the order where there's potential to build on his career-high 84 RBI set in 2018.

Longoria went 1-for-2 with a solo home run Monday against the Dodgers.

Longoria got the Giants on the scoreboard in the second inning on a solo homer over the fence in left. He's been firing on all cylinders at the dish to open up spring training and is now 6-for-11 with two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored.

Bregman started at third base and went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Monday's game against the Mets.

Bregman made his second spring start, though not consecutively, and recorded his first official at-bats. In his first game, he walked twice and was hit by a pitch on his left elbow. There was some bruising but nothing significant. After belting his first spring homer, the 24-year-old Bregman told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com that he still needs to work on his swing after undergoing right elbow surgery in January. He tested the elbow in the field, backhanding a ball wide of third and making the long throw to first for the out. The next milestone for Bregman is playing consecutive games in the field.