MLB Player News

Astudillo will report to spring training Saturday.

Astudillo was held up due to visa issues, but he's set to travel to Ft. Myers on Friday before reporting to camp over the weekend. The 27-year-old backstop will look to carve out a larger role for himself after impressing in his major-league debut last season (.355/.371/.516 with three homers in 97 plate appearances).

Bregman (elbow) hit, threw and fielded groundballs Thursday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The star infielder continues to progress well following arthroscopic elbow surgery in January. Bregman has yet to throw to first base after fielding the groundballs, but he did comment that he is throwing harder and farther than he expected to be doing at this point. As long as he doesn't encounter any setbacks, he figures to be fully ready by Opening Day.

Chapman (shoulder/thumb) will progress to taking batting practice Thursday, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Chapman is moving quickly in his swinging progression, as he managed to take 50 hacks in the batting cage as recently as Tuesday. For Thursday's workout, the third baseman is scheduled to take 10 swings against live pitching after going through tee and flip work in the batting cages. No official word has come forth, but this progress gives even more optimism that he'll be ready by the Athletics' season opener in Tokyo on Mar. 20.

When asked about whether Senzel would start the year with the big club or in the minors (for arbitration purposes), Reds President of Baseball Operations Dick Williams said "I anticipate putting the best team out there that we can [for Opening Day]," Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

The quote probably means less than you might think -- of course no general manager is going to admit to keeping a player down to preserve his arbitration clock, even if that's precisely what they're doing. Given that Senzel is learning a new position and didn't spend much time playing this offseason, the Reds already have a perfect reason to send him down to begin the year. But if he bangs down the door in spring training, then maybe they'll still keep him up.

Burger (Achilles) remains on target to return to an affiliate June 1, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

The date remains a loose target, but it's at least a positive that his timetable hasn't gotten pushed back after he re-tore his tendon in May. The 2017 11th overall pick posted strong numbers in his first professional season but missed the entirety of last year due to the injury.

Astudillo has not arrived at spring training yet due to visa issues, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

With the political turmoil going on in Venezuela, many players are having trouble getting their visas in a timely manner. Astudillo is no different, though the Twins are hopeful that he'll be back with the team this weekend.

Kieboom was invited to the Nationals' major-league camp Tuesday.

Kieboom has yet to play above Double-A, so he isn't a real candidate to break camp with the big club, but that won't stop the Nationals from getting a look at the youngster against big-league competition. The 21-year-old split time between High-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg in 2018, hitting a combined .280/.357/.444 with 16 homers and nine stolen bases in 123 games. If Kieboom can translate his success to the highest level of the minors, he could earn a promotion to the majors at some point in 2019.

Manager Bob Melvin said that Chapman (shoulder/thumb) took approximately 50 swings in the batting cage Tuesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Chapman will be limited to begin spring training while he eases himself back from offseason thumb and shoulder surgeries, but the fact that he's already swinging the bat offers early optimism that he'll be ready to go for the Athletics' season opener March 20 versus the Mariners in Tokyo. Assuming he endures no noteworthy setbacks in the next month, Chapman profiles as a comfortable fantasy investment in the corner infield. The third baseman made significant strides at the plate in his second season in the majors, cutting his strikeout rate down by 4.5 percentage points from his rookie campaign while racking up 72 extra-base knocks across 616 plate appearances.

Chapman (shoulder/thumb) is slightly behind schedule for the start of spring training but is still hopeful that he'll be ready by Opening Day in Tokyo on March 20, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Chapman underwent a pair of surgeries this offseason -- thumb surgery in October and shoulder surgery in December -- and was initially expected to be fully ready for the start of spring training. While those plans haven't come to fruition, it doesn't seem like the team is overly concerned about its third baseman. Chapman is swinging a bat and hopes not to miss too many spring games. More information on his status will likely come forth as he progresses more in his rehab program.

President of baseball operations Michael Hill said Saturday that the Marlins plan to deploy Anderson as their primary third baseman this season, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Anderson opened 2018 as the team's everyday third baseman but moved to right field for a large portion of the season to create room in the lineup when Martin Prado returned from the disabled list. Prado still remains on the Miami roster, but it appears the Marlins may be envisioning the oft-injured veteran as more of a part-time utility player at this stage of his career. Since Anderson maintains eligibility at both third base and the outfield in most leagues after starting 70-plus games at both spots last season, a permanent deployment at the hot corner won't have much impact on his fantasy outlook. Instead, it's more likely to be beneficial to corner-outfield options such as Austin Dean, Curtis Granderson, Peter O'Brien and Garrett Cooper, whose path to at-bats may have been more blocked if Anderson was a fixture there.