MLB Player News

Moustakas will get looks at second base this spring, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The news is something of a surprise, as Moustakas has been almost exclusively a third baseman thus far in his major-league career, and a move to a tougher defensive position at this stage would be rather unusual. The Brewers also have Travis Shaw as a very capable option at the hot corner, but the team solved that problem last season by playing Shaw at second. There's no obvious reason why they'd switch that plan around this season, but if Moustakas manages to pick up enough games at second base to qualify there in some fantasy formats it would be at least a small boost to his value.

Astudillo will be given a chance to win a spot on the 25-man roster as a utility player, chief baseball officer Derek Falvey told TheAthletic.com. "He's clearly put himself in a position to be a major-league player and bounce around, potentially play multiple positions. Him playing other positions is valuable," said Falvey.

With Jason Castro returning from a knee injury that caused him to miss most of last season, Astudillo's chances of sticking as a third catcher alone appear slim. If the Twins view him as a true utility player and he can play multiple positions, he'll have a much better chance of staying on the roster. The Twins may also need a third catcher for the short term if Castro is eased back into action in April.

Reds manager David Bell suggested that Senzel is "the favorite" to win the starting center field job, John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Bell also suggested that Jesse Winker is expected to get 500 at-bats, meaning that both Scott Schebler and Matt Kemp would thus lose playing time. Earlier, Reds President of Baseball Operations Dick Williams told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com that they would "... put the best team out there ..." for Opening Day when asked about Senzel's likely Opening Day status. Neither quote affirmatively says that Senzel will be with the team on Opening Day, but at least with their comments, the Reds are addressing Senzel differently than the Jays are with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Moustakas agreed to a one-year, $10 million contract with the Brewers on Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The deal will become official following a physical exam. Moustakas elected free agency after turning down his 2019 option with Milwaukee, but he'll return with the Brewers and should be their premier option at third base, especially against right-handed pitching. This means Travis Shaw will once again see time at second base as he did in the second half of the 2018 campaign. The keystone will become a bit more crowded with Moustakas back in the picture, as Cory Spangenberg, Hernan Perez and Tyler Saladino could all compete for backup work at second behind Shaw.

Moncada reported to camp Saturday and took grounders at second and third base, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Moncada may be asked to play some third base this season, and that will become a greater possibility if free agent Manny Machado eschews Chicago's offer. The 23-year-old infielder played third base while in Boston's organization, and the White Sox have a glaring need at the hot corner, so having him split time between the two positions makes roster sense. The position versatility will help fantasy owners, but Moncada will get his plate appearances regardless of where Machado decides to sign. The bigger issue for Moncada in 2019 is if he can cut down on his MLB-high 217 strikeouts. That limited his ability to get on base, steal bases and use his speed to create offense.

Chapman (shoulder) completed a 20-swing batting practice session Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Chapman returned to facing live pitching Thursday with a 10-swing session and continued his progression Friday with no issues. A return for the March 20 season opener in Tokyo against the Mariners remains a distinct possibility for the 25-year-old.

Newman is current;y positioned to either start at shortstop or serve as a backup middle infielder heading into the 2019 campaign.

The 2015 first-round draft pick will compete with newcomer Erik Gonzalez for the starting shortstop spot. "He's a different guy this spring than we saw last September," general manager Neal Huntington said. Newman lost 15 pounds during the course of last summer and was likely physically sapped by the time he made his major-league debut in August. Since then, he's worked with the team's nutrition director to help him maintain his weight. Newman slashed .302/.350/.407 at Triple-A and stole a career-high 28 bases in 39 attempts. While he disappointed during his short time in Pittsburgh -- he hit .209 in 91 at-bats with zero steals -- the 25-year-old holds a .288 career batting average in the minor leagues.

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.