MLB Player News

Bregman will return to training camp after the World Baseball Classic ends and is expected to play in a Grapefruit League game Friday, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Bregman has barely played in the WBC and really needs to get some at-bats in game action before the regular season hits. That's why he'll hit the ground running in Houston while Carlos Correa, Nori Aoki and Carlos Beltran will resume spring training Saturday.

Escobar started at shortstop and went 2-for-3 in Wednesday's loss to Houston. He's hitting .306 (11-for-36) this spring.

Despite his strong showing at the plate this spring, he looks set to begin the season in a utility role as there's been little talk that he'll overtake Jorge Polanco for the starting shortstop role. However, Escobar could move into the starting lineup at shortstop if Polanco falters or at third base if Miguel Sano struggles with his glove and becomes the DH.

Suarez has gone 10-for-35 with two doubles, two home runs, seven RBI, two walks and nine strikeouts through 14 spring games.

The numbers for Suarez in Cactus League play are strong, but he hasn't been quite as dialed in of late, going just 2-for-12 with five strikeouts in his last five games. Suarez endured some rough stretches last season, most notably in May and September, but his final numbers were good enough to put him near the top 20 at third base in terms of 5x5 fantasy production. He will once again enter the season as the Reds' primary third baseman.

Rivera was optioned to minor-league camp Wednesday, MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports.

Rivera opened 2016 with the Brewers as a utility infielder, but that job has since been claimed by Hernan Perez, so the team decided to send Rivera to the minors in order to get regular at-bats. Rivera figures to be the primary shortstop for Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Reynolds was optioned to the Mets' minor-league camp Tuesday, Marc Carig of Newsday reports.

Reynolds was looking to win a utility role with the Mets coming out of spring training, but it appears T.J. Rivera and WIlmer Flores are the leading frontrunners to claim the open bench gigs. The 26-year-old Reynolds is expected to report to Triple-A Las Vegas, where he slashed .264/.336/.357 in 299 plate appearances a season ago.

Rivera is 9-for-33 (.273) with a home run, four RBI, and two stolen bases through 19 games this spring.

Rivera's at-bats this spring have been limited with the Brewers trying to get Orlando Arcia as many plate appearances as possible, but the team is not counting on Rivera's bat. He still has a shot to break camp with the big club for the second year in a row in a utility role.

Donaldson (calf) will play third base for the first time this spring in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against Detroit, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet reports.

The sight of the back-to-back Silver Slugger Award winner on the field will allow owners to finally exhale. Donaldson has been under a cloud of uncertainty since being diagnosed with a strained right calf in mid-February, but the slugger's recovery went without a hiccup. Regardless, it'd be irresponsible to deem Donaldson fully in the clear until he logs some innings without any interruptions.

Moncada was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday.

Chicago's top prospect hit .317 with a 1.074 OPS and three home runs in 41 at-bats this spring in big league camp. The rebuilding White Sox will let Moncada get his first taste of Triple-A pitching at the outset of the season, and considering they can gain an extra year of control by holding him down until May 13, it seems unlikely that we will see him back with the big league club until mid-May at the earliest.

Duffy (heel) is expected to visit the doctor who performed his surgery Wednesday to see if he needs to try a different rehab program, the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin reports.

He has not made much progress with strengthening his surgically repaired heel, and remains without a target date for returning to game action. Manager Kevin Cash said some of Duffy's issues may not be related to the surgery, which could be a good thing, and the Rays are hopeful that a timetable clears up in the next couple of days. Tim Beckham figures to open the season as the starting shortstop until Duffy returns to full health.

Anderson went 2-for-3 with a triple, a run scored and three RBI in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Braves.

He's now slashing .389/.421/.694 through 36 at-bats this spring, and eight of Anderson's 14 hits have gone for extra bases. Despite his impressive performance at the plate and Martin Prado's hamstring injury, however, the Marlins have given no indication that Anderson has a chance to play a role at third base for them to begin the season. The 23-year-old will likely return to Double-A Jacksonville in 2017 with instructions to hone his defense as well as continue the development he showed at the plate last year.