MLB Player News

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado is getting closer to being 100 percent, according to the Baltimore Sun.

Machado is nearly at the point where he's "structurally" good to go, according to manager Buck Showalter. Machado is attempting to return after offseason knee surgery. He was able to hit and do some running Sunday, so he has made progress.

The 21-year-old Machado hit .283/.314/.432 in 667 at-bats last year.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado has been cleared to hit and do some running, according to MASN.

Machado plans on taking batting practice Sunday. He's recovering from offseason knee surgery. Despite the issue, Machado has been optimistic that he'll be ready by opening day. The 21-year-old hit .283/.314/.432 in 667 at-bats during his rookie season. 

Twins infielder Trevor Plouffe has added 10-12 pounds of muscle during the offseason, according to the Star Tribune.

Plouffe enters the season expecting to start at third for the club. The 27-year-old hit .254/.309/.392 in 477 at-bats last year. With prospect Miguel Sano expected to make his major-league debut at some point during the season, Plouffe could find himself fighting for a role if he can't get off to a strong start.

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez hit a career-high 36 home runs in 2013, but he also struck out a career-high 186 times and posted a .296 on-base percentage. However, Alvarez one of the team's top performers in the NLDS against St. Louis, batting .353 with a .421 on-base percentage, .941 slugging percentage, 1.362 OPS, three home runs and six RBI in five games.

The Pirates hope Alvarez becomes a better all-around offensive player in 2014.

"We continue to maximize what he showed in September and October," general manager Neal Huntington said, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "And that was the ability to close down and the ability to close some of those holes and to become a better hitter with power [rather] than a power hitter that occasionally gets hits. He's making great strides there, he's so intelligent, he cares so much, he works so hard."

Cody Asche is considered the lead candidate to win the third-base job this spring for the Phillies after playing well enough following his promotion to the majors last season.

However, Asche knows the pressure will be on to perform with top prospect Maikel Franco in camp looking to earn his way into the starting lineup.

"I don’t look at it as it’s my job to lose," Asche said, per CSNPhilly.com. "I look at it as it’s a spot I need to get. I put it on myself to make the decision easy for them."

One person who is looking forward to the competiton is Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.

"I frankly hope there is a great competition in spring training between Maikel and Cody," Amaro Jr. said. "That can create a heck of a situation for us. They’re both very, very good young players."

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado, who was cleared for limited baseball activities Friday after undergoing a follow-up exam coming off October knee surgery, said the earliest he will take the field in a spring game is mid-March, according to MLB.com.

He continues to be optimistic about being ready for opening day, but Machado said it's difficult to predict his return.

"Once I start playing I can give you a better, more or less, of an idea," said Machado, who will now begin running outside, taking ground balls and hitting. "Not a full-go yet. It's a process. Little by little, I'll be able to get back out there. It was definitely good to hear some good news from the doctor."

Machado added he has used video analysis to break down his stride and saw potential injury risks in the way he runs. Machado said fixing that will be part of the next phase in his rehab.

"It's all muscle memory," Machado said. "I've ran my entire life how I did last year, and obviously I had two [knee] injuries in the past two years, and that's definitely not right. And from what I saw, it's a fix, it's an easy fix, but it's something that's more mental than anything else. It's more of getting the right positioning and getting my gluteus and quads [involved]. Just getting my hips stronger and keeping it balanced, [keeping] my knee straight over my toes, that's something where when I was cutting yesterday, it's not much but just a little tap in that in the long run it might affect me some way or the other. So, it's better now that I have time to fix it and correct it and get better."

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado has been cleared to resume some baseball activities, ESPN.com reports. Machado was evaluated Friday and said to be exceeding expectations in his recovery from knee surgery, according to his doctor.

"He has worked exceptionally hard to get where he is," Dr. Neal ElAttrache said. "And we haven't rushed him. It's just a function of who he is as an athlete."

Machado has been cleared for limited activities. "He can hit, he can field ground balls, he can run," ElAttrache said.

Machado hit.283/.314/.432 slash line with 14 home runs, 71 RBI and six stolen bases in 667 at-bats for the Orioles last season.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado will have his knee examined Friday, according to the Baltimore Sun.

The team is scheduled to have their annual FanFest this weekend, and Machado is supposed to attend. It's unclear whether he'll discuss his status at FanFest, but he should have idea of where he's at in his recovery after his appointment. Machado hit .283/.314/.432 in 667 at-bats last year.

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado is working on slowing down his at-bats, according to MLB.com.

Arenado is trying to develop into a more complete hitter, and realizes there are things he has to do in order to reach that level. "I'm working on staying back, driving through the baseball," Arenado explained. He said he got caught out on his front foot too much last season, which prevented him from getting on base more often. Arenado hit .267/.301/.405 in 486 at-bats last year.

Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon is not worried about competing for his job, according to The Washington Post.

Rendon was promoted aggressively, but held his own in the majors last year when Danny Espinosa struggled. Rendon isn't going to stress about whether he begins the year as a starter. "I’m just going in just like every other year, work hard, do my own thing and try to win some ballgames and we’ll see how it goes," Rendon said. Rendon has a good relationship with manager Matt Williams. Williams managed Rendon in the Arizona Fall League in 2012. During his rookie season, Rendon hit .265/.329/.396 in 351 at-bats.