MLB Player News

Urias has gone 4-for-21 (.190) through nine Grapefruit League games.

Urias began the spring without a set spot in the Orioles' lineup, but he's not alone among struggling infielders this spring. All of Gunnar Henderson, Adam Frazier and Jorge Mateo are also batting under .200 so far, so Urias' struggles don't stand out as much. The right-handed hitter should at least be able to push for a short-side platoon role at second base or third base, especially since he won a Gold Glove at the hot corner in 2022.

Riley has gone 6-for-19 with two home runs, a double and a 5:5 BB:K through nine Grapefruit League games.

The 25-year-old crushed a career-high 38 homers and 39 doubles last season with an .877 OPS, and Riley's done nothing this spring to suggest any serious regression is in order. He'll hit in the heart of a potent Atlanta batting order in 2023 and will take aim at reaching 100 RBI for the second time in his career.

Nevin (oblique) hit off a tee Thursday and will ramp up his hitting progression next week, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Nevin has been going through other baseball activities as well as he makes a swift recovery from a left oblique strain. The 25-year-old would seem to have a shot to get ready in time for Opening Day.

Ramirez is batting .364 (8-for-22) through nine Cactus League games.

Ramirez played through a thumb injury for most of last season which required offseason surgery. The one concern from his spring numbers is a lack of power -- he has one extra-base hit, a home run. He's also logged two stolen bases. Ramirez offers one of the most enticing power-and-speed combinations in fantasy, especially since he's a third baseman. He slashed .280/.355/.514 with 29 homers, 20 steals, 126 RBI and 90 runs scored over 157 games a year ago despite the injury, and it would be fair to call that a slightly down year by his standards.

Anderson is 8-for-19 (.421) with two home runs through nine games this spring in the Cactus League.

Anderson had a rough final year in Miami last season, but there's some thought that he could be rejuvenated offensively following an offseason move to Milwaukee. He's in line for everyday playing time out of the gate, whether in the corner outfield or his standard position at third base, and American Family Field is a lot friendlier to hitters than loanDepot park. There should deep-league fantasy appeal here.

Walls (oblique) will serve as the Rays' designated hitter and No. 3 batter Thursday in a split-squad Grapefruit League game against Atlanta, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Walls is making his spring debut Thursday after he reported to camp battling an oblique strain that has prompted the Rays to bring him along slowly in workouts. The Rays will ease Walls back into the lineup in a non-defensive role, and he could be limited to DH duties for at least a couple more days before he gets the green light to make a start in the infield. Manager Kevin Cash has said that he anticipates Walls being ready to go for Opening Day, but that will be contingent on Walls avoiding any setbacks with the oblique during Grapefruit League play.

Muncy is no longer using a step-back in his swing as he did for the latter part of last season, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Muncy adopted the step-back last year in part to "lock things in place" following a rough start to the campaign that was likely connected to lingering ligament damage in his elbow. Ardaya reports that Muncy visited Driveline in the offseason and took up weighted bat training that has resulted in a quicker swing, and the veteran appears to be back to full health for the coming campaign. Muncy has so far shown positive results this spring, slashing .292/.393/.500 with a home run, two doubles and three RBI over 28 plate appearances.

Yandy Diaz is expected to play primarily at first base in 2023, leaving Paredes with an opportunity to be the team's primary third baseman, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Though the Rays continue to boast impressive infield depth in both the majors and upper levels of the minors, the departure of Ji-Man Choi relieved some of the playing time jam. Paredes will seek to take advantage of the opportunity after posting 20 home runs, 48 runs scored and 45 RBI across 381 plate appearances with the Rays last season. However, he hasn't acquitted himself particularly well this spring, as he has gone only 5-for-26 with no extra-base hits combined between the World Baseball Classic and spring training contests.

Arenado is batting .364 (4-for-11) through Team USA's first three games at the World Baseball Classic.

Three of Arenado's four hits are doubles. It's status quo for the third baseman, who hit an impressive .293/.358/.533 with 30 home runs and 103 RBI across 148 contests last season. He'll play a near-everyday role at the hot corner with occasional time as the designated hitter once the Cardinals' season begins.

Burger has four home runs through 15 Cactus League games.

He has also struck out 12 times through 35 at-bats, but the power is certainly encouraging. Burger, 26, appears to be locked into an Opening Day roster spot with the White Sox and deserves to see regular playing time out of the gate versus left-handed pitching. A first-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, he boasts a career .892 OPS against southpaws in limited action as a major leaguer.