MLB Player News

Martinez was reassigned to minor-league camp Monday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Martinez had a very productive spring with the Blue Jays, posting a .308/.400/.923 slash while hitting two homers and driving in four runs. Additionally, his 1.323 OPS ranked towards the top of his team. Jon Morosi of MLB Network notes that the club plans to use him at shortstop and third base while in the minors this season, but it's also a possibility that he could see time at second base due to there being a clearer path to the big leagues at the keystone.

Allen was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday.

Allen made a strong case for an Opening Day roster spot this spring by going 6-for-12 with a home run, two triples, three runs, three walks and three strikeouts across seven Cactus League games. While he'll head to Las Vegas to begin the regular season, the 23-year-old is a strong candidate to make his major-league debut for the rebuilding Athletics if he performs well in the minors early in the year.

Tena was optioned to minor-league camp Sunday.

Tena was added to the Guardians' 40-man roster in November but never had a realistic chance to make the Opening Day roster. He spent the 2021 campaign at High-A Lake County, where he hit .281/.331/.467 with 16 home runs, 25 doubles, 58 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 107 games.

Rocchio was optioned to minor-league camp Sunday.

Rocchio was added to Cleveland's 40-man roster in November and will now head to the minor-league side of spring training after opening with the big club. The 21-year-old shortstop, who is the Guardians' top prospect, received a promotion to Double-A Arkansas last season and hit .293/.360/.505 with six home runs, 34 runs, 30 RBI and seven stolen bases in 44 games.

Duran was optioned to Double-A Frisco on Sunday.

Duran had his contract selected by the Rangers in November and was with the big-league club to open spring training, but he never had a realistic chance to make the Opening Day roster given he spent the 2021 campaign at the High-A level. He was acquired from the Yankees last season and hit .267/.342/.486 with 19 home runs, 79 RBI and 19 stolen bases in 105 games.

Story (personal) is expected to rejoin the Red Sox on Monday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Story has been away for the birth of his child, which in turn pushed back his debut with the team. Though Boston doesn't have a spring training game scheduled Monday, Story is expected to participate in an intrasquad contest, and he will likely debut in Grapefruit League action by the close of the week. Notably, manager Alex Cora said Story could receive extra days off early in the regular season as he gets fully ramped up.

Correa is hitting third and starting at shortstop in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Correa reported to spring training shortly after signing a three-year, $105.3 million contract with the Twins on March 18. However, Sunday's appearance will mark his first game action with his new club. The lineup closely resembles what could be Minnesota's Opening Day lineup, meaning Correa could regularly hit third to start the campaign.

Allen, who went 1-for-4 in a Cactus League loss to the Guardians on Saturday, is now hitting .500 (6-for-12) with two triples, a solo home run, three walks and three runs across his first seven exhibitions.

The fact the star defensive prospect is wowing with the bat certainly ups his chances of snagging an Opening Day roster spot, and the rebuilding Athletics appear to be looking to afford him every opportunity by also testing out his elite glove at second base already this spring. Allen's current success with the bat isn't necessarily surprising, either, considering he's coming off a stellar .319/.374/.471 line at Double-A Midland last season. He generated a .243/.302/.301 tally at Triple-A Las Vegas across 39 games.

Fletcher leads the battle to be the Angels' primary shortstop this season, though he'll play some second base as well, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Fletcher primarily played second base last season but has 73 career starts at shortstop, grading out as a bit better than average at the position according to both UZR and DRS. If he's the team's main shortstop this season, that leaves a battle for second base between a number of players including Luis Rengifo, Tyler Wade, Jack Mayfield and Matt Duffy.

Baez is batting third in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies, and Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said this may resemble his Opening Day lineup, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

After he signed a six-year, $140 million deal with Detroit in November, there was no doubt that Baez would bat high in the lineup, but it wasn't clear exactly where he'd slot in regularly. If Hinch's Saturday lineup is any indication, his new shortstop will be the No. 3 hitter most days, with Robbie Grossman batting second and Jeimer Candelario hitting cleanup. This could change, of course, but Baez should get plenty of chances to produce no matter who's around him in the order.