MLB Player News

Braves infielder Pedro Ciriaco is expected to earn the final bench spot on Atlanta's Opening Day roster, according to MLB.com. He has slashed .368/.373/.491 with two doubles, one triple, one home run and 14 RBI over 57 at-bats this spring.

The Mets are expected to go with an eight-man bullpen and a four-man bench, snubbing Eric Campbell from an Opening Day roster spot, according to ESPN.

Campbell hit .255 (14 for 55) with six doubles, one triple, two home runs and nine RBI in 24 Grapefruit League games. The four-man bench will include Ruben Tejada, John Mayberry Jr., Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Anthony Recker.

Meanwhile, the eight-man bullpen will include Rafael Montero, Jeurys Familia, Jerry Blevins, Jenrry Mejia, Alex Torres, Carlos Torres, Sean Gilmartin, and Buddy Carlyle .

Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale announced Nick Ahmed will start at shortstop and Chris Owings will start at second base to begin the season, according to MLB.com. As a result, Aaron Hill will come off of the bench. 

Hale said this decision was based on the performance of the three infielders during the spring. 

This spring, and prior to Friday night's game against the Cubs, Ahmed has hit .328 with six doubles and five RBI. Owings has hit .244 with seven RBI. Hill has hit just .189 with three RBI. 

If Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy begins the season on the disabled list due to a hamstring injury, the team is more likely to choose Danny Muno over prospect Matt Reynolds to replace him on the roster, a team source told ESPN.

If Murphy is out, the Mets prefer to have Muno and Ruben Tejada play at second base, with Reynolds being sent to Triple-A to start at shortstop.

One of the reasons the Mets are considering sending Reynolds to the minors is because the team doesn't want to avoid a dilemma in case Reynolds thrives in Murphy's absence and manager Terry Collins wants to keep him around as a bench option. They do not want to start his MLB service time for a backup role.

Diamondbacks manger Chip Hale may favor shortstop Nick Ahmed as the starter when the season begins, but contrary to a report, he is not ready to give him that title just yet, reports MLB.com.

"To name him the starter is hard to do, because we still have camp left," Hale said. "I'm not ready to do that. He's been very impressive. [Gammons] was assuming because of the way we were glowing about [Ahmed]."

The organization still likes what they have seen from Chris Owings, who could still be in the mix.

"We knew Owings, if he was healthy, was going to play somewhere," general manager Dave Stewart said. "We knew he was going to be a starter for us."

Diamondbacks shortstop Chris Owings saw his first action of the spring Thursday, making four plate appearances, getting some chances on defense and even sliding into home plate.

"It was good to get out there and play the game and not hesitate," Owings said after playing in a "B" game Thursday, per MLB.com. "Take full swings and get some ground balls. Slide at home. Those are all things that I've got to do for the first time, get it out of the way and then do it all over again tomorrow."

Owings is working his way back from offseason surgery on his left shoulder. He's made adjustments at the plate since suffering the injury, keeping both hands on the bat during his follow-through to reduce the stress on the left shoulder.

"I think that's a big adjustment putting it into games," Owings said. "I've been doing BP, but not thinking about it, I had one swing that was a slider away that I kind of wailed at a little bit. I think once I start doing that every time it'll be good."

Diamondbacks shortstop Chris Owings didn't experience any discomfort in his shoulder during Wednesday's live batting practice session, MLB.com reports.

"The biggest thing for me is to get back into game shape," Owings said.

The shortstop is slated to take part in a "B" game Thursday as he continues his rehab from offseason shoulder surgery.

Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada, who is being prepared for a backup infield role, drew the start at third base for Wednesday's spring game against the Marlins, per ESPN.

Tejada has never started or appeared in a game at third base in his first five years in the majors. He has appeared in 350 games at shortstop and 105 games at second base.

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford has been cleared to start and will make his debut in the field Wednesday, reports CSN Bay Area. Crawford is dealing with a sore shoulder, but was able to complete a workout on Friday. He played in Friday's game as a designated hitter.

Diamondbacks shortstop Chris Owings could make his Cactus League debut as soon as next weekend, the Arizona Republic reports.

Owings is progressing from offseason shoulder surgery and was able to take batting practice Friday. He hit .261/.300/.406 with six home runs, 26 RBI and eight stolen bases in 310 at-bats last season.