MLB Player News

Made arrived at the Brewers complex in Arizona in mid-January, Jesus Cano of Baseball America reports.

Made, who was ranked as a top-25 prospect by several outlets before stepping foot in the United States for the first time in January, said through a translator that he felt comfortable and that it's been an amazing experience getting to know his teammates. There has never been a prospect this highly regarded after only playing in the Dominican Summer League, but it's because Made's advanced data is special, as is his athleticism and long-term physical projection. Nobody should be surprised if he's the No. 1 prospect in baseball a year from now, but it's also worth noting that he doesn't turn 18 until May, so it's hard to say how everything will translate with the big jump in competition after he presumably gets assigned to Single-A.

Reds manager Terry Francona said Tuesday that Lux will start at second base in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Guardians, then move to third base for Sunday's exhibition clash against the Brewers, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports. Earlier in the day, Francona indicated he wants Matt McLain to be the team's primary second baseman.

There was offseason chatter about McLain moving to center field, which suggested Lux would find a permanent role at second base, but Francona's plans for the start of Cactus League play indicate otherwise. The manager said earlier in camp that Lux will see time at all the infield base positions as well as outfield during spring training. He's expected to serve on the dirt for the first part of the spring schedule before the manager exposes him to the outfield.

Perdomo agreed to a four-year, $45 million contract extension with the Diamondbacks on Monday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The club is getting a great deal on Perdomo's services in 2025 after agreeing to a $2.55 million contract to avoid arbitration. That number will jump to $5 million in 2026, $8 million in 2027, $11 million in 2028 and $13 million in 2029, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The 25-year-old shortstop is coming off the best season of his young big-league career, batting .273 with three home runs, 37 RBI, nine stolen bases on 10 attempts and 61 runs scored over 98 games. Perdomo's combination of strong shortstop defense and good plate skills (11.3 percent walk rate, .349 OBP over the last two years) allows him to provide more real-life value than fantasy value.

De La Cruz has tweaked his batting stance in hopes that it will help him cut down on strikeouts, Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard reports.

De La Cruz has opened up his stance a bit and is standing taller at the plate, with the goal of "being more in control with his forward movement," per Reds hitting coach Chris Valaika. The switch-hitting De La Cruz led the majors with 218 strikeouts in 2024, though he sported a respectable .259 average thanks to his quality of contact, speed and .359 BABIP. He could regress a bit in the average department in 2025 if he doesn't cut down on the swings and misses, but De La Cruz can still be elite in fantasy even if his average slips because he contributes so much elsewhere.

Reds manager Terry Francona said that he hoped that McLain would play just one position -- second base -- in spring training, according to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic.

There were a lot of rumblings that McLain might move to center field this offseason, spurred both by McLain's deployment during the Arizona Fall League and by the acquisition of Gavin Lux, but for now that doesn't seem to be in the Reds' plans.

DeJong agreed to a one-year, $1 million contract with the Nationals on Sunday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Jose Tena and Trey Lipscomb were set to compete for the starting role at third base during spring training for the Nationals, but DeJong may now be the favorite for the job. The 31-year-old played in 139 regular-season games with the White Sox and Royals last season and provided his typical low-contact, high-power production with 24 homers, a .227 average and a 32.4 percent strikeout rate.

Shaw (oblique) said Saturday that he's been cleared to begin light hitting, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Shaw suffered an oblique strain Monday, but he seems to be trending in the right direction after four days of rest. It will be important for the 23-year-old prospect to get as many reps as possible during camp while he competes for a starting job at third base.

De La Cruz said Friday that he wants to cut down on strikeouts this season, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

De La Cruz is massively talented, but the 23-year-old shortstop has been prone to mistakes. He led MLB in strikeouts (218) and is working with new hitting coach Chris Valaika to improve in that area. Reds manager Terry Francona envisions De La Cruz improving in other areas, too. The dynamic infielder also led the majors in errors (29), times caught stealing (16) and non-stealing outs on the bases (15). Francona spoke about the growth of young players in general as they get more at-bats. "With young players as they accumulate at-bats, they get to that 1,200, you see them grow," the skipper said, noting how the game slows down for players. "It just makes it easier to make better decisions. That's what we want to do." De La Cruz enters the season with 1,006 career at-bats, which puts him in line to test Francona's theory in 2025.

Lawlar is unlikely to win a bench role during spring training, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Lawlar is nominally in the mix for a backup infielder role in camp, but given the time he missed in 2024 -- injuries limited him to 14 games -- having him serve in a part-time role is "probably not what's in his best interest," per Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen. The roster spot should be a battle between Garrett Hampson and Blaze Alexander, with non-roster invitees Grae Kessinger, Ildemaro Vargas and Connor Kaiser also in the mix.

Shaw is nursing an oblique injury but is considered day-to-day, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Oblique issues can be worrisome, but this one at least appears to be minor. Still, any sort of setback for Shaw is not ideal since he is competing to be the Cubs' Opening Day third baseman. The team could hold its top prospect out of early spring training games to ensure he's 100 percent healthy before he joins the battle for the starting job at the hot corner.