MLB Player News

Kim went 1-for-3 with a walk, a run and a stolen base in Thursday's 6-4 win against the Giants.

Kim has reached base four times -- three via walk -- through three games this season, and he's stolen a base on half of those occasions. He recorded a career-high 38 steals in 47 attempts last year and appears to have the green light to run frequently this season. Kim has yet to get his bat going with just one hit in 10 at-bats, but the thefts have helped highlight what he can provide for fantasy managers.

Betts went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, two walks and three total runs in Thursday's 7-1 win over St. Louis.

Betts had a big two-game series against the Padres in Seoul, Korea, to kick off the regular season, and he carried his hot bat over to the Dodgers' domestic home opener. The outfielder-turned-shortstop launched a solo shot off Miles Mikolas in the third inning and reached base two additional times via walks. Through three contests, Betts is slashing a scorching .636/.733/1.273 with two homers, eight RBI, four walks and five runs.

Alexander went 2-for-5 with an RBI in Thursday's 16-1 win over Colorado on Opening Day.

Alexander started at designated hitter and batted seventh against left-hander Kyle Freeland in his MLB debut after beating out Emmanuel Rivera for the final bench spot. He also played shortstop for the final inning. Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen earlier this spring indicated a preference for the 24-year-old Alexander to get regular at-bats, but that may not happen on the major-league roster with the lefty-hitting Joc Pederson expected to be in the starting lineup against righties. Arizona faces right-hander Cal Quantrill on Friday, which could give an indication of how manager Torey Lovullo plans to use Alexander.

Cruz went 1-for-5, blasting a solo homer while striking out three times during Thursday's Opening Day victory over Miami.

Cruz struggled in his first three at-bats but distributed a 1-0 offering from Sixto Sanchez the opposite way over the left-center field wall to tie the game 5-5 in the eighth inning. The dynamic shortstop played in only nine games last year prior to breaking his ankle, but his Opening Day homer followed up on a strong spring during which he hit seven long balls.

Alexander will bat seventh and serve as Arizona's designated hitter Thursday against Colorado.

A strong spring earned Alexander a spot on the Arizona's Opening Day roster, and he'll now be making his MLB debut against left-hander Kyle Freeland with Joc Pederson on the bench. The 24-year-old Alexander slashed .291/.408/.457 with eight home runs and 52 RBI across 305 plate appearances at Triple-A Reno last season.

The Reds transferred McLain (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Thursday.

A move to the 60-day IL was expected for McLain, who figures to miss the first half of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery Tuesday. He will temporarily give up his 40-man roster spot, which will be given to Yosver Zulueta, who was claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays on Thursday.

The Giants selected Ahmed's contract from Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. He'll start at shortstop and bat ninth in the Giants' season opener versus the Padres.

Ahmed was signed as a non-roster invitee in late February but wound up winning the everyday shortstop job over Marco Luciano, who has been optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.

Cruz is starting at shortstop and batting sixth in Thursday's opener in Miami.

Cruz was a fixture atop the Pirates' batting order this spring when he walloped seven Grapefruit League home runs. However, with left-hander Jesus Luzardo on the bump for the Marlins, he'll slide down to the six spot for Opening Day while Connor Joe bats leadoff. Cruz should be the regular leadoff man against right-handers.

Alexander made the Diamondbacks' Opening Day roster, Jesse Friedman of GoPHNX.com reports.

Alexander made a strong case for the Opening Day roster during spring training, slashing .400/.431/.655 with two homers and eight RBI across 58 plate appearances. The 24-year-old infield prospect will likely grab a seat on the bench while with Arizona, but he could make an occasional start in order to give one of the regular starters a breather.

The Giants optioned Luciano to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday.

Luciano came into spring training as the favorite to win the Giants' shortstop job, but he missed some time with an injury and the club eventually signed Nick Ahmed, who ended up claiming the job. The 22-year-old could still eventually push to take over at shortstop with the big club this season, but for now, he'll go to Sacramento.