MLB Player News

Padres manager Mike Shildt said Tuesday that Merrill will travel with the team to South Korea for the team's season-opening Seoul Series against the Dodgers on March 20 and 21, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

After Merrill slugged his second home run of Cactus League play Tuesday, Shildt announced that the 20-year-old will be part of the major-league squad to begin the season, at least for the two-game set in South Korea. The skipper stopped short of naming Merrill the Padres' starting center fielder, but he strongly hinted at the youngster having some runway to show what he can do. "He's earned his way on the plane [to Korea]," Shildt said. "He's earned what's coming after the plane." Merrill has yet to play above the Double-A level and will still need to be officially added to the 40-man roster.

Merrill went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks.

For the second day in a row, Merrill went yard, this time against Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen. The 20-year-old Merrill is now up to a .995 OPS this spring. While he has yet to play above the Double-A level, Merrill is very much in the running to make the Opening Day roster as the Padres' starting center fielder. Widely considered a top prospect in the organization, Merrill combined for 15 homers and 15 steals in 114 games between High-A and Double-A last season.

The Pirates optioned Cheng to Double-A Altoona on Tuesday.

Cheng earned a spot on the Pirates' 40-man roster earlier this offseason but was always destined to return to the minors to begin 2024. The 22-year-old is probably another year or so away from reaching the big leagues.

Rojas (lower leg) is starting at third base and batting eighth for the Dodgers in his return to action Tuesday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Rojas had to be scratched from Sunday's lineup with some lower leg soreness but is back out there a couple days later. The veteran infielder is prepping for a utility infielder role in 2024.

Anderson went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

Getting the start at shortstop and batting fifth, Anderson drove the first pitch he saw in the second inning from Tylor Megill the other way for his first long ball of the spring. The former White Sox shortstop saw his tenure in Chicago end with a whimper last season due in part to knee trouble, but the Marlins are hoping Anderson can re-discover the form that saw him win an American League batting title in 2019, when he slashed .335/.357/.508. Through seven Grapefruit League contests with Miami, the 30-year-old has gone 4-for-19 with a 0:6 BB:K.

The Marlins optioned Amaya to Triple-A Jacksonville on Monday.

Amaya received a cup of coffee in the big leagues last June when the Marlins were short on healthy bodies in the infield, but he otherwise spent the bulk of the 2023 campaign at Jacksonville, where he slashed .252/.344/.406 with 15 home runs and six stolen bases across 567 plate appearances. The 25-year-old likely doesn't require much further developmental time in the minors, but it may take an injury to either of the Marlins' projected everyday starters in the middle infield -- Tim Anderson and Luis Arraez -- before Amaya gets an extended look in the majors.

The Padres reassigned McCoy to minor-league camp Monday.

McCoy reached the big leagues for the first time in 2023 as a member of the Blue Jays, appearing in six games but logging just one plate appearances. He was moved off the Blue Jays' 40-man roster in September and caught on with the Padres on a minor-league deal in November, but the Friars likely don't envision the 28-year-old serving as anything more than organizational infield depth this season. McCoy is expected to report to Triple-A El Paso to begin the season.

Reds manager David Bell indicated Sunday that De La Cruz will most likely bat second to begin the season, Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Bell noted that De La Cruz's position in the lineup is the spot he's thought about the most, and the young shortstop has hit second for much of spring training. De La Cruz mostly hit in the top half of the Reds' batting order while he was up last season, although he slid down toward the bottom some in September as his struggles mounted. The switch hitter sported just a .495 OPS with a 40.2 percent strikeout rate against left-handers last season, so it wouldn't be a surprise if he winds up hitting lower versus southpaws. Bell said that Sunday's lineup against the Guardians "could be pretty close" to the one he uses in the regular season, although worth noting is that regulars TJ Friedl and Spencer Steer both had the day off.

McLain started at second base and went 0-for-2 in Sunday's spring game against Cleveland.

McLain took the field for the first time in a Cactus League game after dealing with an oblique injury. He batted third and played four innings in the field at what will be his primary position in 2024, as he's set to be Cincinnati's starter at second base. There's plenty of time for McLain to get at-bats and swings, and he should be ready to go Opening Day.

Rojas was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks due to lower leg soreness, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Even though Rojas was scratched, Ardaya notes that the veteran infielder was still taking groundballs in pregame warmups, so the leg injury likely isn't a major concern. Rojas made 109 starts for Los Angeles during the 2023 season, but he'll likely be in line for more of a reduced role in 2024 with Mookie Betts and Gavin Lux slated to serve as the Dodgers' primary starters in the middle infield.