MLB Player News

Anderson could make his Grapefruit League debut either Thursday or Friday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Anderson officially signed with the Marlins less than a week ago and has been working out with the club as he gets back up to speed. The shortstop has said the left knee injury that plagued him last season is behind him, and he will have plenty of time to get ready for Opening Day.

Crawford is hoping to be ready to play in Grapefruit League games by mid-to-late March, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Crawford officially inked his one-year, $2 million contract with the Cardinals on Tuesday and will ramp up on the back fields for a bit before being thrown into game action. He shouldn't need too many spring at-bats in order to get ready for Opening Day. Crawford has indicated a willingness to play some second and/or third base for St. Louis, if needed, although president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has indicated the plan is to use Crawford only as a backup at shortstop, Brenden Schaeffer of KMOV reports.

Winn has been told by the Cardinals that the shortstop job "is his to seize" even after the addition of Brandon Crawford, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

President of baseball operations John Mozeliak confirmed as much Tuesday, saying "this is Masyn's job," per Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat. Crawford was officially inked to a one-year contract Tuesday and will provide some veteran insurance at short behind Winn. However, the 21-year-old is still fully expected to break camp as the starter, barring a dreadful showing this spring. Winn slashed just .172/.230/.238 in 37 games with the Cards last season but hit .288/.359/.474 with 18 homers and 17 steals in 105 contests at Triple-A Memphis.

Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Monday that Hernandez (groin) is expected to be on the active roster for the team's two-game series against the Padres in South Korea on March 20 and 21, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Hernandez had double hernia surgery in October and is now getting a late start to camp after signing with the Dodgers on Monday. However, the team still anticipates the utility player having enough time to ramp up for its early series overseas. Hernandez should see plenty of starts against left-handed pitching for the Dodgers this season.

Crawford signed a contract with the Cardinals on Monday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

The longtime San Francisco Giant will head to St. Louis, where he will back up youngster Masyn Winn at shortstop. Crawford -- who turned 37 last month -- remains a good defender but has managed a lowly .216/.293/.332 over the last two seasons. The addition of Crawford could indicate some skepticism of Tommy Edman's (wrist) readiness for Opening Day, as he had been projected to be Winn's backup.

Hernandez (groin) confirmed via social media Monday that he agreed to a one-year contract with the Dodgers.

Multiple reports suggested that a deal between Hernandez and the Dodgers was close, and the veteran utility man verified himself that the deal is done. The Dodgers suddenly had a need for a right-handed hitting outfielder after trading away Manuel Margot earlier Monday, and Hernandez can fit that bill along with offering infield protection, as well. He had just a .599 OPS in 86 games for the Red Sox last season but finished much stronger with the Dodgers in posting a .731 OPS in 54 contests. Hernandez underwent double-hernia surgery in October but is expected to be healthy when he reports to spring training.

Reds manager David Bell said Monday that McLain (oblique) is making good progress, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

McLain has been doing plenty of core/medicine ball work and soon will attempt to swing the bat with light intensity. Now six days into the projected 5-to-7 day recovery timetable that Bell had estimated for McLain when he initially suffered the right oblique injury, it's clear that the infielder will need at least a few more days beyond the initial estimate before he's ready for game action.

Lux will bat fifth and start at shortstop in Monday's Cactus League game against the Rockies, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Lux had already made a couple of Cactus League appearances as the Dodgers' designated hitter, but he'll playing shortstop for the first time since suffering an ACL tear last spring. The 26-year-old recently ditched the brace he had been wearing on his surgically-repaired knee, trading it in for a compression sleeve. Lux is slated to be the primary shortstop for the Dodgers this season.

Anderson indicated Saturday that the MCL sprain in his left knee that he played through for most of 2023 is no longer an issue, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

"[The injury] took a toll," Anderson said prior to Saturday's Grapefruit League game. "You're talking about the front side of an MCL sprain. I had nothing to hit up against. It led to a lot of ground balls. No excuses. I kept working. I feel good today. I feel healthy, and I'm ready to go, and I'm excited." The 30-year-old signed a one-year deal with the Marlins this week to be the team's starting shortstop, and while injuries are part of the package with Anderson -- he hasn't played more than 123 games in a season since 2018 -- if he is healthy again, he could rediscover the form that saw him slash .318/.347/.473 for the White Sox between 2019 and 2022. His running should provide the first clue whether Anderson is all the way back. After recording a sprint speed of greater than 28.0 feet per second every year of his career through 2022, ranking in the 78th percentile or greater each season, his speed plummeted to 27.2 ft/s, and a 46th percentile ranking, in 2023.

Cruz (ankle) will start at shortstop and bat leadoff in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles.

Cruz didn't play Saturday in the Pirates' 5-3 loss to the Twins in the spring opener, but he'll be back in action for his first start at shortstop since April 9, when he suffered a fractured left ankle that required season-ending surgery. The 25-year-old reported to spring training at full strength and will look to get in as many game reps as possible to prepare himself for Opening Day on the heels of a lost season.