MLB Player News

Winn (upper body) is starting at shortstop and batting leadoff in Sunday's spring game against the Astros, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Winn has been dealing with tightness in his upper body but went through a full workout Friday and has now been cleared for game action. The 21-year-old shortstop is poised to start Opening Day for the Cardinals, assuming he avoids further injury issues.

Luciano (hamstring) has been scratched from the Giants' lineup for Saturday's game versus the Cubs, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Luciano has been dealing with what's been described as a minor hamstring problem. While the hope was that he could play Saturday following a workout Friday, the Giants have ultimately decided to exercise caution. It's not clear when Luciano might be able to suit up for Cactus League action, but it seems like a day-to-day situation at this juncture.

Winn (upper body) went through a full workout Friday, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Winn had not been able to hit the previous two days because of upper-body discomfort, but he took part in batting practice Friday without any apparent issues. The Cardinals will wait to see how the rookie responds before determining when he'll make his Grapefruit League debut, but it could come as soon as Sunday or early next week. Winn is expected to be the club's Opening Day shortstop.

Luciano has been dealing with a minor hamstring issue but is tentatively listed in the Giants' lineup for Saturday's Cactus League opener against the Cubs, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

It's not clear how long Luciano's hamstring has been bothering him, but as long as he gets through a workout Friday with no issues he will be in Saturday's lineup. The youngster is projected to serve as the Giants' primary shortstop this season.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Thursday that he's eager to see Troy (foot) against major-league pitching early in camp, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Lovullo discussed what's piquing his interest during Cactus League play and mentioned bringing prospects over from minor-league camp, including Troy and Druw Jones, to get at-bats and innings. While Troy's injury was not mentioned, that the manager was talking about him playing suggests last year's first-round pick is healthy and ready to go for spring ball. At the time of his September foot surgery, the expectation was that he'd have a full offseason to prepare for spring training. The 22-year-old shortstop batted .271 with an .843 OPS and stole nine bases over 27 combined games between the Arizona Complex League and High-A Hillsboro.

Winn didn't participate in batting practice Wednesday and Thursday due to tightness in his upper body, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatchreports.

The 21-year-old still went through all other drills and could resume swinging as early as Friday, so the injury -- vague though it is -- doesn't appear to be a serious concern. Still, the Cardinals don't have much depth at shortstop with Winn and top backup Tommy Edman (wrist) banged up early in camp.

Berti will slot back into a utility role since Tim Anderson signing with the Marlins on Thursday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Adding a shortstop this offseason always seemed to be the plan for Miami, as Berti would be a poor fit as the starter even after playing a career-high 64 games at the position in 2023. The 34-year-old has topped 400 plate appearances in each of the last two seasons while seeing time at second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield positions, although in fantasy leagues with a 20-game threshold for qualification, he'll only be eligible at third and short to begin 2024. The bigger question for his value will be whether he can rebound on the basepaths -- after swiping 41 bags on 46 attempts in 2022, Berti failed to take advantage of the new rules last season and went just 16-for-22 on steal attempts despite maintaining an elite sprint speed (95th percentile).

Gauthier is listed as an available bench player Thursday in the Dodgers' Cactus League opener versus the Padres, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Gauthier didn't appear in any minor-league games after Sept. 14 last season due to a broken pinkie finger, but he arrived at spring training with no restrictions and is attending Dodgers camp as a non-roster invitee. The 24-year-old isn't a serious candidate for the Dodgers' Opening Day roster and is likely to be assigned to Double-A Tulsa or Triple-A Oklahoma City to begin the 2024 campaign. After a mid-season promotion from High-A Great Lakes, Gauthier slashed .293/.411/.433 with six home runs and 15 stolen bases in 392 plate appearances for Tulsa last year before being shut down with the finger injury.

Anderson agreed to a one-year, $5 million contract with the Marlins on Thursday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

The fit is sensible, as the Marlins desperately needed a shortstop and Anderson was in need of a starting opportunity, which he likely hopes will allow him to show his dreadful 2023 season was an aberration. Prior to delivering a disastrous .245/.286/.296 slash line last year, Anderson had slashed .318/.347/.474 over his prior four campaigns. The 30-year-old will settle in as Miami's everyday shortstop, pushing Jon Berti back to a utility role.

Cruz is participating without restrictions in spring camp, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Cruz was able to play in only nine games before fracturing his left fibula in 2023. After suffering a few setbacks, he's been able to participate fully in all fielding and batting drills. Manager Derek Shelton has acknowledged that Cruz is battling some rust, so the team plans to get him more live reps as the spring progresses. He'll be locked in as the Pirates' starting shortstop so long as he remains healthy in 2024.