MLB Player News

Luciano (back) has progressed to taking regular rounds of batting practice in Giants camp, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Luciano appears to be nearing the end of his recovery from the back injury he sustained while playing in the Dominican Winter League. If all continues to go well, the 21-year-old shortstop prospect should be ready for the start of Double-A Richmond's regular-season schedule. He put up an .817 OPS in 65 games last year between the rookie-level Arizona Complex League and High-A Eugene.

Grissom went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.

The 22-year-old got the start at shortstop and hit second in the order, but Atlanta has few concerns about his bat. Whether Grissom emerges as the Opening Day starter at short will depend largely on the progress he makes with his defense, but so far so good with the glove in the early part of spring training. If he proves to need more work with that part of his game, Orlando Arcia would get the nod while the younger infielder begins the season at Triple-A, but the job seems to be Grissom's to lose.

Downs went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

The 24-year-old is now on his fourth organization, having been part of some very high-profile trades, including the one that sent Mookie Betts to the Dodgers. However, Downs' prospect status has taken a steep dive the last couple years after back-to-back campaigns at Triple-A in which he hit under .200 with a strikeout rate hovering around 30 percent. Claimed off waivers from the Red Sox this winter, he's in camp fighting for a utility role on a rebuilding Nationals club, and through the early part of spring training he's showcased some impressive defense and speed on the basepaths. Journeyman 31-year-old Ildemaro Vargas is currently penciled in as the top middle infield backup behind CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia, but if Downs can show enough with his bat, he might be able to claim an Opening Day bench spot.

Manager Dave Roberts said that Rojas (foot), who will start at shortstop and bat eighth in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Reds, will get the bulk of the playing time at the position in 2023 after Gavin Lux (knee) was diagnosed with a season-ending torn ACL, ESPN.com reports.

Rojas missed a day of workouts after experiencing cramping in his right foot during Sunday's exhibition against the Cubs, but he's back in action Tuesday and suddenly finds himself in position to fill a larger role than anticipated when the Dodgers acquired him this offseason and then signed him to a two-year extension. While serving as an everyday player for the Marlins in each of the past five seasons, Rojas topped out at 11 home runs and 13 stolen bases during a single year and maintained a .262 batting average during that stretch. While Rojas' fantasy profile isn't one teeming with upside, he could prove to be a sneaky compiler if he ends up sticking as a regular in what shapes up as the best lineup he's ever been a part of during his career. Even with Lux out of the picture, Rojas could still face competition for reps from utility man Chris Taylor, who has prior experience at shortstop but played just one inning at the position during the 2022 season.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Monday that DeJong (arm) will take part in light throwing across the diamond for the next couple of days before slowly ramping back up to full throwing, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

DeJong may be a week or more away from being ready to play shortstop in spring games, but his bout with what the team is describing as a case of "dead arm" won't prevent him from getting in at-bats during Grapefruit League play. He's slated to serve as the Cardinals' designated hitter and No. 5 batter in Monday's game against the Mets in what will mark his second appearance of the exhibition slate.

Rojas was removed from Sunday's spring game against the Cubs due to right foot cramps, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The 34-year-old limped to first base after his single during the third inning and was replaced by a pinch runner, though the foot issue doesn't appear to be a serious concern. Rojas -- who is set to fill a utility role this season -- should be considered day-to-day and expects to be ready to play Monday, according to Juan Toribio of MLB.com.

Swanson went 0-for-2 in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Giants.

Swanson was playing in his first spring training game with the Cubs after agreeing to a seven-year, $177 million deal in the offseason. His exhibition stats won't matter much, as the team simply wants to get him to the regular season healthy and comfortable with his new teammates. Swanson should be Chicago's everyday shortstop, with Nico Hoerner shifting over to second base.

Abrams went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and a stolen base in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

Hitting leadoff in the Nationals' spring opener, Abrams displayed the speed and contact skills that made him the sixth overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft as well as a key part of the package Washington got back from San Diego in last year's Juan Soto trade. The 22-year-old shortstop could wind up hitting at the top of the order for the Nats in 2023, but he'll need to prove he can get on base more consistently after stumbling to a .280 OBP over 302 plate appearances in his big-league debut last season.

Perdomo went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Saturday's spring game against the Rockies.

Perdomo was expected to start at shortstop while the Diamondbacks bring back Nick Ahmed slowly from last year's shoulder surgery. However, Ahmed is now experiencing inflammation in his forearm, which will shut down the shortstop for the next five days. There's no guarantee the absence is limited to that time frame, and Perdomo should pick up the majority of starts while Ahmed is unavailable. The two are expected to battle for the starting job, with Ahmed projected as the starter for now.

Ahmed (shoulder) will miss the next five days with inflammation in his left forearm, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

The Diamondbacks planned to delay Ahmed's game participation this spring in deference to the shoulder surgery he underwent last year, but it looks like a new condition has cropped up. The shortstop is now experiencing inflammation in his forearm, for which he received a cortisone shot. There's no reason to believe Ahmed will miss extended time, but the new injury gives manager Torey Lovullo an opportunity to evaluate depth at the position, including Geraldo Perdomo, who was expected to battle Ahmed for the starting job this spring.