MLB Player News

Baez left Friday's game against Cleveland after getting hit in the wrist by a pitch, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Baez appeared to be in some pain as he walked off the field, though it's not yet clear if he's seriously injured or if the Cubs are simply being cautious given that it's still early March. If he does wind up being diagnosed with an injury significant enough to keep him out past Opening Day, Nico Hoerner would be the top candidate to start at shortstop.

Story is starting at shortstop and batting second in Friday's spring game against the Brewers, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The 28-year-old took it easy for the first few games of spring training, but he'll slot in versus Milwaukee on Friday. Story had a .289/.355/.519 slash line with 11 homers, 15 stolen bases and 28 RBI in 59 games last season. He consistently remains one of the top shortstops in the league, though his counting stats could take a bit of a hit in 2021 due to the departure of Nolan Arenado this offseason.

DeJong is 0-for-4 with a strikeout across his first two Grapefruit League games.

The slugging shortstop will be trying to prove he's still got the pop that led to a career-high 30 home runs in 2019. DeJong's average saw a boost from 2019's .233 to .250 last season, but he also slugged a career-low .349 with just nine extra-base hits (six doubles, three homers) across 174 plate appearances. The 27-year-old's strikeout rate also rose to a career-high 28.7 percent last season despite the improvement in batting average, so he'll look to achieve that power resurgence while also improving his contact rate.

Cruz will start in center field Thursday for the first time in his career, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

"It's just adding something else to his tool box, and like we've talked about, versatility is important for our roster," manager Derek Shelton said. "So we're going to put him out there and see how it goes." While there's a good chance Cruz's final destination is right field, Shelton shifted him to center for this game because the angles are more similar to his old shortstop position. The 22-year-old is 1-for-5 with a walk in the early going.

Abrams started at second base and went 0-for-2 in Monday's exhibition loss to the Cubs.

The Padres' top prospect didn't log any time at second base during his lone season in the minors in 2019, but he figures to be considered for a transition to the position given Fernando Tatis' stranglehold on the shortstop job in San Diego well into the future. Abrams is only 20 years old and is likely at least a year away from being ready to stake his claim in the majors, so San Diego has some time to figure out where he'll eventually fit in its loaded lineup.

Edman, who led off in Sunday's Grapefruit League opener against the Nationals, has the skill set to potentially handle the role on a regular basis during the season, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

The versatile Edman is a switch hitter who possesses excellent speed and had 19- and 27-stolen-base tallies during two stops in his minor-league career. Edman also regularly posted contact rates above 80.0 percent before making his big-league debut in 2019, and he's generated figures of 81.3 percent and 76.5 percent in his first two seasons in the majors. Working out of the top of the order Sunday, Edman singled and scored on a wild pitch in the first inning, and he's likely to get consistent opportunities to prove he's a fit for the leadoff role during Grapefruit League games.

Ahmed said he jammed his shoulder toward the end of summer training camp last year, which impacted him at the plate and in the field, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Ahmed said the injury was never serious enough to prevent him from playing, but a nagging pain caused him to alter his throws and may have contributed to a 2-for-31 slump to start the season. The two-time Gold Glove winner's fielding percentage dropped from .979 to .963 as did his DRS (from 17 to 4). Ahmed has improved at the plate since his early years and had a career-high 19 home runs and .753 OPS in 2019.

Baez, who could become a free agent after the 2021 season, said he is open to a contract extension during spring training, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Coming off of a subpar 2020 performance, Baez and the Cubs avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $11.65 million contract in January. However, the 28-year-old said "I don't want to play for another team," and noted he is open to extension talks during spring training. The Cubs have decisions to make on a number of core players, including Baez, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras, and it's possible they go for a rebuild and let some of those pieces move on. Either way, Baez will be looking to restore his value with a bounceback 2021 campaign.

Edman is still projected to serve as the Cardinals' primary second baseman this season but is prepared to put in time at other positions again if necessary, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Edman has been a true jack of all trades for the Cardinals over his first two seasons, logging 37 appearances at second base, 86 at third base, 13 at shortstop and 34 in the outfield, the majority in right field. With long-time second baseman Kolten Wong signing with the Brewers during the offseason, Edman appears to be a natural fit at the keystone, but Matt Carpenter's presence could factor into that equation. Manager Mike Shildt would like to keep Carpenter's bat in the lineup if the veteran distinguishes himself during spring training, and with the acquisition of Nolan Arenado, the latter's old third base spot is spoken for. Edman may therefore split some time at second with Carpenter, but he could shift to other positions when Shildt wants to keep both hitters in the lineup. Although the majority of his spring training reps have come at second thus far, he's also already put in some work tracking flyballs in the outfield.

Berti is not considered part of the competition for the Marlins' starting second base job, Andre C. Fernandez of The Miami Herald reports.

Prospects Jazz Chisholm and Isan Diaz are fighting for that spot, with the loser of the battle expected to begin the season at Triple-A Jacksonville, while Berti slots in as the backup in either case. With both younger players unproven, however, it wouldn't be a surprise if neither can hold onto the job, giving Berti a path to plenty of playing time at the keystone in addition to his utility duties elsewhere on the diamond. The 31-year-old has taken advantage of his opportunities in Miami the last two seasons, posting a .269/.362/.388 slash line with 26 steals in 31 attempts over 436 plate appearances while seeing action around the diamond everywhere except first base and catcher.