MLB Player News

Mateo (stomach) will start at shortstop and bat fifth in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Though Orioles manager Brandon Hyde revealed Monday that Mateo was dealing with soreness in his stomach that resulted in him being sent in for additional testing, the 26-year-old apparently checked out fine and is good to go for Baltimore's penultimate game of spring training. Hyde hasn't tipped his hand regarding which players will open the season as Baltimore's regulars on the left side of the infield, but Mateo's big spring may put him in pole position for the top job at shortstop ahead of Ramon Urias. Heading into Monday, Mateo has slashed .350/.409/.800 with one stolen base across eight Grapefruit League games.

Reyes was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Monday.

Reyes was unable to earn a spot on Milwaukee's Opening Day roster, so he'll begin the season at the Triple-A level. He played in 53 games for the Brewers in 2021 and hit. 256/.333/.359 with one home run, three RBI and four stolen bases in 87 plate appearances.

Strange-Gordon went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

The veteran infielder hasn't seen regular action in the majors since 2019 and spent all of last season bouncing between three different Triple-A affiliates, but Strange-Gordon is making a strong case for a bench spot with the Nationals by batting .448 (13-for-29) this spring. Aiding his push for a spot on the 40-man roster is the fact that both Alcides Escobar (neck) and Ehire Adrianza (quadriceps) are banged up right now and may not be ready for Opening Day, while the organization has already decided prospect Luis Garcia needs more seasoning at Triple-A. The Nats have a track record of rehabilitating the careers of players seemingly in the twilight of their careers, with Escobar, Josh Harrison and Howie Kendrick all providing recent examples, and Strange-Gordon did steal 22 bases for the Mariners during that 2019 campaign. If he does break camp with the club and Escobar is unavailable, the 33-year-old would likely be competing with Lucius Fox for playing time at shortstop out of the gate.

Pena slugged his first two spring homers in Sunday's game against the Nationals, raising his line to .389/.421/.778 through 19 plate appearances.

He was already locked into the starting shortstop role, but this is going to give him some extra helium heading into the season. After hitting .287/.346/.598 with 10 homers and five steals in just 30 Triple-A games last year, Pena looks primed for success at the big-league level. He could even lead off for the Astros, which would obviously be a boon for him fantasy-wise. Despite his potential, the hype arguably hasn't caught up, so you can still snag him off the wire or late in fantasy drafts in a lot of leagues.

Bichette went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

He swiped third base off Luis Gil in the third inning, forcing a wild throw from the right-hander that allowed Bichette to trot home. The 24-year-old shortstop hasn't seen great results at the plate this spring, going 5-for-27 (.185) with only one extra-base hit, but he's stolen two bags in two attempts and his 4:8 BB:K is solid. After recording 29 homers and 25 steals in 2021, Bichette has a 30/30 campaign firmly in his sights this season.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Monday that Mateo is battling stomach soreness, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Hyde noted that the Orioles don't believe Mateo is dealing with any sort of oblique injury, but the 26-year-old will be sent in for further testing before his availability for Opening Day is determined. Mateo looks set to feature frequently at shortstop this season, though his .236/.281/.364 slash line through his first 237 career MLB plate appearances means he's no lock to keep the job.

Castillo will break camp on the Pirates' major-league roster, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

The Pirates won't be breaking camp with their most exciting middle infield prospect, Oneil Cruz, but Castillo is a fairly interesting prospect in his own right. He makes a ton of contact, striking out in just 10.7 percent of his plate appearances across his six minor-league seasons. He managed 19 homers and nine steals in 104 games split across the two highest levels of the minors last season while slashing .278/.355/.487 before erupting for five homers in 28 Grapefruit League at-bats this spring. His exact role this season is undetermined, but the Pirates don't have an inspiring group of alternatives in the middle infield, so there should be plenty of at-bats available.

Bogaerts (general soreness) will start at shortstop and bat third in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

He'll return to the lineup for the first time in four days after the Red Sox rested him while he dealt with general body soreness. The missed action shouldn't hinder Bogaerts too much from a readiness standpoint ahead of Opening Day; he's already logged 16 at-bats in Grapefruit League play heading into Monday's contest.

Perdomo's grip on the starting shortstop position improved after Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reported that Josh Rojas (oblique) will need weeks to recover.

Perdomo appeared to be solidifying a spot as the replacement for the injured Nick Ahmed (shoulder) at shortstop with the versatile Rojas seemingly the biggest threat. Rojas had been penciled in a third base but was also getting starts at shortstop since Ahmed's injury was revealed. Now, with the entire left side of the infield expected to miss the start of the season, it appears Perdomo will open on the Diamondbacks' roster.

Smith, who's been competing with Sheldon Neuse for the third base job, could still make the Opening Day roster alongside his teammate, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

It's virtually inconceivable that Neuse doesn't break camp with the Athletics after yet another stellar day at the plate Sunday that included a grand slam and pushed his Cactus League average to .379. However, Smith hasn't exactly underwhelmed himself, hitting .333 (12-for-36) with three doubles, three home runs and 10 RBI across 15 exhibitions. Additionally, both he and Neuse can play multiple positions in the infield, which Gallegos notes certainly ups the chances of both making the Opening Day roster.