MLB Player News

Marte (lower leg), the Mariners' No. 2 prospect, will see regular playing time during Cactus League games per manager Scott Servais, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Marte finished 2021, his first professional season, at High-A Everett, slashing .290/.333/.419 over eight contest after a productive 99-game tenure at Low-A Modesto. The 20-year-old shortstop is a significant part of the organization's long-term plans, so even though Seattle would reportedly like to add one more impact pitcher, it would be highly hesitant to part with Marte, who's primed to gain some valuable seasoning against big-league arms in spring training.

Witt is viewed as the Royals' Opening Day third baseman, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Witt came up through the minors primarily as a shortstop, but Adalberto Mondesi is expected to begin the season there. Instead, Witt could open his major-league career at the hot corner, which is a slightly less demanding position defensively. Mondesi logged some time at third base last season as well -- the Royals' lineup features a lot of flexibility around the infield. Witt split time between Double-A and Triple-A last season, combining for a .290/.361/.576 slash line, 33 home runs, 29 stolen bases, 97 RBI and 99 runs scored across 123 games.

Mondesi is viewed as the Royals' top shortstop heading into the 2022 season, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Mondesi struggled through another injury-plagued campaign last year. He was limited to just 35 games, where he slashed .230/.271/.452 with 15 stolen bases and six home runs. He moved around the infield at times and settled in as the third baseman by the end of 2021. With the versatile Whit Merrifield available, the Royals have plenty of different looks they can roll out -- if Mondesi is the primary shortstop throughout the season, Nicky Lopez would likely play second base and top prospect Bobby Witt could be begin his major-league career at the hot corner.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Wednesday that Pena is the current frontrunner for the team's starting shortstop job as Opening Day approaches, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Baker added that Diaz will factor into the discussion at shortstop as well, but both Pena and Diaz may just be keeping the position warm for free agent Carlos Correa, whom the Astros continue to meet with about potentially re-signing with the team. Pena has yet to make his MLB debut, but he's a top prospect in the Houston system who turned in an impressive debut season at Triple-A Sugar Land in 2021. Though he didn't debut for Sugar Land until late August after he was sidelined to begin last year while recovering from wrist surgery, Pena posted a .944 OPS while going 5-for-6 on the basepaths and striking out in 26.3 percent of his 133 plate appearances.

Smith, Gunnar Hoglund, Zach Logue and Kirby Snead were traded from the Blue Jays to the Athletics on Wednesday in exchange for Matt Chapman, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Smith got his first taste of major-league action in 2021 and hit .094 with a solo homer and two runs across 18 games. In spite of his growing pains during his first stint in the majors, he was productive at Triple-A Buffalo last year, slashing .285/.370/.561 with 21 home runs, 69 RBI, 65 runs and 18 stolen bases. Even if he begins the 2022 campaign in the minors, it wouldn't be surprising to see him return to the big leagues at some point this year.

Owings (thumb) joined the Orioles as a non-roster invitee Tuesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Owings missed most of the last two months of last season after undergoing thumb surgery. Prior to that, the veteran utility man hit .326/.420/.628 for the Rockies, though that came in a tiny sample of 50 plate appearances and was far out of line with his career .243/.288/.372 slash line. If he does wind up making the team, it will likely be in a utility role.

Barrero could see an heavier workload than previously expected for the Reds this season following the departure of Eugenio Suarez on Monday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Suarez and Jesse Winker were traded to the Mariners on Monday, which provides an opportunity for Barrero since none of the returning players are infielders. Barrero appeared in 21 big-league games last season and hit .200/.286/.320 in 56 plate appearances while seeing some time in center field, but he's focusing on shortstop at spring training this year. Kyle Farmer handled most of the work at shortstop in 2021 but could be more involved at third base with Suarez now out of the picture.

Adrianza agreed Sunday with the Nationals on a one-year, $1.5 million contract, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports. The deal also includes performance-based escalators.

With Washington, Adrianza is expected to serve as a utility man, a role he's filled for either Minnesota or Atlanta across each of the past five seasons. He was a key depth piece for Atlanta's World Series-winning club in 2021, hitting .247 with five home runs and 28 RBI across 209 plate appearances while logging innings at second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield spots.

Barrero will focus on shortstop in spring training rather than center field, Reds GM Nick Krall told Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer. "He's a shortstop. He's coming in, and we'll evaluate him where he is," Krall said. Barrero will report to camp late due to a flight/family issue, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Barrero played sparingly at shortstop after his promotion to the majors last season, only playing nine of his 23 games there as the Reds rode out most of the stretch run with Kyle Farmer at the position. That dynamic might not be in play in 2022, with the Reds having diminished expectations, at least based on their lack of offseason player activity.

Hamilton was invited to Boston's major-league spring training Saturday.

Hamilton was traded from the Brewers to the Red Sox in early December as part of the deal involving Jackie Bradley and Hunter Renfroe, and the 24-year-old will have a chance to develop with the major-league coaching staff in his new organization. He was promoted to Double-A Biloxi during the 2021 campaign and hit .242 with three homers, 16 runs, 12 RBI and 11 stolen bases across 33 games. Although the shortstop showcased his speed by stealing 52 bases between the High-A and Double-A levels last year, he'll likely begin the 2022 season at Double-A Portland and seems unlikely to make his major-league debut this year.