MLB Player News

McLain was invited to the Reds' big-league camp Friday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

McLain was selected 17th overall in last year's draft and went on to hit .273/.387/.424 in 29 games for High-A Dayton. While he still has two more levels of the minors to conquer before he pushes for his debut, he'll get the chance to work with the big-league coaching staff for a few weeks this spring.

Yankees vice president of player development Kevin Reese said in January that he expects Volpe to open the season at Double-A Somerset, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Reese added that he thinks Volpe will "hopefully make an impact in the big leagues soon," perhaps hinting that a late-season promotion to the Yankees in 2022 shouldn't be dismissed if the shortstop continues to mash in the minors like he did between stops at Low-A Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley in 2021. After an underwhelming professional debut at the rookie-ball level in 2019, Volpe looked like an entirely different player in his return to game action following the cancellation of the 2020 minor-league season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 513 plate appearances between the two Single-A affiliates, Volpe posted an 1.027 OPS, 27 home runs and 33 stolen bases while striking out at a manageable 19.7 percent clip. The 20-year-old will face a stiffer test against more advanced Double-A pitching, but the big leap he made in 2021 makes him the Yankees' top prospect entering the upcoming season, both in real-life and fantasy terms.

Luciano is ready to build upon 2021 after feeling fatigued down the stretch last season. He has been preparing for about one month and states "I feel great," according to Maria Guardado of MLB.com.

Luciano felt fatigued during 2021 since that was his first full season in the minors. He worked on his conditioning by adding cardio and shoulder exercises to his routine. Luciano noted that fatigue likely contributed to the struggles, particularly at High-A, where he hit one home run with a .217 batting average, .577 OPS, and a 37.2 K% in 145 plate appearances. Before that, Luciano boasted a .288 batting average, .951 OPS, and 21.6% K% at Low-A. Luciano is working on improving his contact rate in 2022 via an open batting stance.

Marte left Saturday's intrasquad game after fouling a ball off his left shin, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com

By all reports the move was a precautionary one as there's no reason for Marte to push himself through an injury this close to the start of the season. The infielder is thought of as one of the top prospects in the game after an impressive 2021 campaign at Low-A and High-A.

De La Cruz is getting reps both at shortstop and third base, but the Reds view him primarily as a shortstop. His reps at third base have been a product more of their depth at shortstop in the organization rather than a concern about his 6'5" frame, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

De La Cruz had a breakout season in 2021, rocketing up the top prospect lists and organizational charts. He spent 2018 and 2019 in the Dominican Summer League and wasn't part of the Reds' alternate training site in 2020, nor was he invited to their minor-league spring training last year. However, he blew through the Arizona Complex League team last year, then collected 24 extra-base hits in 50 games at Low-A Daytona last season. He still strikes out way too much (65 Ks in 210 plate appearances), but he was also one of the youngest players in the league and hit for power in a low-power league. His progression this season will be a big story in the Reds' organization.

The Mariners announced Monday that Vincej will serve as a coach on Triple-A Tacoma's staff in 2022.

Vincej's transition into coaching signals the end of his playing career. The 30-year-old infielder inked a minor-league deal with the Mariners last summer, but he never appeared in any games in 2021 before electing free agency earlier in the offseason. After entering the professional ranks in 2012 as a 37th-round draft pick of the Reds, Vincej went on to spent parts of two seasons (2017 and 2018) in the majors with Cincinnati and Seattle, logging three hits over 16 career plate appearances.

Strange-Gordon signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals on Saturday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Strange-Gordon bounced between several National League teams in 2021 on minor-league deals, though he never appeared in the majors. He logged 82 plate appearances in 2020, hitting .200/.268/.213 while also stealing three bases as a member of the Mariners. Strange-Gordon could figure into the Nationals' plans in 2022, though they signed Cesar Hernandez earlier in the offseason and have promising prospect Luis Garcia as an option shortstop.

Cordoba signed a minor-league contract with the Reds on Wednesday that includes an invitation to big-league camp.

Cordoba hit .299/.392/.446 in 296 plate appearances at the Double-A level for the Padres in 2021, and he'll join the Reds for spring training to try and earn a spot on the Opening Day roster.

Hamilton, Jackie Bradley and Alex Binelas were traded from the Brewers to the Red Sox on Wednesday in exchange for Hunter Renfroe.

Hamilton was an eighth-round pick during the 2019 draft and had his first taste of professional baseball last season. He had a .773 OPS in 68 games at High-A before being promoted to Double-A, where he posted a .727 OPS in 33 contests. The 24-year-old was listed among Milwaukee's top prospects and is unlikely to make his way to the majors in 2022.

Camargo signed a one-year, $1.4 million deal with the Phillies on Wednesday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Camargo was non-tendered by Atlanta on Tuesday, and he'll remain in the NL East for the next stage of his career. He should fill an infield utility role for Philadelphia after playing in only 15 big-league games last season. Camargo spent most of 2021 at Triple-A, where he hit .326/.401/.557 with 19 homers, 24 doubles, 67 RBI and 70 runs in 436 plate appearances.