MLB Player News

Witt will spend some time in the outfield over the next few weeks as he looks to expand his defensive versatility, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Despite receiving a considerable amount of hype throughout camp, Witt will be opening the season in the minors, hardly a surprise given that he's played all of 37 games at the professional level, all in rookie ball. One of the issues regarding his eventual ascension to the big leagues, which could come later this year if he looks good in the minors, is what position he'll play, as he shares his primary spot (shortstop) with one of the Royals' best young players, Adalberto Mondesi. Moving one of them to second is the most obvious solution, as Nicky Lopez hasn't looked like an everyday player, though showing the ability to play somewhere in the outfield will give Witt additional paths to playing time.

Ahmed went 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in Sunday's spring game against the White Sox.

The home run was Ahmed's first this spring and a good sign he's locking in after missing time due to a knee issue. In three Cactus League games since getting back on the field, Ahmed is 2-for-8 with three runs scored. He's confident he'll be ready for the regular season, telling Steve Gilbert of MLB.com, "I'm going to get plenty of at-bats and plenty of reps defensively. I'm going to be fine."

Witt won't make Kansas City's Opening Day roster and was reassigned to minor-league camp Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The 20-year-old put himself in roster consideration with a strong start to spring training, but he cooled off recently and will begin the season in the minors. It's not much of a surprise, as Witt has only 164 professional at-bats under his belt after playing in 37 games at rookie ball in 2019. Kansas City's top prospect may end up at Double-A and could still end up making his major-league debut in 2021.

Story went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and one walk in Saturday's spring loss to the Cubs.

Story's power has been on full display this spring, and he put the Rockies on the board Saturday with a solo blast in the fourth inning. The shortstop has appeared in 10 Cactus League games and has gone 7-for-28 with four home runs, one double, seven RBI and nine strikeouts. Story has played on consecutive days just twice this spring, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports. However, he'll occupy an everyday role in Colorado's lineup once the regular season gets underway.

The Reds optioned Garcia to Triple-A Louisville on Sunday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

This isn't a surprise -- Garcia hadn't started any of the last seven games for the Reds and had moved Eugenio Suarez over to shortstop amid much fanfare. Garcia will get more time to develop the bat and is still very much in the Reds' long-term plans.

Swanson has gone 7-for-21 (.333) with four doubles and a 3:6 BB:K over 10 Grapefruit League games.

He's still looking for his first spring homer, but otherwise Swanson has had a productive camp. The shortstop posted career highs in SLG (.464) and OPS (.809) last season, and the 27-year-old could be poised for a breakout campaign as he looks to build on that performance.

Turner has gone 5-for-25 (.200) through 11 Grapefruit League games with one double and one stolen base on two attempts.

On the bright side, Turner has drawn seven walks against seven strikeouts, but otherwise the shortstop is still trying to find his timing at the plate. There's little reason to be concerned with his performance after he slashed .335/.394/.588 in 2020 with 12 homers and 12 steals in 59 games, but Nats manager Dave Martinez has experimented all spring with Victor Robles in the leadoff spot, and a move down to the two or three hole in the batting order could wind up costing Turner some stolen base opportunities.

Owings' contract was selected by the Rockies on Saturday.

Owings served as a non-roster invitee this spring, but he'll now be added to Colorado's 40-man roster ahead of the regular season. The 29-year-old has slashed .292/.357/.940 with one home run, three RBI and three stolen bases over 24 at-bats during Cactus League play and should serve as a utility player for the Rockies to begin the year.

Chang (neck) is starting Saturday's spring game against the White Sox.

Chang was scratched from Thursday's lineup due to neck soreness, but he'll be back in action Saturday after a brief absence. Barring any setbacks, Chang has a good chance of securing a bench role on the major-league roster to begin the regular season.

DeJong, who was hitless over his first 23 Grapefruit League at-bats, credits a pep talk he received from manager Mike Shildt early this week for his strong performances since, Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Shildt reportedly reminded DeJong that "no one wins a Grapefruit League batting title" in an effort to loosen the shortstop up at the plate, and the message seems to have gotten through. DeJong subsequently homered and singled off staff ace Jack Flaherty in a simulated game Tuesday, singled and walked against the Astros on Wednesday, and recorded a two-run blast and a single off Marlins starter Pablo Lopez on Thursday. That still leaves the shortstop's spring average at .179, but it gives him a much bigger boost in confidence. "Just getting back to myself," said DeJong, who has made a small change in his stance to be more upright. "Getting my timing back. And I want to thank Mike for pulling me aside and telling me he wasn't worried about me. It's just one of those springs."