MLB Player News

Allen, considered the top defensive prospect at shortstop in all of baseball entering 2021, has played in seven of the Athletics' first eight Cactus League games, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. "This spring is important for [Allen]," manager Bob Melvin said. "He's a top prospect of ours, and we want to take a hard look at him."

The fact the 22-year-old has yet to play above the High-A level and lost a year of in-game action in 2020 will prevent Allen from opening the season any higher than Double-A Midland, but that doesn't necessarily rule out an ascension all the way to the majors at some point in 2021. So says Oakland's farm director Ed Sprague, who saw plenty of Allen at the team's alternate training site last season and was impressed with the prospect's developing plate skills. Allen will naturally need to continue demonstrating that offensive improvement at the minor-league level before a promotion is considered, but the consensus on his glove is that it's already major-league caliber.

Adames is hitting .300 (3-for-10) with a double, a walk, an RBI and two runs across his first four spring games.

Entering his fourth major-league season, Adames is looking to put it all together after showing plenty of flashes thus far in his first three campaigns. Adames slugged .481 in 2020, belted a career-high 20 home runs a season prior, and generated a career-best .348 on-base percentage as a rookie back in 2018. The 25-year-old upped the intensity of his training this past offseason in an attempt to hit on all cylinders offensively in 2021 and hold off elite prospect Wander Franco as long as possible, and he's gotten his quest off to an encouraging start, albeit over a small sample early in Grapefruit League play.

Ahmed was scratched from the lineup for Monday's game against the Giants due to right knee soreness, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

The issue doesn't appear to be a particularly serious one. Josh Rojas slid to shortstop in his absence and would likely spend time at that spot should Ahmed's injury linger into the regular season, but that seems unlikely at this point.

The Diamondbacks scratched Ahmed from their lineup for Monday's Cactus League game against the Giants due to a sore right knee, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic reports.

Manager Torey Lovullo labeled Ahmed as day-to-day, so the team doesn't appear to be too considered about the shortstop's knee injury. Due to his so-so plate skills and modest power and speed, Ahmed isn't an especially high-upside fantasy option, but his stable everyday role gives him some appeal in deeper mixed leagues and NL-only formats as a compiler.

Ahmed was scratched from the lineup for Monday's game against the Giants for undisclosed reasons.

It's not yet clear if Ahmed is dealing with an injury or if the Diamondbacks simply switched up their plans. If Ahmed does have an injury serious enough to cost him to miss time, Josh Rojas would likely be the next man up at shortstop.

Baez (forearm) is starting at shortstop and batting cleanup in Sunday's spring game against the Diamondbacks.

The 28-year-old suffered a forearm bruise after being hit by a pitch Friday, but he's back on the field Sunday after taking part in workouts Saturday. Barring a setback, the injury shouldn't affect Baez's availalbity for the start of the season.

Bogaerts (shoulder) will take batting practice Tuesday and could get into game action as a designated hitter next weekend, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Bogaerts has been battling a sore shoulder for most of camp. He's been able to hit off a tee and has begun a throwing program, but the Red Sox continue to bring him along cautiously. The team still expects him to be ready by Opening Day.

Edman, who went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in a Grapefruit League loss to the Nationals on Friday, is hitting .429 (3-for-7) with a double over three spring games while filling the leadoff role in each contest.

Edman is clearly going to get a long look at filling the top-of-the-order role that his predecessor at second base, Kolten Wong, often operated out of with success during his Cardinals tenure. The versatile Edman's hot start at the plate, albeit over a small sample, is encouraging, considering he saw an offensive downturn in 2020 in the form of a .250/.317.368 slash after producing a much more impressive .304/.350/.500 line across his 349 major-league plate appearances in 2019.

Baez (forearm) will participate in workouts and take batting practice Saturday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Baez was diagnosed with a forearm contusion after he was hit by a pitch in Friday's spring game, but manager David Ross confirmed Saturday that the shortstop is fine. He isn't in the lineup for Saturday's Cactus League matchup, but he'll participate in team activities and could return to game action relatively soon.

Marcano has gone 4-for-8 with a home run and two RBI over five Cactus League contests.

Marcano was added to the Padres' 40-man roster in November and is justifying that move thus far in the spring, tying for the team lead in hits and homers. The 21-year-old infielder has yet to play above the Low-A level and is certain to open the season in the minors despite his strong start this spring.