MLB Player News

Hamilton started at second base and went 1-for-3 with a double in Monday's spring game against Detroit.

Hamilton, who can play both middle infield positions, made a second consecutive start at second base since Boston announced Vaughn Grissom (groin) could miss Opening Day. The frontrunner to replace Grissom is Enmanuel Valdez, whose glove is not as sound as Hamilton's but projects a better bat. Hamilton is 3-for-16 over six Grapefruit League games.

Witt has gone 4-for-15 with two home runs, a stolen base and four runs scored over five Cactus League games.

As if the 11-year contract extension he signed in February wasn't enough proof, Witt is locked in as the Royals' starting shortstop. The 23-year-old offers both power and speed and should be a fixture at or near the top of the batting order this season. He hit .276 with an .814 OPS, 30 home runs, 49 stolen bases, 96 RBI and 97 runs scored in a similar role in 2023.

Reds manager David Bell said Monday that McLain (oblique) has resumed regular workouts with the team and could make his Cactus League debut this week, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

McLain has been brought along slowly this spring after feeling some renewed soreness in the same right oblique area which ended his 2023 season. He's made nice progress of late, though, and his return to game action appears imminent. There are enough days on the calendar for McLain to ramp up ahead of Opening Day, but he certainly can't afford another setback. McLain is slated to be the Reds' primary second baseman in 2024.

Arcia went 1-for-2 with a walk and a two-run home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

Getting the start at shortstop and batting seventh, Arcia took minor leaguer Paxton Thompson deep in the sixth inning. The 29-year-old infielder revived his career last season and set career highs with 17 homers, 65 RBI and 66 runs over 139 games, and with Vaughn Grissom now in Boston and Braden Shewmake a member of the White Sox organization, there's no immediate competition for Arcia left in the Atlanta system.

Barrero, a one-time shortstop prospect, is attempting to earn a roster spot exclusively as an outfielder, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Barrero started in right field Sunday and launched a home run in three plate appearances. He's made four Cactus League appearances -- three starts in right field and one in center. "I feel comfortable out there," Barrero said. "I'm glad that this organization has been giving me the opportunity to play several different positions in my time here." The Reds introduced him to the outfield in 2023, when he made 17 appearances in center field.

Correa went 2-for-3 in Sunday's spring training tie with Tampa Bay. He's hitting .429 (3-for-7) through three spring games.

Correa played through plantar fasciitis in his left foot for most of last season but said he was pain-free as spring training began, and he's looked sharp in the field. Correa slashed just .230/.312/.399 with 18 home runs and 65 RBI in 580 plate appearances last season while battling through a nagging foot issue starting in mid-May, so he could bounce back simply by avoiding re-injury.

The Rockies reassigned Kaiser to minor-league camp Sunday.

Kaiser reached the big leagues for the first time in 2023, logging four plate appearances over three games with Colorado. The 27-year-old infielder was moved off the Rockies' 40-man roster last July and was attending camp as a non-roster invitee, but he wasn't a serious candidate to be included on Colorado's Opening Day roster. He'll likely begin the 2024 campaign at Triple-A Albuquerque.

Story went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in Saturday's spring game against the Nationals.

Story, making his fourth appearance of the Grapefruit League, has struck out six times in 12 plate appearances. He's missed a lot of time the last two seasons due to injury, and he enters 2024 with questions about what he can give fantasy managers. He'll be Boston's starting shortstop and will have a chance to answer those questions. The Red Sox lack thump from the right side of the plate and will look for Story to produce similar results as he did as a member of the Rockies between 2016 and 2021.

The Mets reassigned Williams to minor-league spring training Sunday, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The 20-year-old has received reps at shortstop and in center field during the first couple weeks of big-league camp, but he'll shift to the minor-league side after the first round of roster cuts. Williams is the Mets' top prospect and should open 2024 at Double-A Binghamton after he split most of last season between the Single-A and High-A levels, where he had an .876 OPS in 410 at-bats.

De La Cruz had a home run and two walks during Saturday's spring game against Colorado.

De La Cruz crushed his first spring home run off Cal Quantrill's 1-1 sinker that stayed up in the zone. De La Cruz later committed an error that led to four unearned runs. In five Cactus League appearances, he's 5-for-12 with two extra-base hits, three walks, three runs and two RBI.