MLB Player News

Turner hit a grand slam to help Team USA to an 9-7 win Saturday over Team Venezuela in the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic.

With Team USA trailing 7-5, Turner crushed a Silvino Bracho offering over the left-field fence to give USA the lead and ultimately the victory. The star shortstop has his second home run of the tournament, and he's slashing .286/.375/.714 in the WBC thus far. Turner and Team USA will face Cuba on Sunday in the semifinals.

Berti went 2-for-3 with a home run Saturday in a Grapefruit League win for the Marlins over the Nationals.

He also added an RBI single an inning later. It's the first homer of the spring for Berti, and it came off Taylor Williams to start the game. The 33-year-old infielder has gotten off to a solid start this spring with a .269/.424/.385 slash. Berti has been a major steals threat over the past few seasons, including a league-leading 41 thefts in 102 games last year, and he should at least be productive in that category again in 2023.

Crawford (shoulder) will play in a minor-league game Saturday to receive at-bats, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.

Crawford has been out of the lineup since March 13 because of a "soggy" right shoulder. The infielder will get at-bats on the back fields of Arizona, and he has a good chance to be back at shortstop for Seattle for Monday's Cactus League contest. It looks likely that Crawford will be ready for the regular season.

Mauricio was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse by the Mets on Saturday.

Mauricio showed impressive power in his time in camp with the Mets with four home runs and a .636 slugging percentage over 35 plate appearances. He also hit .242 with a .286 on-base percentage, which shows there's still work to be done for the 21-year-old infielder. He'll begin the year in Syracuse and could be an option for the Mets if there's a need up the middle in the infield.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker told reporters Saturday that Shewmake has a chance to win the starting shortstop job out of spring training, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The starting shortstop gig was assumed to be Vaughn Grissom's coming into the spring camp, but Shewmake's strong defense and a solid start at the plate has made this a competition. "We're going to take one of the two (Shewmake or Grissom) more than likely," Snitker said. "We'll see who we leave with in a couple of weeks." This will be a position battle to monitor over the remainder of spring training, and a decision may not be made until the final days of camp.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker hinted Saturday that Grissom is not a lock to make the Opening Day roster, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

"We're going to take one of the two (Braden Shewmake or Grissom) more than likely," Snitker said. "We'll see who we leave with in a couple of weeks." Grissom was the presumed starter coming into spring camp, and while he's hit .321 with a .738 OPS in 32 plate appearances, he's had defensive issues, and Shewmake has impressed during Grapefruit League play. There's a good chance Grissom wins the job or is called up early even if he does not, but obviously this has the potential to put a major damper on his fantasy stock heading into the 2023 campaign.

Swanson is just 2-for-25 so far in Cactus League action with 11 strikeouts.

It's been a rough spring for Swanson, who joined the Cubs in the offseason on a seven-year, $177 million deal. Swanson batted .277 for Atlanta last year with 25 home runs, so he should be fine in the long run, though these struggles could carry over into the early part of the regular season as the shortstop gets acclimated to his new surroundings.

Wendle went 1-for-3 with a double in Friday's split-squad game against the Cardinals.

Batting sixth and getting the start at shortstop, Wendle collected only his fourth hit of the spring in 26 at-bats, but three of them have come in his last three games. The 32-year-old has never really held a starting assignment over a full MLB season -- he's topped 500 plate appearances only twice in his career, with his career high being 545 -- and the Marlins' late signing of Jose Iglesias would give them an option at shortstop if Wendle proves he's better suited for a utility role. That said, Wendle hit 11 home runs in 2021 and stole 12 bases in 2022, so he has the skills to be a fantasy asset as a late-round pick if he can keep his starting job.

Shewmake went 2-for-3 with a stolen base in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox.

Getting the start at shortstop and hitting seventh, Shewmake swiped his first bag of the spring on his second attempt. The 25-year-old has put himself in the mix to be Atlanta's Opening Day shortstop with some strong glovework this spring, and he hasn't hurt his case with his bat by going 9-for-27 (.333) with two doubles and a triple, as well as a respectable 2:5 BB:K. Vaughn Grissom has also hit well this spring and offers more upside at the plate, albeit perhaps with shakier defense, so this job battle could come down to the wire in camp.

McCoy has a chance to make the Opening Day roster for the Mariners, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

He has impressed during spring training with his defense, and the fact that the Mariners will open the season without Dylan Moore (oblique) certainly helps McCoy's chances of making the roster. The 27-year-old is capable of playing all over the infield, and would likely be the backup to J.P. Crawford at short, Eugenio Suarez at third and Kolten Wong at second.