Votto (ankle) is likely to stay back in extended spring training at the start of the season, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Votto has made improvement with his right ankle injury but has yet to resume full baseball activities, though manager John Schneider said Monday that the veteran first baseman could do so within the next few days, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. The 40-year-old is likely to be assigned to Triple-A Buffalo once healthy, with the hope that he can eventually earn a look with the big club.

Rizzo (lat) will start at designated hitter and bat cleanup for the Yankees in Monday's game against the Mets, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Rizzo had to be scratched from the lineup Friday due to some lat tightness, but he's feeling well enough to hit Monday and should be fine to play first base in Thursday's opener in Houston. The 34-year-old has looked sharp at the dish this spring, sporting a 1.189 OPS with two home runs.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday he expects Rizzo (lat) to be available for Thursday's Opening Day matchup with the Astros, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

The veteran first baseman recently expressed confidence that he'd be available for the season opener, and Boone is now reinforcing that idea. Rizzo was scratched from Friday's spring lineup due to lat tightness, and it's not surprising the Yankees are exercising caution in the lead-up to Opening Day.

Manager Matt Quatraro informed Loftin that he made the Royals' Opening Day roster, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports Saturday.

Loftin will provide cover all around the infield. His best chance for playing time early in the season is at second base, as Michael Massey (back) is set to begin the season on the injured list. Loftin provides a right-handed bench bat for the Royals, so he shouldn't be expected to see more than a short-side platoon role initially. Loftin has hit .325 over 16 Cactus League games, displaying his solid contact-hitting skills.

Schanuel (back) is starting in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Athletics, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Schanuel has been out of action since Monday due to back tightness, but the issue appears to have subsided ahead of Saturday's contest. Schanuel is 10-for-41 this spring with a homer and four RBI, and he should be ready to start at first base on Opening Day now that his back issues are seemingly behind him.

Rizzo (lat) said Friday that he's "fully confident" he'll be ready for Opening Day, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

Rizzo was a late scratch from Friday's lineup with some lat tightness, which is something he said he deals with from time to time. However, the scratch was made out of an abundance of caution and he's expected to be fine when the games begin to count. Fantasy managers who draft this weekend shouldn't have trepidation about rostering Rizzo.

Cron opted out of his minor-league contract with the Red Sox on Friday, giving the organization two days to add him to the big-league roster or release him, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Cron played in just five big-league games after signing with Boston as a non-roster invitee March 1, and he went 2-for-11 with three walks. The veteran slugger's .729 OPS in 71 games between the Rockies and Angels last season was the first time his OPS was below .780 since 2017.

The Royals optioned Pratto to Triple-A Omaha on Friday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

If decisions were made strictly on spring performance, Pratto would have made the club, as he slashed a robust .421/.476/.816 with four home runs. First base, the corner outfield spots and designated hitter are spoken for with the Royals though, so he'll head back to Omaha where he'll play every day.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on the YES Network broadcast Friday that Rizzo "didn't seem too concerned" about his lat tightness, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

The veteran first baseman was a late scratch from Friday's lineup due to the injury. Boone added that Rizzo said it's an issue which pops up on him occasionally, so he just wanted to be cautious in asking out of the lineup. It would appear to be a day-to-day situation that shouldn't affect his Opening Day availability.

Schanuel (back) could play in Saturday's Cactus League game against the A's, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Schanuel was a late scratch Monday due to back tightness but is closing in on his return to game action. The 22-year-old should be ready for Opening Day as long as he can return to the field within the next handful of days.