Garcia went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

The second baseman slapped an Adrian Houser offering the other way in the first inning and watched it carry over the fence in the left-field corner. Garcia has picked up the pace at the plate after a slow start to his spring, and over the last eight games he's batting .370 (10-for-27) with three doubles and two homers. Still only 23 years old, the Nationals are hoping he can take a step forward as a hitter in 2024 despite an unimpressive .265/.295/.395 slash line through his first four MLB seasons.

McNeil (bicep) is expected to make his Grapefruit League debut either in one of the Mets' split-squad games Sunday or in Tuesday's game versus the Cardinals, Anthony Rieber of Newsday reports.

Per Tim Britton of The Athletic, McNeil is slated to play defense only Thursday in a minor-league contest on the backfields of camp, then he'll advance to facing high-velocity pitching in a batting-practice session Friday. McNeil will take off Saturday, but if his left bicep is feeling fine after his workouts Thursday and Friday, he could get the green light to play Sunday versus the Nationals or Marlins. Despite his delayed start to spring training, McNeil is still expected to be ready to handle an everyday role at second base by the time Opening Day arrives.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Thursday that Edman will open the season on the 10-day injured list after being shut down again due to lingering pain in his surgically repaired right wrist, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Edman will still be able to do some defensive drills and throwing, but he'll be shut down from swinging a bat for a least one week while the Cardinals wait for him to knock out all of the discomfort in the wrist. Though Marmol confirmed the 28-year-old will be headed to the IL, a clear timeline for Edman to make his season debut hasn't been made available. Dylan Carlson still seems to be the favorite to open the season as the primary center fielder for St. Louis, but prospect Victor Scott is breathing down his neck.

Bote went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Guardians, giving him four long balls this spring.

Bote has exploded for four home runs in 16 games this spring, which is as many as he hit back in 2022 across 41 games for the Cubs. The veteran utility player spent all of last season in the minors, and despite the strong spring, he'll likely serve as organizational depth again in 2024 with Chicago adding more infield depth in recent years.

The Reds reassigned Mathias on Wednesday.

Mathias had been vying for a utility gig on the Reds' Opening Day roster but didn't make a hard charge for a spot, as he went 0-for-5 in Cactus League play before being sent to minor-league camp in the latest round of cuts. If Mathias sticks around in the organization through the start of the minor-league season, he'll report to Triple-A Louisville.

Lux (illness) will start at second base and bat eighth in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Mariners, Kirsten Watson of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

Lux was away from camp Tuesday while he battled an illness, but he presumably made a full recovery from the ailment overnight. He'll return to the lineup at the keystone, the position he's expected to occupy this season after defensive concerns prompted the Dodgers to move him off of shortstop earlier in spring training.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Bae (hip) is currently limited to playing catch and taking part in advanced workouts in the weight room, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Bae -- who is working his way back from a left hip flexor injury -- will be re-evaluated later this week to see if he can up his activities. At this stage of spring training, Bae's availability for Opening Day is very much in question, but more on his status should be known by the end of the week.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy confirmed Tuesday that Turang will be the club's starting second baseman Opening Day against the Mets, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The 24-year-old worked as Milwaukee's primary second baseman last season and produced plus-12 defensive runs saved, but he underwhelmed offensively with a .218/.285/.300 slash line, six home runs, 34 RBI and 46 runs in 448 plate appearances. Turang did steal 26 bases in 30 attempts, so he could have some limited fantasy utility in deeper leagues.

Lux is away from the Dodgers' camp Tuesday due to illness, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

A bug seems to be making its way around the clubhouse, as Max Muncy and assistant pitching coach Connor McGuiness have also been affected. Consider Lux day-to-day.

Albies went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.

The second baseman took Chris Paddack deep in the first inning for his first long ball of the spring. Albies has gone 4-for-22 so far in Grapefruit League action with a 2:6 BB:K, but there are no concerns with the 27-year-old as he looks to follow up a big 2023 campaign that saw him set new careers highs with 33 homers and 109 RBI.