MLB Player News

Acuna seems likely to win a spot on the Opening Day roster and could handle the short side of a platoon at second base alongside Brett Baty, Tim Britton of the Athletic reports.

The Mets may have been reluctant to bring Acuna north if he was just going to be stuck on the bench, but the potential for consistent playing time might make the decision to keep him on the 26-man roster easier. That playing time is available due to an oblique injury to Jeff McNeil, and if either or both of the youngsters play well in his absence, there's no guarantee he wins back the starting gig given how his production has declined since he won the NL batting crown in 2022. The 23-year-old Acuna would help his case with a strong finish to his spring -- through 14 appearances he's batting .226 (7-for-31) with a 0:6 BB:K, although he has gone 3-for-3 on steal attempts.

Ibanez is slated to open the season as the Tigers' short-side platoon partner with Zach McKinstry at third base, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Jace Jung was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Monday, setting up an uninspiring McKinstry/Ibanez platoon at the hot corner, at least until Matt Vierling (shoulder) is ready. Ibanez slashed .292/.357/.445 against left-handed pitching last season.

Torres (quadricep) will serve as Detroit's designated hitter and No. 3 batter in Monday's Grapefruit League game against Pittsburgh, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Torres is back in the lineup one day after being scratched from the starting nine ahead of the Tigers' game against the Orioles due to a right quad bruise. Though Torres will be eased back into action in a non-defensive role, he'll presumably be ready to resume playing second base within the next few days.

Jung was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Monday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

It had seemed like Jung had a good chance of making the team after Matt Vierling (shoulder) was ruled out for Opening Day, but the Tigers will make do with the likes of Zach McKinstry and Andy Ibanez at third base while Vierling is sidelined. Jung hit .121 with one home run and a 10:4 K:BB in 37 plate appearances in Grapefruit League play.

The Cardinals optioned Helman to Triple-A Memphis on Sunday, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Helman went just 2-for-18 at the dish during Grapefruit League play, which likely eliminated any chance he had at breaking camp with the big club. The 28-year-old infielder reached the big leagues for the first time in 2024 as a member of the Twins, appearing in nine games for Minnesota last September.

Keaschall was reassigned to Minnesota's minor-league camp Sunday, Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports.

Keaschall was limited to only batting during most of spring training due to his recovery from Tommy John surgery last August. He made a strong impression against major-league spring competition by hitting a home run with a .813 OPS. He'll likely begin the season at Double-A but could be in the majors this summer.

Torres was scratched from the lineup ahead of Sunday's spring game against the Orioles due to a right quadriceps contusion.

It's likely a precautionary move from the Tigers, but Torres will probably undergo further testing. The second baseman agreed to a one-year, $15 million contract with Detroit in December after playing for the Yankees for the past seven seasons. He finished the 2024 regular season with a .257/.330/.378 slash line, 15 home runes and 63 RBI across 665 plate appearances.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Sunday that Mauricio (knee) will not appear in any spring games, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Mauricio missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing ACL surgery in December of 2023 before having a cleanup procedure in August. Mendoza said back in February that Mauricio was targeting a mid-March return, but it appears the 23-year-old infielder may start the 2025 season on the injured list or in extended spring training before reporting to Triple-A Syracuse.

Manager Pat Murphy told reporters Saturday that his decision to take Turang (shoulder) out of the lineup against the Athletics was done as a precaution, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Medical staff had cleared Turang to play Saturday, but Murphy wanted to give the 25-year-old some additional time to recover from right shoulder fatigue. It remains to be seen whether Turang will play in Sunday's spring game against Cleveland, but he doesn't appear to be in serious jeopardy of missing Opening Day.

Estrada was pulled from Saturday's Cactus League game against the White Sox after getting hit in the head, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The second baseman was hit in the head by Michael Taylor's foot while tagging him out at second base in the fourth frame. Estrada was able to finish the half-inning but was replaced by a pinch hitter in the fifth. Manager Bud Black said the incident shook Estrada up quite a bit, but his removal was precautionary, and he likely won't need to miss much time.