MLB Player News

Donaldson (calf) played catch and took batting practice in a cage Friday, John Lott of The Athletic reports.

Donaldson reportedly still has a hitch in his gait, but says he "feels good." The three-time All-Star has been steadily progressing since straining his calf while running the bases last week. Expect him to return to game action in early-to-mid March, barring any unforeseen setbacks.

Donaldson is progressing as expected in his recovery from a strained calf, Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith reports.

Donaldson will still need some time to get back to 100 percent, but he has not encountered any setbacks on his road to recovery, so his 2-to-3 week return timetable remains as-is. It has been nearly a week since Donaldson injured his calf, so as long as his health continues to improve, he should be ready to make his spring debut at some point in early-to-mid March.

Longoria (illness) was feeling better and returned to workouts Wednesday, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The veteran third baseman had been dealing with a high fever recently, forcing him to miss the past two days of camp. Although he didn't miss much, he missed some conditioning and him and manager Kevin Cash will have to figure out when he's physically ready to make his Grapefruit League debut.

Valencia, who's primarily expected to platoon at first base with rookie Dan Vogelbach this season, got in work at third base Tuesday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The veteran has played third base more than any other position in his career, but that role is fully in Kyle Seager's possession in Seattle. While manager Scott Servais wants to give Valencia some work at his previous position as a contigency plan-- and perhaps in anticipation of some spot starts when Seager rests during the coming season -- the main priority remains getting him acclimated at first. "He'll probably be mostly at first throughout the spring," Servais said. "He will play a day or two at third and get some time in the outfield, but we want to get him comfortable there at first."

Duffy reported that his surgically repaired left heel felt good after his first batting practice session of the spring, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Duffy had tracked pitches in Monday's workout, and as expected, was a full participant in Tuesday's batting practice session. The Rays' shortstop's workload will continue to be carefully managed, but progressively ramped up as the spring unfolds.

Longoria (illness) missed a second straight day of workouts Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Although he made an appearance in the clubhouse, Longoria was subsequently sent home due to the high fever he still was saddled with. He remains firmly day-to-day, and his availability for Friday's Grapefuit League opener would get murkier with each additional day he's sidelined.

Moustakas (knee) has been participating in spring training workouts.

Heading into spring training, Moustakas said that he felt as though he was nearing full health after tearing his ACL early in the 2016 campaign. He'd indicated that the club was going to gradually ease him back over the course of their early workouts, but all signs point to the 28-year-old third baseman being ready for action once Opening Day rolls around.

Duffy (heel), who is being brought along slowly after September surgery, tracked pitches Monday and may participate in his first batting practice session Tuesday, Marc Topkin of Tampa Bay Times reports.

Manager Kevin Cash has already declared that he may hold Duffy out of early spring training games, and the recovering shortstop is also being brought along slowly in workouts. Batting practice would represent another notable step in Duffy's progress towards being fully prepared for the rigors of manning shortstop on an everyday basis in the coming season.

Longoria (illness) missed Monday's workout, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Longoria, who'd attended a season-ticket holder event in Tampa on Sunday, communicated to manager Kevin Cash that he had been ill throughout the night with a fever. All details point to the third baseman being back in action in the near future, although it's possible his absence could extend into Tuesday.

Duffy (heel) could be held out of early spring training games according to manager Kevin Cash, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 26-year-old shortstop will be a pivotal piece of the Rays infield in the coming season, so the team may unsurprisingly tread carefully with him early on. Duffy appeared in 21 games for Tampa last season after coming over at the trade deadline from San Francisco, slashing .258/.310/.357 with 14 doubles, two triples, five homers and 28 RBI over a combined 366 plate appearances.