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  • CJ Alexander 3B | LAD

    Athletics' CJ Alexander: Rejoins lineup Wednesday

    Alexander (undisclosed) will start at third base and bat eighth in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks.

    Alexander exited Monday's game against the White Sox due to an unspecified issue, but his return to the lineup two days later implies he was dealing with just a minor health concern. The 28-year-old is battling for a utility role with the Athletics in spring training.

  • Cam Smith 3B | HOU

    Astros' Cam Smith: Playing right field on back fields

    Smith will play five innings in right field in a game on the back fields Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

    Astros manager Joe Espada said earlier Tuesday that Smith would play right field in a Grapefruit League game soon, and apparently he'll be eased into things in the outfield in a lower-profile contest right away. Whether Smith is being truly considered as an option to open the season in right field for the Astros is very much up in the air, but the third-base prospect adding to his versatility would give him an additional path to playing time with the big club.

  • Orioles' Gunnar Henderson: Hits in batting cage

    Henderson (intercostal) hit in the batting cage Tuesday and is slated to take grounders Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

    It's the start of Henderson's progression as he returns to baseball activities following a mild right intercostal muscle strain. The 23-year-old does not have much runway to get ramped up in time for Opening Day, but the Orioles are not ruling out his availability for March 27 in Toronto. If Henderson needs a little time on the injured list, Baltimore could shift Jackson Holliday to shortstop temporarily and install Ramon Urias or Jordan Westburg at second base, with the other occupying third base.

  • Red Sox's Rafael Devers: Likely to begin season at DH

    Devers (shoulders) is "increasingly likely" to open the season as Boston's designated hitter, with Alex Bregman playing third base, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

    Devers hasn't made his Grapefruit League debut yet and all of Bregman's action this spring has come at third base. So, while manager Alex Cora has declined to address the situation, it's pretty clear where this is headed. Devers is currently slated to make his spring debut Saturday, although his debut has already been pushed back multiple times as he works on his swing mechanics that were thrown off by last year's shoulder problems.

  • Alex Bregman 3B | CHC

    Red Sox's Alex Bregman: 'Increasingly likely' to open at 3B

    Bregman is "increasingly likely" to open the season as the Red Sox's starting third baseman, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

    Bregman has yet to play an inning at second base this spring and Rafael Devers (shoulders) has yet to play an inning anywhere, so Bregman handling third base and Devers being used at designated hitter on Opening Day looks to be a safe bet at this point. It would leave Vaughn Grissom, David Hamilton and Kristian Campbell fighting for reps at second base.

  • Cam Smith 3B | HOU

    Astros' Cam Smith: Will play right field in games soon

    Astros manager Joe Espada said Tuesday that Smith will play right field in a Grapefruit League game soon, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

    Smith is a natural third baseman and his long-term home is probably still at the hot corner, but he did see a little action in left field during the Cape Cod League in 2023. The 22-year-old has wowed the Astros this spring, going 8-for-13 with two home runs and a 2:5 K:BB. While a spot on the Opening Day roster for Smith is probably still a long shot, it does seem as though he'll debut sooner rather than later, and showing comfortability in the outfield could speed up that timetable.

  • Red Sox's Rafael Devers: Spring debut pushed back again

    Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that Devers (shoulders) is now slated to make his Grapefruit League debut Saturday versus Atlanta, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

    The initial plan called for Devers to make his spring debut March 5, but that's now been pushed back twice. Instead, he will face Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler on the back fields on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, before making his first official game appearance Saturday. That gives Devers just over a week's worth of games to get ready for Opening Day. The Red Sox have not indicated any worry about how Devers is doing physically following last year's shoulder problems, pointing to him simply working on getting his timing down. Still, it's an atypical situation that raises red flags.

  • Taylor Walls 3B | TB

    Rays' Taylor Walls: Battling quad injury

    Walls left Saturday's Grapefruit League game with a quad injury, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

    The injury is expected to be minor, as Walls is projected to return to the lineup Thursday. He had a solid spring prior to being sidelined, collecting five hits across 16 at-bats -- albeit with only one extra-base hit. Walls is slated to begin the season as the Rays' starting shortstop with Ha-Seong Kim (shoulder) sidelined.

  • CJ Alexander 3B | LAD

    Athletics' CJ Alexander: Exits Monday's game due to injury

    Alexander (undisclosed) left in the seventh inning of Monday's spring game against the White Sox, Jessica Kleinschmidt of TheComeback.com reports.

    Alexander was subbed into Monday's game at the top of the seventh inning for JJ Bleday, but the former exited the game with an apparent injury shortly after and was replaced by Colby Halter.

  • Blaze Jordan 3B | STL

    Red Sox's Blaze Jordan: Exits after hit by pitch

    Jordan was lifted for a pinch runner in Saturday's 9-8 Grapefruit League loss to the Twins after being hit by a pitch in his eighth-inning plate appearance.

    The Red Sox didn't provide any details on Jordan's condition after the game, but it's possible that he was just lifted as a precaution. The 22-year-old first baseman slashed .261/.305/.388 over 380 plate appearances at Double-A Portland in 2024 and could be headed back to the Eastern League to begin the 2025 season.

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