MLB Player News
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Yoan Moncada 3B | LAA
White Sox's Yoan Moncada: Managing bruised rib
Moncada is considered day-to-day with a bruised rib after exiting Sunday's World Baseball Classic against Team USA, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.
Moncada was involved in a collision to close out the sixth inning Sunday and was replaced defensively in the bottom of the seventh. It's unclear whether his rib issue will impact his availability for Opening Day, but a better idea of his status should come into focus based on his usage over Chicago's final few Cactus League games.
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Yoan Moncada 3B | LAA
White Sox's Yoan Moncada: Departs WBC semifinal
Moncada exited Sunday's World Baseball Classic semifinal against Team USA following a collision in the bottom of the sixth inning, Kyle Glaser of Baseball America reports.
The exact nature of Moncada's injury isn't clear, but he was replaced defensively in the bottom of the seventh inning following his outfield collision to close out the sixth. It seems unlikely that Cuba will advance to the World Baseball Classic final due to Team USA's significant lead, but it's unclear if Moncada's injury will impact his availability for the final few games of Cactus League action.
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Gunnar Henderson 3B | BAL
Orioles' Gunnar Henderson: On base twice Sunday
Henderson went 1-for-2 with a walk in Sunday's Grapefruit League win over the Pirates.
Henderson is hitting just .160 through 10 games this spring, and just one of his hits, a triple, has gone for extra bases. It's not exactly an encouraging line for a player whose spot in the big leagues isn't guaranteed, but the bright side is that players like Ramon Urias and Jorge Mateo also haven't done much with the bat this spring. Henderson is still more on the likely side to make the Opening Day roster, but he'll need to build off of Sunday's effort to solidify his place in the Orioles' short-term plans.
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Josh Donaldson 3B | MIL
Yankees' Josh Donaldson: Slow start in spring training
Donaldson went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts Saturday in a Grapefruit League contest against the Blue Jays.
It has not been a strong exhibition season for Donaldson, as the hitless effort sees the former MVP drop his slash to .200/.310/.360 in Grapefruit League play. The 37-year-old is expected to open the year as the primary third baseman for the Yankees, but with several quality infield options -- and Donaldson's poor play in 2022 -- his hold on that job is precarious.
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Yoan Moncada 3B | LAA
White Sox's Yoan Moncada: Healthy this spring
After an injury-plagued 2022 season, Moncada is fully healthy this spring, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Moncada was limited to only 433 plate appearances in 2022 due primarily to an oblique injury, and he suggested that he tried to return from the issue too early. That could in part explain his disastrous .212/.273/.353 line, particularly after he posted a respectable .787 OPS in 2021. This spring, Moncada has gone a combined 9-for-28 between the World Baseball Classic and Cactus League action.
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Josh Jung 3B | TEX
Rangers' Josh Jung: Scratched due to minor car accident
Jung was involved in a minor car accident on his way to Saturday's Cactus League game against the Angels and has been scratched from the lineup, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
Jung is not injured, but the Rangers will keep the third baseman out of the lineup as they deal with the logistics of the accident. Assuming everything is ok, the infielder should be back in the lineup in the coming days.
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Matt Chapman 3B | SF
Blue Jays' Matt Chapman: Locking in at plate
Chapman went 1-for-3 with a double in Friday's split-squad game against the Phillies.
The third baseman seems to have found his timing at the plate, going 6-for-22 (.273) over his last eight games with three doubles and a 2:2 BB:K. Chapman's still looking for his first spring homer, but hitting for power hasn't been an issue for the 29-year-old during his career. With free agency looming next winter, Chapman has plenty of incentive to put together a big 2023 after posting a .757 OPS last year with 27 home runs and 76 RBI.
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Anthony Rendon 3B | LAA
Angels' Anthony Rendon: Healthy and hitting this spring
Rendon is hitting .444 (8-for-18) with two home runs this spring. He's appeared fully healthy this spring after a wrist injury limited him to just 47 games in 2022, MLB.com reports.
Rendon will turn 33 in June and hasn't had a full healthy season since 2019 (not counting the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign). However, he's done everything this spring to give fantasy managers confidence he can end that recent trend.
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Kyle Farmer 3B | ATL
Twins' Kyle Farmer: Showing power in spring training
Farmer went 2-for-3 with two home runs in Friday's spring training loss to Tampa Bay. He's hitting .381 (8-for-21) with three home runs this spring.
Farmer is set to be Minnesota's primary utility player this season. However, it's possible he could get steady playing time at third base or first base at the start of the season if Alex Kirilloff (wrist) isn't ready for Opening Day.
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Rafael Devers 3B | SF
Red Sox's Rafael Devers: Returns to camp
Devers returned to spring training Friday after the Dominican Republic was eliminated from the World Baseball Classic, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
He went 2-for-16 with two walks and zero RBI over four games while serving as the designated hitter and cleanup hitter for Team D.R., as Manny Machado was the starter at third base. Devers will get his reps at third base over the final two weeks before the regular season kicks off. Prior to the WBC, Devers made 14 plate appearances in Grapefruit League play.