MLB Player News

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he expects Urshela (elbow) to make his Grapefruit League debut Thursday against the Phillies, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Urshela hasn't faced any strict limitations thus far at camp, but the Yankees have been deliberately bringing him along slowly after he underwent surgery in December to remove a bone spur from his right elbow. Boone didn't specify whether Urshela would start at third base Thursday like he normally would in the regular season or if the 29-year-old's spring debut will come as a designated hitter.

Paredes (visa issues) is scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut Wednesday against the Phillies, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Paredes didn't arrive last week for the start of workouts for position players, but he's since resolved his immigration status. Though he'll be on the bench for Monday's game against the Yankees, the Tigers want him to put in another workout or two before clearing him for his spring debut. The 22-year-old is the leading candidate to serve as the Tigers' Opening Day starter at third base.

Rendon won't play in Monday's Cactus League contest against the White Sox due to soreness, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Rendon is heading into his age-31 season and hasn't had a perfect health track record in recent seasons, missing 11.9 percent of his team's games over the last four years. There haven't been any indications that this particular injury is anything serious, however, so this is probably just an example of the Angels being extra cautious with their early-spring lineups. Rendon has plenty of time to get up to speed by Opening Day, which is now exactly a month away.

Toro started at third base and went 0-for-2 in Sunday's spring game against the Marlins.

Toro slotted in for the injured Alex Bregman (hamstring) in the spring opener for both teams. Bregman has been dealing with a sore hamstring and limited to hitting during workouts. The injury is not considered serious, and his absence from the lineup Sunday was expected. Toro appears to be the top fill-in at the hot corner, but he's been working to develop defensively at first base and left field during camp.

Burger started at third base and went 0-for-3 in Sunday's spring game against the Brewers.

This was Burger's first game action since Feb. 2018, when he ruptured his left Achilles. The 2017 first-round draft pick then missed 2019 with a second Achilles injury and didn't play during 2020. Burger filled in at third base for Yoan Moncada (arm) and is reportedly in the mix for designated hitter, though it would seem he needs work in the minors after a three-year layoff.

Moncada (arm) went 0-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's spring game against the Brewers.

Moncada's experiencing soreness in his arm that's preventing him from playing the field, but he did work as the designated hitter in the Cactus League opener. And his legs appear fine as he reached on a fielder's choice, then stole a base and came home on Adam Engel's two-run home run.

Astudillo started at third base and went 1-for-2 in the Twins' spring training opener Sunday against Boston.

Astudillo will compete for a utility role in which he can serve as a third catcher and also play third base, second base and left field. It's not clear if the Twins will need a third catcher and the team has other utility options to consider that are better with the glove, so he may be on the roster bubble until late in spring training.

Candelario went 2-for-2 with a double, a walk and a run scored in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

Candelario started at third base in this one, but Isaac Paredes, who has been delayed this spring by visa issues, is likely to get regular playing time there moving forward. That could push Candelario over to first, where Renato Nunez will also be competing for at-bats. Candelario had a solid 2020 campaign, posting a career-best .872 OPS in 52 games, so he should play regularly no matter where he finds himself defensively.

Paredes won't be available for Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies while he waits to pass a physical, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

After his arrival to spring training was delayed by visa issues, Paredes wasn't scheduled to start in Sunday's spring opener, but the 22-year-old has at least completed his COVID-19 intake testing. Passing the physical should merely be a formality for Paredes, who could be ready to play as soon as Monday's game against the Yankees.

Moncada (arm) will bat second as the designated hitter in Sunday's spring opener against the Brewers, LaMond Pope of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The 25-year-old has been limited at the start of camp due to arm soreness, but he's still able to hit with no issues. Manager Tony La Russa previously said Moncada was set to resume throwing and could be playing the field early this week, so he should be back on the field at full strength in the near future.