Hayes (side) will start at third base and bat leadoff in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles.

Hayes has been held out of action since March 5 due to left side tightness, but after finally resuming full baseball activities Thursday, he's now been cleared to return to the starting lineup. The 28-year-old infielder has struggled to get going this spring, posting a .583 OPS with an RBI and a run scored through seven games.

Monasterio went 1-for-1 with a double and run in Thursday's 9-3 win over the White Sox. He is hitting .412 (7-for-17) with one home run, two RBI and a 5:3 BB:K this spring.

Monasterio has five runs and three extra-base hits in 12 games so far this spring and is showing a good eye at the plate as well. The 27-year-old is competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster with Oliver Dunn and Caleb Durbin.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Friday that Chaparro has left oblique tightness and will undergo an MRI on Saturday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Chaparro felt his oblique tighten up while he was taking batting practice Friday. The 25-year-old is competing for the final spot on the Nationals' bench, but any sort of strain would knock him out for Opening Day.

Riley avoided a fracture to his right hand after being hit by a pitch Friday and is considered day-to-day, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Riley was hit by a pitch in Friday's spring training game versus the Nationals. X-rays came back clean, and it appears a scheduled CT scan also was negative. Riley might sit out a day or two if he's sore, but he's avoided the worst-case scenario.

X-rays on Riley's right hand came back negative, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Riley had to exit Friday's Grapefruit League tilt versus the Nationals following a hit by pitch. While it appears for now that he has avoided any fractures, Bowman notes it was a CT scan that found a fracture in his right hand last season after an X-ray didn't turn up anything. Riley will receive a CT scan next.

The Diamondbacks optioned Kessinger to Triple-A Reno on Friday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old was acquired from the Astros during the offseason after being designated for assignment, and he had a solid showing at the plate during spring training with a .294/.391/.353 slash line in 23 plate appearances. Kessinger is likely to spent most of 2025 with Reno but could receive a look in the big leagues if Arizona suffers some infield injuries.

Riley was removed from Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals as a precaution after being hit by a pitch on the right hand.

The hit-by-pitch was a scary moment for Atlanta and Riley, who sustained a fracture in the same hand last August that cost him the rest of the 2024 season. It's encouraging that the organization labeled his exit as a precaution, but the team will likely send him for medical imaging to get a clearer diagnosis.

Arenado is just 4-for-30 with one home run in his first 12 Grapefruit League games.

While the numbers aren't good, Arenado insists that he's "seeing the ball really well" this spring after having a "really hard time picking up the ball" last spring, per MLB.com. After an offseason of trade rumors, Arenado remains in St. Louis and will again be the club's everyday third baseman. He'll seek to bounce back offensively in 2025 after slashing a disappointing .272/.325/.394 with 16 home runs over 152 contests last season.

Chaparro was scratched from Friday's lineup against Atlanta after injuring his left side during batting practice, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Chaparro has put up a 1.008 OPS this spring as he competes for the final spot on the Nationals' bench, but he could now be looking at an absence. The club should offer more details on Chaparro later Friday.

Cincinnati manager Terry Francona suggested Thursday that Candelario and Gavin Lux could be part of a platoon at third base, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Francona wants to get as many competent bats into the lineup as possible, but that's shaping up to be a tricky task. Christian Encarnacion-Strand (three HRs, 1.000 OPS) has hit well this spring and looks like the best option for first base, which removes a potential path to playing time for Candelario. He could slot in at designated hitter if Spencer Steer (shoulder) is not ready for the start of the regular season. Lux can also handle second base or left field, which would allow both he and Candelario to be in the lineup against righties.