Baty could be the Mets' Opening Day second baseman with Jeff McNeil (oblique) likely to begin the season on the injured list, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Baty has never played an inning at second base at the major-league level, but he started 27 games at the keystone last season at Triple-A Syracuse and has played there often this spring, including on Thursday in the Mets' first game after the McNeil injury was announced. Luisangel Acuna is also in the running to fill in for McNeil at second base, but DiComo projects Baty to be the favorite to get the first shot there.

Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Thursday that Hayes (side) has resumed full baseball activities, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Tomczyk added that Hayes should be able to return to games within the next few days. Hayes hasn't participated in Grapefruit League play in more than a week due to left side tightness, but it sounds like he's getting over the hump with the injury.

Muncy went 1-for-1 with a double, two RBI and two walks against the Guardians in a Cactus League victory Tuesday.

Muncy's first-inning double was just his second extra-base hit of the spring. However, he's tied for third on the team with six RBI and ranks second with eight walks. Muncy has posted a walk rate of at least 15 percent in six of his seven seasons with the Dodgers and has belted 30-plus homers four times during that span, making him a particularly valuable third-base option in fantasy leagues that use OBP rather than batting average.

Workman will travel with the Cubs for their two-game series against the Dodgers in Tokyo on March 18 and 19, Jesse Friedman of MLB.com reports.

With Nico Hoerner (forearm) not making the trip, Chicago is filling out its infield depth to start the regular season with Workman and Vidal Brujan, along with veteran utility player Jon Berti. Hoerner's eventual return will complicate things, but with Workman joining the Cubs as a Rule 5 pick, he may end up sticking around in an MLB bench role unless the team is willing to lose him. The 25-year-old impressed during spring training with a 1.201 OPS, three home runs and 13 RBI across 15 games.

Candelario started at designated hitter and went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday's spring game against San Diego.

Candelario belted his first spring home run in the first inning. He missed some time after having a tooth pulled and returned to the field Sunday. Reds manager Terry Francona gave him seven at-bats over the two games since his return, as Candelario missed plate appearances while being sidelined the last week. He's played first base (three times), third base (twice) and DH (twice) during Cactus League games, and Candelario's primary home this season is not yet settled. Spencer Steer's shoulder injury, projected to land him on the injured list to open the season, allows for Candelario, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Gavin Lux to be in the lineup. Those decisions will get trickier once Steer is ready to go.

Hayes is dealing with left side tightness, which is why he hasn't played in a game since Wednesday, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Hayes is expected to take part in fielding work and swing a bat Tuesday, per manager Derek Shelton, and if that goes well, he'll presumably ramp back up to game action soon. It doesn't appear as though this injury would put the third baseman in jeopardy of missing Opening Day, but his progress will be worth monitoring closely over the next few days to ensure he's able to put the issue behind him.

Vientos went 1-for-2 with a walk and a two-run home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

After Francisco Lindor reached on an error to lead off the bottom of the first inning for the Mets, Vientos crushed a Jake Irvin pitch over the fence in left-center field. It was the third baseman's first long ball of the spring, and Vientos has had a solid camp so far, batting .273 (6-for-22) with a 1:3 BB:K in eight appearances. After a breakout 2024, New York is counting on the 25-year-old to handle a spot in the heart of the batting order this season.

The Padres reassigned Brosseau to minor-league camp Monday.

Brosseau is expected to serve as organizational infield depth at Triple-A El Paso during the 2025 season. The 30-year-old previously saw big-league action in five straight seasons with the Rays and Brewers from 2019 through 2023, but he spent the entire 2024 campaign at the Triple-A level. Between stops with the Royals' and Mets' top affiliates, Brosseau slashed .263/.356/.417 with 15 home runs in 102 games.

The Reds optioned Marte to Triple-A Louisville on Monday.

After serving an 80-game suspension to begin the past season, Marte was unable to find a rhythm at the plate once he was cleared to rejoin the Reds in late June. He finished the season with a lowly .549 OPS over 242 plate appearances with the big club, and Marte's struggles have continued this spring, with the 23-year-old slashing .150/.182/.400 with eight strikeouts over 11 games. The Reds are hoping that the assignment to Louisville to begin the season will allow Marte to regain confidence and rediscover the plate approach that helped him make a splash as a rookie in 2023, when he hit .316 and got on base at a .366 clip over his 123 plate appearances with the big club. Until Marte proves he's worthy of another look in the majors, the Reds are likely to get by with Gavin Lux and Jeimer Candelario as their primary options at third base.

McMahon has gone 7-for-19 with seven walks across nine Cactus League games.

McMahon has maintained at least a 10 percent walk rate in three straight regular seasons, so his elevated walk rate in the spring isn't much of a surprise. While he has only two extra-base hits in the exhibition season, he has maintained at least a .165 ISO in five of his last six campaigns.