MLB Player News
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Taylor Walls SS | TB
Rays' Taylor Walls: Opening season on injured list
Walls will open the season on the 10-day injured list due to a strained right oblique, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Walls had been set to begin the season as the Rays' starting shortstop, but his injury now opens the door for top prospect Carson Williams to run with the job after Williams had initially been dispatched to Triple-A Durham earlier this week. A career .195/.286/.298 hitter across 1,560 plate appearances, Walls was unlikely to hit enough to hold onto the job for long.
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Josh Jung 3B | TEX
Rangers' Josh Jung: Productive since return
Jung went 3-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and an additional run scored in Wednesday's spring game against Kansas City.
Jung has wielded a potent bat since his return Monday after missing a little more than two weeks with an adductor strain. After a triple and run scored Monday, the third baseman added three more hits and belted his first Cactus League home run (417 feet). Texas manager Skip Schumaker believes there's still enough runway left for Jung to be ready for Opening Day, per Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News.
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Bo Bichette 3B | NYM
Mets' Bo Bichette: Belts first spring homer
Bichette went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, a home run and five RBI in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins.
He took prospect Robby Snelling to school in the seventh inning, driving an 0-2 slider over the right-field fence when it caught too much of the plate. The homer was Bichette's first of the spring, and he appears to be rounding into form with Opening Day a little over a week away, batting .267 (8-for-30) on the spring with a 4:5 BB:K. His adjustment to third base also seems to be going well -- Bichette hasn't committed an error since his first Grapefruit League game Feb. 21, and he ably started a 5-4-3 double play March 12 against the Cardinals.
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Tyler Freeman RF | COL
Rockies' Tyler Freeman: Scratched with back tightness
Freeman was scratched from Wednesday's Cactus League lineup against the Reds due to lower-back tightness.
With Freeman idle for Wednesday's exhibition, Cole Carrigg will enter the lineup in center field and bat second, while leadoff man Jake McCarthy moves to left field. Freeman has an .840 OPS across 25 plate appearances this spring. Consider him day-to-day.
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Jeimer Candelario 3B | LAA
Angels' Jeimer Candelario: Belts third spring homer
Candelario went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's Cactus League loss to the Cubs.
Candelario accounted for the Angels' first run with a solo shot to center field in the fifth inning. The utility infielder is tied for second on the team with three long balls this spring, and he's added four doubles, a triple, seven runs and seven RBI while slashing .250/.333/.625. Candelario is in camp as a non-roster invitee on a minor-league contract, but MLB.com projects him to make the Opening Day roster in a reserve role, and his odds of doing so increased substantially when Christian Moore and Kyren Paris were optioned to Triple-A on Saturday.
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Parks Harber 3B | SF
Giants' Parks Harber: Sidelined with Grade 2 strain
The Giants announced Wednesday that Harber has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain and will require 4-to-6 weeks of recovery time, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
One of the top position prospects in the Giants organization, Harber wasn't in serious consideration for a spot on the Opening Day roster but had impressed nonetheless throughout the spring, slashing .357/.424/.571 over 33 Cactus League plate appearances before sustaining the hamstring injury Saturday. He now appears on track to miss at least the first month of the minor-league season while recovering from the injury, but once he's back to full health, Harber is expected to report to Double-A Richmond, according to Pavlovic.
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Noelvi Marte RF | CIN
Reds' Noelvi Marte: Gets time in CF
Marte started in center field and went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's spring game against Cleveland.
Marte gave the Reds an early lead with his second-inning homer, his third of the Cactus League. Normally a right fielder, Marte made a third consecutive start in center field, as the club seeks to expand its outfield options. TJ Friedl remains the primary center fielder. Marte is batting .275 (11-for-40) with four doubles, three home runs and 11 RBI through 14 Cactus League contests.
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Ryan McMahon 3B | NYY
Yankees' Ryan McMahon: Reserve option at shortstop
Manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that he would be comfortable playing McMahon at shortstop in a regular-season game, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
The Yankees have been giving McMahon some reps at shortstop during spring training and have apparently liked the results. The 31-year-old will open the season as New York's primary third baseman and isn't likely to see enough reps at shortstop to gain positional eligibility. McMahon shifted to a narrower stance during the offseason to help keep his hands a bit higher after posting a .214/.312/.381 slash line across 154 regular-season games last year.
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Ben Williamson 2B | TB
Rays' Ben Williamson: Turning heads in camp
Williamson has impressed manager Kevin Cash this spring with his ability to handle second base and shortstop in addition to his burgeoning power, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
"The bat has really come to life," Cash said of Williamson. "He's a big, strong guy and the power has kind of showed up here. He's had some big at-bats and drives the ball well, so it looks like he can really help us." Acquired this offseason from Seattle, Williamson is hitting .375 with two home runs, two steals and a 5:4 K:BB in 36 plate appearances this spring. While the righty-hitting Williamson figures to be in the lineup against lefties, his strong spring and quality defense at multiple positions opens the door for him to find work against righties as well.
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Maikel Garcia 3B | KC
Royals' Maikel Garcia: Clutch hit in WBC win
Garcia went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Team Venezuela's 4-2 win Monday over Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic.
Garcia came up clutch with a two-out RBI single off Michael Lorenzen in the seventh inning, giving Venezuela its first lead of the day -- one it wouldn't relinquish en route to securing a berth in the World Baseball Classic championship game. The infielder has produced at a high level throughout the tournament, slashing .435/.458/.652 with two doubles, a homer, six RBI and three stolen bases across six games. Coming off a breakout 2025 in which he posted an .800 OPS with 39 doubles, 16 homers, 74 RBI, 81 runs scored and 23 stolen bases across 160 regular-season games, Garcia carries plenty of momentum into the 2026 campaign with the Royals.