MLB Player News
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Colson Montgomery SS | CHW
White Sox's Colson Montgomery: Missed time won't hurt SS chances
White Sox manager Will Venable said Monday that the time Montgomery missed with a back injury will not hurt his chances of making the Opening Day roster, Daryl Van Schuowen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Montgomery missed 10 days of action before returning to the lineup Sunday. The 23-year-old has accrued only nine plate appearances so far during Cactus League play, but Venable suggests Montgomery could still win the team's shortstop job, saying of the youngster that "there's been a lot of stuff here that we've evaluated," and the "most important thing is just that he's healthy." Brooks Baldwin, Chase Meidroth and Jacob Amaya are competing with Montgomery for the shortstop gig.
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Wenceel Perez SS | DET
Tigers' Wenceel Perez: Not playing Monday after all
Perez (back) is not in the Tigers' lineup for Monday's game against the Yankees, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Perez told reporters over the weekend that he would be back in action Monday, but he evidently didn't clear that with the coaching staff. Manager A.J. Hinch said Monday that while Perez is "doing great" as he recovers from a back injury, the outfielder "doesn't get to pick the day" he returns. Hinch added that Perez has "got to pass a few tests" before being re-inserted into the lineup, but it does appear as though the outfielder is trending in the right direction.
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Brooks Lee SS | MIN
Twins' Brooks Lee: Hits second spring homer
Lee went 1-for-3 with his second home run of the spring in Sunday's loss to Baltimore. He's hitting .308 (8-for-26) in nine spring training games.
Lee is competing with Edouard Julien for the starting second base job this spring with Willi Castro also likely to get time at the position. Lee is outperforming Julien so far this spring at the plate, and Julien has struggled in the field (two errors Sunday). However, Minnesota's plans for second base and Lee's role aren't clear at this point.
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Colson Montgomery SS | CHW
White Sox's Colson Montgomery: Checks back into lineup
Montgomery (back) will start at shortstop and bat sixth in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Guardians.
Montgomery will be making his first Cactus League appearance since Feb. 25, after back spasms kept him out of action for nearly two weeks. The 23-year-old shortstop is in contention for a spot on the Opening Day roster, but he'll likely need a strong finish to the spring to earn his place with the big club. Coming off a 121-loss season, the White Sox have no visions of contending for a playoff spot in 2025, so they won't have much motivation to start Montgomery's service clock until they're fully confident that he's big-league ready.
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Brayan Rocchio SS | CLE
Guardians' Brayan Rocchio: Having strong spring
Rocchio went 2-for-3 in Saturday's spring game against San Diego.
Rocchio is showing signs of improvement at the plate during Cactus League play, slashing .450/.476/.650 with four doubles through eight spring games. That builds off a strong 2024 postseason in which the shortstop had a .906 OPS. The 24-year-old was a highly regarded prospect a few years ago, and while he may not provide much in the way of power, Rocchio defends well (five outs above average in 2024) at a premium position and doesn't need to be a five-category contributor to be an asset for the Guardians.
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Ezequiel Duran SS | TEX
Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Not guaranteed roster spot
Manager Bruce Bochy said Friday that Duran isn't guaranteed a place on the Rangers' Opening Day roster, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Duran posted a .276/.324/.443 slash line with 14 home runs in 122 games two seasons ago, but he slipped to a .609 OPS in 2024 and now doesn't have a secure role. The 25-year-old is competing for a utility job, but Josh Smith is poised to be the main reserve infielder while Leody Taveras lines up as the No. 4 outfielder.
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Zachary Neto SS | LAA
Angels' Zach Neto: Performs fielding drills Saturday
Neto (shoulder) fielded groundballs and made throws to second base Saturday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Per Fletcher, it was the first time Neto has thrown to a bag this spring, though he began a throwing program in mid-February. The 24-year-old shortstop is progressing in his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery and is expected to begin the campaign on the injured list. Manager Ron Washington stated last week that Neto should be able to make his season debut sometime in April.
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Chase Meidroth SS | CHW
White Sox's Chase Meidroth: Exits game due to calf cramps
Meidroth was removed in the fifth inning of Saturday's spring game against the Dodgers due to calf cramps.
Batting out of the leadoff spot and playing second base, Meidroth went 0-for-2 before being replaced by Dominic Fletcher in the bottom of the fifth frame. Meidroth is considered day-to-day with the calf cramps, though the White Sox could take the cautious route and keep him off the field for the next couple of days. Across seven spring games, Meidroth has gone 2-for-14 with five walks, two runs, one double and one RBI.
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Vaughn Grissom SS | LAA
Red Sox's Vaughn Grissom: Heating up
Grissom went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI in Friday's spring game against the Marlins.
After going 1-for-13 to start Grapefruit League competition, Grissom has hit in three straight, going 4-for-9 with two walks, two doubles and two RBI. He opened spring training as one of a group competing for the starting job at second base. One of those competitors, Kristian Campbell, has recently received more playing time (and practice time) in the outfield, leaving Grissom and David Hamilton to patrol the keystone. The elephant in the room is how Red Sox manager Alex Cora deploys third baseman Rafael Devers (shoulder) and Alex Bregman. Devers is expected to begin playing spring games this week as the designated hitter while Bregman continues on at third base. If Cora eventually decides Devers will be his third baseman, that means Bregman would move to second base and limit Grissom's opportunities.
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Trevor Story SS | BOS
Red Sox's Trevor Story: Slugs two homers
Story went 3-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and an additional run scored in Friday's spring game against Miami.
The homers were the first of the spring for Story, and five of his 10 hits have gone for extra bases. He's served as Boston's cleanup hitter in six of seven Grapefruit League starts.