Perez (back) isn't in the Tigers' Grapefruit League lineup Thursday against the Yankees and also isn't listed on their travel roster for Friday's game versus the Pirates, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Perez hasn't played since March 2 due to lower-back tightness and it would appear his return to action is not imminent. If healthy, the 25-year-old should be in line to play a lot early in the season while Matt Vierling (shoulder) and perhaps Parker Meadows (arm) are out. However, it would seem Perez's own availability for Opening Day is in peril.

Culpepper was scratched from Saturday's prospect showcase roster because of a hamstring injury, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

He is expected to be ready for the start of the minor-league regular season, however. Culpepper hit .242/.330/.394 with three home runs between Low-A and High-A last season in just 26 games after signing with the Twins. The 21st overall pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft has a strong hit tool, but he lacks impactful power or speed.

X-rays on Witt's forearm came back negative after he was hit by a pitch in Wednesday's game against the Mariners.

Witt was in visible pain after taking a 96-mph sinker off his forearm and made a quick exit into the Royals' clubhouse, but he appears to have escaped the incident with no more than a bruise. The team hasn't indicated how long it will be before he returns to game action, but there's currently no reason to think he'll miss Opening Day. The young superstar has had a great spring thus far, slashing .276/.364/.586 with two homers, four RBI and five runs scored over 11 games.

Witt was removed from Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Mariners after getting hit on the left forearm by a pitch.

Witt went 0-for-2 with a strikeout before getting plunked by a 96-mph sinker from Andres Munoz. It's unclear at the moment if he suffered any severe damage, but the Royals will likely run tests on their All-Star shortstop and offer an update in the near future.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that Story (back) will most likely return to Grapefruit League play Saturday versus Atlanta, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Story was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with back tightness. The original plan was for him to return to action Wednesday, but the team has opted to give him a few more days. Story has been red-hot at the plate this spring, going 11-for-24 with a pair of home runs.

Brito is just 2-for-21 at the plate this spring and could be behind Gabriel Arias in the pecking order at second base for the Guardians, Mandy Bell and Tim Stebbins of MLB.com report.

Both of Brito's hits have been home runs, but he's also struck out at a 30.4 percent clip this spring. The 23-year-old is on the 40-man roster but has not yet made his major-league debut, and a trip back to Triple-A Columbus could be in order, at least to start the season.

Arias could be the favorite to capture the Guardians' second-base job, Mandy Bell and Tim Stebbins of MLB.com report.

The Guardians have held an open competition at second base to replace Andres Gimenez, who was traded to the Blue Jays this offseason. Arias is out of minor-league options and has had a decent spring with a .758 OPS and one home run, which might be enough to put him at the top of the pecking order. However, Juan Brito, Tyler Freeman, Daniel Schneemann and Angel Martinez remain in the mix and nothing has been decided yet. Ultimately, manager Stephen Vogt could have something of a committee approach at second base.

The Mariners reassigned Emerson to minor-league camp Wednesday, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.

The 19-year-old Emerson went just 2-for-17 at the plate this spring but hit a home run and stole a couple bases. Arguably the team's top prospect, Emerson finished the 2024 season at High-A Everett and could head back there to start out the 2025 campaign.

Meidroth (calf) will start at shortstop and bat leadoff in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Angels, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Meidroth will return to action for the first time since Saturday, when he exited early in a game against the Dodgers due to calf cramps. The brief absence shouldn't dramatically derail Meidroth's chances of making the White Sox's Opening Day roster, which may have improved after Chicago sent infield prospect Colson Montgomery to Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday. Brooks Baldwin now looks to be Meidroth's primary competition for the starting shortstop gig, though the White Sox may prefer to deploy Baldwin as a utility man since he's also seen action at second base and in center field this spring.

Perez (back) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

The expectation was that Perez would return to the lineup Wednesday after sitting out for over a week due to lower-back tightness. However, the 25-year-old remains out, and it's fair to question at this point whether Perez will have enough time to get ready for the start of the season. Opening Day is just over two weeks away and Perez has logged only 14 at-bats this spring.