MLB Player News

Bichette went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

The shortstop crushed a Tanner Banks pitch down the left-field line in the third inning for his first long ball of the spring. Bichette appears laser-focused on putting his rough 2024 season behind him, going 5-for-16 (.313) with two doubles, plus Sunday's homer, through his first six Grapefruit League games.

Clement was removed from Monday's game against the Tigers after being hit in the face by a pitch, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Clement was struck by a 91.3 mph fastball from Ty Madden and walked off the field with a trainer while holding a bloody towel to his face. The Blue Jays are saying for the time being that Clement is dealing with a lip laceration and contusion, although it's not clear whether he still needs to undergo additional testing. Clement is expected to open the season as Toronto's primary third baseman.

Montgomery (back) will continue to be held out of action through the White Sox' off day Tuesday before being re-evaluated, LaMond Pope of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Manager Will Venable said Sunday that Montgomery is "progressing well" as he recovers from back spasms, an injury which first popped up last Thursday. Montgomery has not resumed baseball activities, so a return to game action doesn't appear imminent. The 23-year-old is competing to be Chicago's starting shortstop and the longer the injury lingers, the better the chances are that he opens the season back at Triple-A Charlotte.

The Rangers reassigned Walcott to minor-league camp Monday.

Walcott was one of a host of roster cuts for the Rangers. Slated to turn 19 later this month, Walcott made a great impression at the plate this spring during his few opportunities, going 4-for-8 with three doubles and a home run. He's one of the top prospects in all of baseball and is likely headed back to Double-A Frisco to begin the 2025 campaign.

Sweeney is not a given to open the season as the Tigers' primary shortstop, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

In his latest Opening Day roster projection, Stavenhagen has Javier Baez and Zach McKinstry sharing the shortstop job and Sweeney opening the season at Triple-A Toledo. Nothing has been decided, as Sweeney could still very well start at the position at least against right-handed pitching, but the gig won't be handed to him. Sweeney hit .218/.269/.373 with four home runs over 36 regular-season contests for the Tigers in 2024 before going 2-for-22 at the dish in seven postseason games.

Jimenez (illness) went 1-for-1 with a walk and a run scored and played four innings at shortstop in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Phillies in Grapefruit League play.

Though Bo Bichette drew the start at shortstop Sunday, Jimenez's ability to come off the bench and play four innings in the field suggests he's healthy again after he had been scratched from the lineup for Friday's game against the Yankees due to an illness. Jimenez is vying for a utility role after slashing .229/.329/.358 over 210 plate appearances as a rookie with Toronto in 2024.

Sweeney went 2-for-3 with a double, a solo home run and two total runs scored in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

Sweeney was scuffling a bit before today, as he started the spring 0-for-9 with four strikeouts. The 24-year-old appears to be Detroit's top option at shortstop, though veteran Javier Baez has said he's fully healthy after dealing with a hip injury. Long term, the Tigers likely want Sweeney to take the job and run with it, but Baez remains a looming threat in the short term, particularly due to his hefty contract. The two players could split playing time to a degree to begin the 2025 campaign, at least until one of them emerges.

Baez (hip) said he's been running and swinging at 100 percent recently, Joey Johnston of MLB.com reports.

Baez underwent a right hip labral repair last September and has been ramping up slowly during the winter months. The veteran shortstop made his Grapefruit League debut Friday, and although he went 0-for-2 with a walk as the DH, he said afterward that he felt good. Baez could bounce back some in 2025 if he's fully healthy, but he will likely see a reduced role with the younger Trey Sweeney expected to see a lot of playing time at short.

Jimenez was scratched from Friday's Grapefruit League lineup versus the Yankees due to an illness, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Jimenez should be fine to play in a day or two. He's been replaced in the lineup by top prospect Arjun Nimmala.

Through four Grapefruit League games, Vargas has gone 3-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI.

Vargas hit his second spring homer Thursday, belting a two-run shot in the eighth inning against the Phillies. The 23-year-old was among the top signees in the 2018 international class, but he's yet to really put things together, and he posted a modest .670 OPS with four home runs and 15 stolen bases over 260 plate appearances during his first taste of Double-A ball last year. Vargas isn't in serious contention for an Opening Day big-league roster spot, but he's still young enough to have a major-league future if he can demonstrate development in the minors.