MLB Player News

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Sunday that Grissom (groin) won't be available for Opening Day but could be ready to make his season debut around "mid-April, probably late April," Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

The 23-year-old's groin strain has never been viewed as a long-term injury, and Cora's comments Sunday reiterate that sentiment. Still, Grissom will miss a couple or few weeks of the regular season, even in the best-case scenario. He's taking part in baseball activities and should continue ramping up his workload during the final days of camp.

Bichette went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

The shortstop took Dennis Santana deep in the sixth inning for his first long ball of the spring. Bichette's been making plenty of hard contact in camp though, batting .410 (16-for-39) through 13 games with four doubles in addition to Saturday's blast. He's also swiped two bags in two attempts, an encouraging sign after the 26-year-old went a poor 5-for-8 on steal attempts in 2023.

Dezenzo (wrist) will start at third base and bat eighth Sunday in the Astros' Spring Breakout game against the Cardinals.

Dezenzo hadn't appeared in any Grapefruit League games for the Astros since March 1 while he managed a sore wrist, but his ongoing absence may have been more a byproduct of him not being a realistic candidate to crack Houston's Opening Day roster rather than due to concern about his health. The 23-year-old will be back in action Sunday in a game exclusively featuring prospects and should continue to play in minor-league games on the backfields of camp over the next couple of weeks as he prepares himself for the start of the minor-league season. He'll likely open the 2024 campaign with either Double-A Corpus Christi or Triple-A Sugar Land.

Shewmake was removed from Saturday's Cactus League game versus the Mariners with an apparent leg injury, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

It's not clear what happened with Shewmake, but he was seen hobbling back to the dugout after flying out in the top of the fifth inning and was lifted before the bottom of the frame. The White Sox are expected to provide an update on his condition Sunday. If healthy, Shewmake has a good shot to make the Opening Day roster as a reserve infielder.

McGonigle has a strained left hamstring, Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com reports.

McGonigle began progressing toward a return Saturday, but his injury will prevent him from participating in the Tigers' Spring Breakout game against Philadelphia. The 19-year-old infielder worked his way up to Single-A in his first season as a pro, slashing .350/.438/.475 across 48 plate appearances.

Cauley started at second base and went 2-for-2 with a double, triple and an RBI in Thursday's Spring Breakout game against Cincinnati.

Cauley smoked a double the opposite way off the base of the right-field wall, then benefited from a routine flyball that was misplayed into a triple. The 2021 third-round draft pick, who entered professional baseball as a shortstop, has appeared in 50 games at second base since joining the Rangers' organization. Sebastian Walcott, ranked third among Texas' prospects, got the start at shortstop, which suggests Cauley may need to get comfortable at another position or two.

Hernaiz, who has been making a push for an Opening Day roster spot at third base, could now begin the season in the minors due to the signing of J.D. Davis on Friday, Martin Gallegos and Manny Randhawa of MLB.com report.

Hernaiz has stood out for his improved defense at the hot corner this spring, but his .281 batting average (10-for-35) comes with zero extra-base hits and a 1:6 BB:K. The addition of a proven commodity in Davis potentially changes the infield equation in the short term, but Hernaiz is still an excellent candidate to see a solid amount of big-league at-bats during the coming season.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Friday that he's more optimistic Seager (groin) will be ready for Opening Day, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

It's not a exactly a specific update, but more optimism from the skipper is certainly an encouraging development. Seager resumed taking swings this week and has also been fielding groundballs and playing catch, and he should continue ramping up his baseball work during the closing stretch of camp. The 29-year-old appears to have a decent chance of being ready by Opening Day.

Neto (illness) is starting at shortstop and batting leadoff in Friday's Cactus League game against the Mariners, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The 23-year-old is expected to bat ninth for the Angels this season, but he'll hit atop the lineup Friday after sitting out the past two days with an illness. Neto struggled offensively as a rookie last season with a .225/.308/.377 slash line in 84 contests.

Arias (illness) is starting at shortstop and batting fifth in Friday's Cactus League game against the Royals.

Arias hasn't seen the field since last weekend due to an illness, but he's back in action for Friday's spring contest. The 24-year-old appears poised to begin the season as Cleveland's primary shortstop, though his .210/.275/.352 slash line and 32.8 percent strikeout rate likely won't bring much job security.