MLB Player News

Pena (finger) said Saturday that he's been swinging a bat with one hand, throwing plyometric balls and fielding groundballs during his rehab program, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The 28-year-old was diagnosed with a fracture in the tip of his right ring finger in early March, sidelining him for the World Baseball Classic and putting his availability for Opening Day into question. Pena's current participation in baseball activities is encouraging, and at this point, he's just awaiting clearance to throw and swing with both hands. Once fully cleared, the shortstop doesn't expect to need many at-bats before being ready for MLB action, so he still has a chance to be ready by Opening Day.

The Red Sox are monitoring Story's workload this spring and will continue to do so during the regular season, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Story is being held out of the lineup Sunday for a third consecutive game, but the Red Sox are merely exercising caution with the 33-year-old. The club plans to give him a little more rest in 2026 after Story, who missed significant time in the first three years of the contract he signed with Boston in 2022, played 160 games last year, including playoffs.

Mayer was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins due to left knee soreness, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

The Red Sox haven't provided further details regarding the severity of the issue, but Mayer will presumably need at least a couple days off to recover from the injury. He's enjoyed a strong spring with an .816 OPS and 5:6 BB:K in 27 plate appearances, which appears to have given him the inside track for the Red Sox's everyday second base job.

Neto said Sunday that X-rays on his injured left hand came back negative, and he expects to return to the Angels' Cactus League lineup within a few days, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Neto suffered the injury while sliding into home plate Saturday in a 6-2 win over the Mariners. Though a left hand strain had kept him out for the final two weeks of the 2025 season, the shortstop relayed that he's now dealing with a small sprain to the same hand, which is regarded as a more minor concern. Neto is expected to resume workouts in the coming days once the pain in his hand subsides, and if he's able to field his position and swing the bat without discomfort, he should soon get the green light to play in games.

Crawford (shoulder) is expected to be in the lineup Tuesday for one of the Mariners' split-squad games, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

The veteran shortstop missed time earlier in camp due to a shoulder issue that he aggravated last week, but the setback doesn't appear to be serious. Crawford is still expected to be in the lineup at shortstop Opening Day.

Crawford is out of the lineup for Sunday's Cactus League game against the Reds due to lingering shoulder soreness, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.

Crawford had been slowed by the shoulder issue earlier in camp, which resulted in him going nearly two weeks between appearances. He's been able to make six starts thus far in March but hasn't played since Wednesday after the soreness apparently resurfaced. The Mariners aren't yet concerned about Crawford's availability for Opening Day, but that tune could change if the shortstop is still experiencing discomfort following Monday's off day.

Neto injured his left hand during Saturday's Cactus League game against the Mariners, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Neto sustained the injury while sliding into home plate, and manager Kurt Suzuki told reporters after Saturday's game the the shortstop will undergo more tests to determine the severity of the injury. Neto landed on the 10-day injured list toward the tail end of the 2025 season due to a left hand strain, and this most recent injury puts the 25-year-old shortstop in jeopardy of missing extended time. If that were to be the case, then the Angels would likely turn to Oswald Peraza or Vaughn Grissom (calf) to fill in at shortstop for as long as Neto is out of action.

The Angels optioned Paris to Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday.

Paris made the Angels' Opening Day roster for the 2025 season and got off to a roaring start with a 1.263 OPS, five steals, five home runs and eight RBI in his first 15 games. However, his production at the plate fell off a cliff after that opening stretch, as he slashed .106/.165/.176 over his next 28 outings before being optioned to Triple-A in late May. Paris will start the 2026 season in the minors, though he could see some major-league action early on if Vaughn Grissom (hand) misses time.

Mayer started at second base and went 2-for-2 with two walks, an RBI and a run scored in Friday's spring game against Tampa Bay.

Mayer followed up one of his worst games of the Grapefruit League on Thursday (0-for-4, two strikeouts) with his best Friday. Red Sox manager Alex Cora has made it clear that Mayer is not guaranteed a spot on the 26-man roster yet, but the expectation is that he'll open the season with Boston on March 26 in Cincinnati, per Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. If Mayer is on the Opening Day roster, then he'll likely be the primary starter at second base.

Across 11 Grapefruit League games, Perez has gone 4-for-24 with seven strikeouts.

Perez had a promising sophomore campaign in 2025, as he increased his production from 2024 across the board to finish with a career-best 13 home runs, 43 RBI and a .738 OPS across 100 regular-season contests. He's off to a sluggish start this spring but should still have the inside track to the starting role in right field. Utility man Matt Vierling could see more time in right if Perez's slump lasts into the regular season, and Kerry Carpenter is also an option there on days when he's not serving as the DH.