The Astros optioned Whitcomb to minor-league camp Friday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Whitcomb has slashed .280/.369/.520 over the past two seasons at Triple-A Sugar Land but owns just a .491 OPS in 78 career plate appearances in the majors. He'll officially return to the minors to begin 2026 after posting a .649 OPS in the Grapefruit League, but his extreme defensive versatility will keep the door open for a return to the bigs sometime this year.

Mayer is expected to open the regular season as the primary second baseman, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

While Boston manager Alex Cora hasn't said Mayer will be part of the Opening Day roster, all signs point to that being the case. On Thursday, the manager named Caleb Durbin the starter at third base, and the club optioned Nick Sogard to Triple-A Worcester, which clears a path to second base for Mayer. All that's left is for Cora, who has lauded Mayer's play during Grapefruit League games, to tell the player face-to-face before announcing it to the public.

Atlanta assigned Williams to minor-league camp Friday.

Williams, a 29-year-old utility player, was a long shot to make the big-league roster, and Friday's move confirms he'll open 2026 in the minor leagues. Williams went 6-for-30 (.200) with one homer, one double and a 4:10 BB:K during spring training.

Neto was removed from Friday's Cactus League game against the White Sox after being hit by a pitch but is okay, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old shortstop was plunked to lead off the bottom of the first inning, but it never seemed to be a serious issue as he remained in to run the bases and recorded a steal. Neto was then replaced by a pinch hitter in a precautionary move, which makes sense given that recently returned from a wrist sprain that sidelined him for a couple days.

Holliday (hand) took live batting practice Thursday with no issues and is doing so again Friday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

The 22-year-old continues working his way back from surgery to repair a fractured hamate bone in his right hand, which he underwent in mid-February. Holliday won't be ready to join Baltimore for Opening Day, but he could begin a rehab assignment at the start of the Triple-A season.

Nunez went 1-for-2 with a walk and two stolen bases in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

Getting the start at second base and batting second against left-hander Quinn Mathews while Luis Garcia played first base, Nunez ran his steals count for the spring up to six in six attempts. It's not yet clear exactly how Nunez will be deployed this season, but Garcia's defensive issues at the keystone could create more playing time than expected for his switch-hitting backup. Nunez's wheels are legit -- he stole 46 bases in 53 attempts between Triple-A and the majors over just 102 games in 2025 -- but he has yet to show he can hit big-league pitching consistently and is batting just .207 (6-for-29) this spring with an 8:9 BB:K.

Rocchio is projected to be the Guardians' Opening Day starter at second base, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

This comes as no surprise, as Rocchio was pegged all along to be the team's starting second baseman. He and Gabriel Arias will form the infield's up-the-middle combo. Rocchio's strong second half in 2025 carried over into the Cactus League; he's slashing .313/.389/.531 with four doubles, one home run, four RBI, two steals and three runs scored over 12 spring contests. The job may not be his for the whole season, as prospect Travis Bazzana, the first-overall pick in 2024, is expected to arrive later this season.

The Guardians optioned Brito to Triple-A Columbus on Thursday.

Brito logged an .820 OPS over 24 Triple-A games last year, but his attempt at making Cleveland's Opening Day roster will fall short after he slashed just .154/.313/.269 over 32 plate appearances in the Cactus League. The 24-year-old utility man has yet to make his MLB debut, though his defensive versatility figures to help his chances of receiving a midseason promotion.

Gonzalez will be sidelined for multiple weeks due to a hamstring injury, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Considered one of the best prospects in the Giants' farm system, Gonzalez is now slated to miss the start of the regular season while he recovers from the injury. The 18-year-old infielder slashed .288/.404/.455 across 228 plate appearances in the Dominican Summer League last year and could be bumped up to Single-A once he's healthy.

The Red Sox optioned Sogard to Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

The 28-year-old Sogard was competing for a super-utility role for Boston but hit just .081 across 43 plate appearances this spring. Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Andruw Monasterio appear to have the upper hand on that gig for Boston.