MLB Player News

DeJong doesn't plan to opt out of his minor-league contract with the Yankees, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

DeJong will have the right to opt out of his deal Thursday, but he instead plans to stick with the Pinstripes through the end of spring training in an effort to make the Opening Day roster. If he doesn't make the cut, he is also willing to open the season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and work his way back into the majors or wait for another opt-out date. The 32-year-old owns a .757 OPS with two homers, three RBI and seven runs scored this spring, but he's batting just .194 and has struck out 11 times in 31 at-bats.

Arroyo (neck) is listed as an available bench bat Wednesday for the Mariners' Double-A game on the back fields of camp, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Arroyo had received an invitation to big-league spring training and went 3-for-10 with a home run and five walks over six Cactus League games, but he hadn't appeared since being scratched from the lineup ahead of Friday's matchup with the Dodgers after experiencing neck spasms. The 21-year-old seems to have since moved past the issue, but with spring training winding down, Arroyo looks like he'll be in line for action on the back fields for the rest of camp. Arroyo is expected to open the season at Double-A Arkansas.

Grissom said Wednesday that he received a cortisone shot in his injured left hand this week, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Grissom is unsure if he'll need to open the season on the IL after suffering the injury last week during a Cactus League contest against the White Sox. Acquired from the Red Sox over the winter, Grissom spent the entire 2025 season at Triple-A Worcester, posting a .783 OPS with 13 home runs, 48 RBI, 69 runs scored and nine stolen bases across 418 plate appearances. He's trying to win a utility job with the Angels.

Crawford received a cortisone injection in his injured shoulder Wednesday, and manager Dan Wilson said it's unclear if the shortstop will be ready to play in the March 26 season opener versus the Guardians, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Following the injection, Crawford will be shut down for a few days, according to Divish. The veteran shortstop has been dealing with the shoulder issue for most of spring training and has appeared in just seven Cactus League contests. He has two hits across 18 trips to the plate and now may be in danger of missing Opening Day. If Crawford is shelved to begin the season, Leo Rivas and top prospect Colt Emerson would be the top candidates to fill in at shortstop.

Astros manager Joe Espada said Wednesday that Dezenzo won't do any throwing over the next few days after his right elbow flared up while playing for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Espada noted that the injury isn't affecting Dezenzo at the plate, so the 25-year-old should still be available as a designated hitter over the Astros' final handful of Grapefruit League games. That said, Yordan Alvarez will be in line to serve as the Astros' primary designated hitter once the regular season gets underway, so Dezenzo will likely need to prove that he's able to throw at full distance and velocity before the end of camp to have a realistic shot at making the Opening Day roster as a backup corner infielder and corner outfielder.

Astros manager Joe Espada said Wednesday that Pena (finger) has resumed throwing and will start swinging a bat with both hands this weekend, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Pena has been out of action since fracturing the tip of his right ring finger while corralling a groundball for Team Dominican Republic in an exhibition game two weeks ago. The injury kept Pena from playing in the World Baseball Classic, but he was able to resume taking part in limited baseball activities last week and will take another step forward by throwing and swinging the bat. Espada said Wednesday that Pena "has not been ruled out" for Opening Day, but the shortstop's availability for the start of the season will depend on how his injured digit responds to the increased activity over the next few days. Carlos Correa would likely slide over from third base to cover shortstop if Pena needs to miss time to begin the season.

The Diamondbacks plan to have Crisantes open the 2026 season as the starting second baseman at Double-A Amarillo, Sam Dykstra of MLB.com reports.

Crisantes had his 2025 season cut short in May by a posterior labral tear in his left shoulder at High-A Hillsboro. At the time of the injury, he was slashing .252/.358/.415 with four homers in 34 games to begin his age-20 campaign. More impressively, he walked more than struck out and had an in-zone contact rate of 93 percent. The organization feels confident in pushing the 21-year-old up a level.

The Rays optioned Williams to Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Williams was competing with Taylor Walls at shortstop with the Rays, but instead Williams will begin the season at Triple-A. The 22-year-old got his first taste of the big leagues last season and posted a .573 OPS with five home runs, 12 RBI, 11 runs scored, two stolen bases and an ugly 6:44 BB:K across 106 plate appearances. Williams should be back in the majors at some point in 2026.

Neto (wrist) will play in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Cubs, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The 25-year-old sustained a left wrist sprain on a slide into home plate Saturday and was initially expected to play in a minor-league game Tuesday, but the Angels instead decided to push his return to Wednesday. Neto has been feeling good in his workouts, however, and was able to convince the club to let him play in Tuesday's Cactus League contest. He totaled 26 home runs and 26 steals with a career-best .793 OPS in 128 games last season.

Lopez went 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.

The 27-year-old shortstop took Lazaro Estrada deep with two outs in the first inning, giving Lopez his first homer of the spring. After playing for Team Canada in the WBC, Lopez has just 15 Grapefruit League plate appearances, but he's collected six hits (.400 batting average) in that time with only one strikeout. Lopez is looking to build on a solid 2025 campaign in which he delivered 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases in 143 games.