MLB Player News

Seager (calf) took live batting practice Wednesday and is expected to be ready for Thursday's opener versus the Red Sox, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Seager was held out of the Rangers' final three exhibition contests because of a sore calf, but he doesn't seem to be in any danger of missing Opening Day. The shortstop has reached the 30-homer mark in all three regular seasons with Texas.

Mateo (elbow) will not be on the Orioles' Opening Day roster, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The Orioles had left open the possibility that Mateo could be ready even though he wasn't cleared for Grapefruit League games until mid-March, but the 29-year-old needs a little more time. Livan Soto is expected to fill a utility role while Mateo is out.

The White Sox claimed Jones off waivers from the Rockies on Wednesday and optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte.

Jones will join the third organization of his career after he was initially drafted by the Rays in 2019 before being dealt to the Rockies last March. He appeared in six games in the majors with Colorado in 2024 but otherwise spent the entire season at Triple-A Albuquerque, where he produced a .269/.346/.460 batting line to go with 16 home runs and 46 stolen bases over 406 plate appearances. Though he'll report to the minors to begin the upcoming season, Jones should be in the mix for playing time in Chicago at some point in 2025, given the lack of established talent on the big-league roster.

Betts (illness) said Tuesday that he'll be able to play in the Dodgers' home opener Thursday against Detroit, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Betts missed the Dodgers' first two regular-season games against the Cubs in Tokyo, Japan, due to an illness that caused him to lose nearly 20 pounds. However, he was able to participate in Tuesday's exhibition game against the Angels and went 0-for-3 while starting at shortstop. Betts said that making it through that contest was enough for him to be confident that he will be ready to play Thursday. Fantasy managers who roster Betts should thus plan to have him in their lineups, though it remains to be seen whether the illness will affect Betts' play to any extent in the early going.

Williams will begin the season at Triple-A Durham, MLB.com reports.

Williams, 21, slashed .256/.353/.469 with 20 home runs and 33 stolen bases at Double-A Montgomery in 2024 and will move up to Durham to start this season. The shortstop has a chance to debut in 2025 if things go well in the International League.

Lux started at left field in Tuesday's exhibition game against High-A Dayton.

Left field was expected to be the spot occupied by Austin Hays, but he was left out of the lineup due to a calf injury. Lux, who was exposed to the outfield during spring training, took over. It's unclear if Hays' injury will linger into Opening Day. A healthy Hays likely means Lux will lineup at third base of designated hitter. The latter can also spot in at second base. Lux and Jeimer Candelario are expected to share third base/DH to open the regular season, but lineup decisions will become trickier once Spencer Steer (shoulder) is ready to go.

Bliss has won Seattle's starting job at second base, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.

Dylan Moore (illness) and Leo Rivas, the latter of whom was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday, were also competing for the gig this spring, but Bliss put together the most impressive camp. The 25-year-old will be part of the Opening Day roster for the first time in his career after hitting .308 with two RBI, two stolen bases and a .787 OPS in 40 Cactus League plate appearances. Although Bliss has earned a starting position to open the season, his fantasy upside will likely remain limited he is hitting in the lower part of the lineup and also playing at pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park for home games.

McLain went 1-for-2 with a walk and a three-run home run in Tuesday's exhibition game against Reds minor leaguers.

McLain didn't put up big numbers in the Cactus League this spring (.255/.281/.418) and acknowledged to Charlie Goldsmith of Cincinnati Magazine that he's had to shake off some rust. What matters most is that McLain is healthy, as he described himself as being in a "good spot" heading into the 2025 season after missing all of 2024 due to injury. The 25-year-old is tentatively expected to bat second in the order for the Reds against Logan Webb and the Giants on Thursday.

Paris will be on the Angels' Opening Day roster, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.

Paris is a career .110 hitter through 91 MLB at-bats, but he looked like a completely different player in the Cactus League, finishing spring training with a .400/.449/.667 slash line with 13 RBI, 14 runs scored and four stolen bases in 23 games. His phenomenal spring may have bought him another shot with the big-league club, but he doesn't project to start the season as anything more than bench depth.

The Angels selected Anderson's contract from Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday.

Though he only slashed .263/.311/.333 with three RBI and four runs scored across 61 Cactus League plate appearances, Anderson will end up with a spot on the Angels' Opening Day roster. He narrowly outperformed Kevin Newman (.216/.326/.243) this spring, though it's still unclear which player will get the starting nod at shortstop while Zach Neto recovers from a shoulder injury. The signing of Nicky Lopez on Tuesday further complicates the situation. Anderson also saw exposure to second base and the outfield in spring training, so he could be a candidate to fill a utility role.