MLB Player News

Winn (wrist) is starting at shortstop and batting leadoff in Friday's split-squad game against the Astros, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Winn has been sidelined the past few days due to wrist soreness, but he'll return to the lineup Friday on his 23rd birthday. He has a .098/.156/.098 slash line through 45 plate appearances in spring training but is expected to begin the campaign as St. Louis' leadoff man after posting a .730 OPS as a rookie last year.

De La Cruz went 2-for-3 with a walk, a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Thursday's spring game against the Royals.

De La Cruz mashed a two-run, opposite-field home run in the first inning and followed it up with a five-pitch walk and a hard-hit single. The De La Cruz of previous years may have tried to take another bag after the ball trickled into short center field, but he stayed at first base and eventually came around to score on an Austin Hays double. The home run was De La Cruz's fourth this spring.

Williams cleared waivers Thursday and was sent outright to Triple-A Gwinnett.

Williams was battling for a spot on Atlanta's Opening Day bench, but he ultimately missed the cut after going 5-for-32 with three RBI and five runs scored in 16 spring games. He doesn't have any minor-league options remaining, so his demotion to Triple-A will cost him his spot on the 40-man roster.

The Blue Jays optioned Martinez to Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday.

Martinez missed a few days of spring training after he was hit by a fastball on the hip Monday. He was able to return to action Thursday and log an at-bat. The infielder has been slashing .320/.393/.480 with a home run across 28 plate appearances in Grapefruit League play. At Triple-A Buffalo, the 23-year-old will play every day and wait for his next chance to prove himself in the big leagues.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Thursday that Henderson (intercostal) is "running out of time" to be ready for Opening Day, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The skipper added that he remains "hopeful" Henderson can be available March 27 in Toronto, but the shortstop will have to play in some games before being cleared for Opening Day and he's running out of chances to do that. It truly seems like a coin flip at this point as to whether Henderson avoided the injured list. If Henderson does need time on the IL, the Orioles would shift Jackson Holliday to shortstop temporarily and install Ramon Urias or Jordan Westburg at second base, with the other occupying third base.

Lee was scratched from the lineup ahead of Thursday's Grapefruit League game against Boston due to lower-back tightness, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Lee has been given the day-to-day label by the team, so there's no reason to believe his injury is anything serious. He'll take a day to recover Thursday; meanwhile, Jose Miranda will pick up some extra reps at the hot corner before the start of the season.

Mayer started at second base and went 1-for-3 with a walk, a triple and a run scored in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.

Mayer, Boston's shortstop of the future, made his first Grapefruit League start at second base. Until Wednesday, he'd started at shortstop and third base this spring. This move is notable, because Red Sox manager Alex Cora hasn't named a starter at second base yet. One candidate, Vaughn Grissom, was removed from the calculus after he was assigned to minor-league camp Wednesday. It may be unlikely that Mayer, who has yet to take an at-bat at the Triple-A level, wins the job, but the manager insisted to Ian Browne of MLB.com that "everybody has a shot."

Dezenzo (jaw) is in the lineup for Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

After being struck in the face by a groundball Tuesday, Dezenzo was diagnosed with a TMJ sprain. However, he was cleared of a concussion and will be able to make a quick turnaround, continuing his bid for a roster spot. The 24-year-old is having a great spring, batting .378 with three doubles, two homers and six RBI across 15 exhibition games.

Seager went 5-for-13 (.385) with six runs, two doubles, a home run, seven RBI and a 5:1 BB:K over his last six spring games.

Seager owned a .520 spring OPS at the end of play March 12, but thanks to his hot streak he raised that mark more than 300 points over the last week. Injuries remain a long-term concern for Seager, but he appears healthy and ready to go with the regular season just over a week away.

Atlanta returned Cairo to the Guardians on Wednesday.

Atlanta selected Cairo in the Rule 5 Draft in December, but the 23-year-old infielder failed to make the big-league roster after slashing .179/.294/.250 during spring training. He'll be stripped of a 40-man roster spot upon returning to his original organization and will likely report to Triple-A Columbus for the start of the new season.