MLB Player News

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Friday that Mead has made the Opening Day roster, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Mead has been one of the best performers during Grapefruit League play, going an absurd 19-for-35 with one home run in 13 contests. Once the regular season begins, much of Mead's playing time likely will come versus left-handed pitching, although he could play his way into at-bats against righties, too, if he's able to carry over his performance from this spring. The 24-year-old has just a 78 wRC+ across 224 big-league plate appearances.

Goldschmidt (back) said Friday that he expects to return to the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game versus the Phillies, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Goldschmidt missed his target date to return, as he had hoped to play Thursday or Friday. However, he said his sore back is close to 100 percent and the decision was made to give it another day. Goldschmidt remains confident he'll be ready to go for Opening Day.

Goldschmidt (back) remains out of the Yankees' lineup for Friday's contest against the Tigers, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

Goldschmidt had targeted either Thursday or Friday for his return to Grapefruit League play, but that goal wasn't met. There's no cause for concern yet, as the Yankees are likely just exercising caution with the veteran first baseman. The club might have more on Goldschmidt's status later Friday.

Rodriguez (illness) is starting in center field and batting second in Friday's split-squad game against the Reds.

Rodriguez has been dealing with an illness this week but is ready to rejoin the lineup Friday after taking a few days to rest up. The 24-year-old totaled 20 homers and 24 steals in 143 games last season but also had a career-worst .734 OPS. Rodriguez is batting just .229 through 13 spring games but has found his power stroke with three long balls.

Scherzer (thumb) will start Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Scherzer's right thumb bounced back well from Thursday's bullpen session, officially clearing the way for him to return to Grapefruit League action. He is targeting 60-to-65 pitches Saturday and, as long as he doesn't have a setback with the thumb that day or Sunday, will be ready to roll for the start of the regular season.

Hamilton started at second base and went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases and one run scored in Thursday's spring game against Minnesota.

Hamilton now has eight stolen bases in 19 Grapefruit League games. Boston's decision to assign Vaughn Grissom to minor-league camp Wednesday leaves Hamilton and Kristian Campbell as the last two candidates standing for the starting gig at the keystone, and Red Sox manager Alex Cora told Chad Jennings of The Athletic that final roster decisions may not be made until 48 hours before Opening Day. "Maybe Monterrey," he said, referencing next week's pair of exhibition games in Mexico. "We're getting close, but we're not in a rush." Jennings' report also includes a roster projection that has Hamilton making the roster, either in a platoon at second base or as a utility player that gets a lot of playing time off the bench. Jennings also indicates that both the industry and the Red Sox seem to value Hamilton more than his fantasy profile suggests.

Newcomb allowed one unearned run on four hits while striking out three over 4.2 innings in Thursday's spring start against the Twins.

Newcomb has flown under the radar for much of spring training, but injuries to Brayan Bello (shoulder), Lucas Giolito (hamstring) and Kutter Crawford (knee) opened up a need for two pitchers to fill temporary holes in the rotation. Richard Fitts appears to have one of them locked up, while Newcomb, Cooper Criswell and Quinn Priester vie for the other one. Newcomb has a 0.63 ERA with 13 strikeouts and three walks over 14.1 Grapefruit League innings.

Wesneski will undergo X-rays after being struck on the left foot by a comebacker in a minor-league game Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The X-rays seem to be precautionary, as Wesneski was spotted participating in drills Friday. Assuming testing doesn't uncover a more serious issue, the right-hander is slated to open the season as the Astros' fifth starter, an assignment that became more important when Luis Garcia was shut down Thursday after experiencing further soreness in his elbow.

Walker (oblique) will get at-bats in minor-league games this weekend and continue to play in minor-league contests when the Astros return to Houston. He remains on track to be ready for Opening Day, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Walker had appeared set to return to Grapefruit League action this weekend, but the Astros have elected to have him play in minor-league games instead. This will allow him to get more at-bats to make up for lost time and also gives the Astros the option to backdate an injured list stint, should he suffer a setback. Walker has played only four Grapefruit League contests due to left oblique soreness.

Carter and Leody Taveras could operate as a platoon in center field to start the regular season, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Carter's struggles against left-handed pitching mean he could face righties only, although Taveras isn't much better against southpaws. This spring, Carter has five strikeouts in seven at-bats against left-handers, while Taveras is slashing .154/.214/.154 in 13 at-bats against them. Texas manager Bruce Bochy was bullish about both, noting each have been squaring up the ball better over the last few weeks. Carter was passable against lefties in the minors, but he hasn't had the opportunity to consistently face the high-caliber left-handers that pitch in the majors.