MLB Player News

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Judge will make his Grapefruit League debut Saturday against the Astros, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

Judge has been healthy early on in camp, but the Yankees wanted to ease him into game action this spring after he played 172 games between the regular season and postseason in 2024. The two-time MVP is slated to play right field and bat second for the Yankees this season.

Kochanowicz was unable to start Thursday's Cactus League game against the Cubs as planned due to an illness, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Kochanowicz has been sick this week, and while the Angels were holding out hope he could be ready to take the ball Thursday, he's not up to it yet. Caden Dana will draw the start for the Halos instead. Kochanowicz has already made one start this spring and should be ready to pitch again in a few days. He's competing for the final spot in the Angels rotation.

Lugo (hand) will start in left field and bat fifth in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Cubs, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Lugo didn't play after Aug. 2 this past season due to a hand injury, but he received an invitation to big-league spring training and hasn't shown any signs of being limited during camp. He'll be playing in his fourth Cactus League game Thursday after going 4-for-9 with an RBI through his first three contests. The 23-year-old outfielder is one of the Angels' top prospects, but he has yet to make his MLB debut and doesn't appear to be a serious candidate for the Opening Day roster.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Thursday that Westburg hasn't played since Saturday due to lower-back soreness, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

The Orioles expect Westburg to be ready to go in a few days, so fantasy managers shouldn't be too concerned about his recent absence from the spring lineup. Westburg put up a .792 OPS with 18 home runs and six stolen bases in 107 regular-season contests for Baltimore in 2024. He's expected to serve as the club's everyday third baseman in 2025.

Muncy will start at shortstop and bat eighth in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Padres.

Muncy didn't make any appearances after Aug. 22 last season due to an unspecified injury, but he looks to be back to full health for spring training. The 22-year-old shortstop prospect has gone hitless with one walk over five plate appearances through his first three Cactus League games. Muncy is expected to open the upcoming season at Triple-A Las Vegas.

Manager A.J. Hinch said that Baez (hip) will make his Grapefruit League debut Friday against the Blue Jays as the Tigers' designated hitter, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

The hope is that he'll be ready to play the field next week. Baez underwent a right hip labral repair last September and has been a bit behind schedule early on in camp, but he is expected to be ready to go for Opening Day. The veteran infielder is likely in store for a reduced role this season with Trey Sweeney expected to serve as the Tigers' primary shortstop.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Thursday that Vierling is recovering from a right shoulder injury, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Vierling hasn't played since Sunday, though it's unclear if he suffered the injury in the Tigers' Grapefruit League game that day or if he had been nursing the shoulder injury heading into the contest. The Tigers are expected to provide more details on Vierling's injury Friday. Vierling is expected to be a regular for the Tigers this season, with most of his playing time likely to come between right field and third base.

Miller (finger) will start Thursday's Cactus League game against the Giants.

Miller missed his final start of the 2024 season due to a blister on his right index finger, but the injury didn't affect his offseason training program. He'll take the hill for his first outing of the spring and will have a firm grasp on a starting spot in a talented Seattle rotation heading into Opening Day. Over his 31 starts covering 180.1 innings this past season, Miller turned in a 2.94 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 171:45 K:BB.

Harvey threw a scoreless inning in his spring debut Tuesday and says he's fully healthy after a back injury prevented him from pitching in the postseason, the Kansas City Star reports. "Last year was tough," Harvey said. "It didn't feel good to rotate, which is kind of the main thing we need to be able to do. We just couldn't get it to ever calm down."

Harvey met with specialists is in the offseason and the back issue was determined just to be tightness. He delayed his normal offseason throwing program by a month to aid his recovery and appears to be back to regular strength. Harvey will be a key setup man ahead of Lucas Erceg and Carlos Estevez this season, assuming he can stay healthy.

Holliday has been working on his footwork at second base with Orioles guest coach Brian Roberts, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Roberts and Holliday are both former shortstops who have made the move to second base, and the 21-year-old is still getting a handle on some of the intricacies of his footwork on the other side of the second-base bag. Holliday has referred to Roberts' tutelage as "very helpful," with his new setup helping the accuracy and quickness of his throws. Roberts has also helped Holliday with his baserunning as the young infielder looks to steal more bases in 2025. Holliday is the heavy favorite to open the season as the Orioles' primary second baseman.