MLB Player News

Blanco is day-to-day with right Achilles tightness after getting scratched from Monday's game against the Athletics.

Joey Wiemer got the start in center field in Blanco's absence Monday. Wiemer and Blanco are competing in camp for a bench outfielder role.

Stanton (elbows) returned to New York for further consultation and testing, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Stanton won't be participating in baseball activities in the near future, and teammate Aaron Judge indicated Monday that he just wants a healthy Stanton "in the middle of the season." Given that it doesn't sound like the team has a great handle on Stanton's pain in both elbows and Judge's quotes Monday, fantasy managers should consider Stanton out indefinitely. Stanton's absence opens up an opportunity for someone like Ben Rice, Oswaldo Cabrera, Everson Pereira or J.C. Escarra to earn more playing time early in the season.

Bello (shoulder) is expected to be ready for the start of the season, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

This is a fluid situation, as Bello has been throwing from 90 feet and will need to avoid any setbacks, but he's at least more likely to be ready than teammate Kutter Crawford (knee), per Abraham's report. Lucas Giolito (elbow) is also expected to be ready for the start of the season.

Crawford (knee) is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

Per the same report, Brayan Bello (shoulder) and Lucas Giolito (elbow) are on track to be ready for the start of the season, which gives clarity for projecting Boston's rotation. Crawford is dealing with patellar tendon soreness and is unlikely to be able to build up in time. He seems likely to open the year on the 15-day injured list.

Blanco was scratched from Monday's lineup against the Athletics.

It's unclear what the reason was for Blanco's removal from the lineup less than two hours before first pitch, but in the spring, healthy scratches are more common than in the regular season. Joey Wiemer will start in center field and bat eighth.

Roden went 2-for-2 with a walk, two doubles, a run scored and an RBI in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox.

Getting the start in left field and hitting fifth in a lineup with no projected Opening Day starters, Roden made a quick impact by lacing a two-bagger off Garrett Crochet to lead off the second inning. Roden would likely need an injury or two in the Blue Jays' outfield to begin the year on the 26-man roster, but the 25-year-old appears ready to make his big-league debut after slashing .314/.406/.510 over 70 games for Triple-A Buffalo in 2024.

Silseth (elbow) allowed four runs (three earned) on two hits and two walks while striking out one batter over 1.1 innings Sunday in a Cactus League contest against Cleveland.

Silseth ended last season on the minor-league injured list and underwent right elbow surgery in early August. He struggled in his first game action this spring, giving up a Steven Kwan solo homer on the first pitch he threw and allowing the following four batters to reach base (though one was due to an Angels error). Silseth was pulled after recording just one out, but under spring training rules, he was allowed to come back out for the next frame and looked much better, retiring the side in order. Still, it wasn't a promising beginning to the exhibition slate for the right-hander, who is competing for a rotation spot this spring. If Silseth is unable to win that battle, he could end up in the big-league bullpen or at Triple-A to begin the campaign.

Bautista (elbow) will throw one more live batting practice session this week before getting into a spring training game, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Bautista threw 25 pitches in a live batting practice session Sunday and will throw to hitters again either Wednesday or Thursday. The next step could be his Grapefruit League debut, perhaps in the first week of March. He still has to hit these checkpoints, but Bautista's recovery appears on track for him to be Baltimore's closer at the start of the season.

Caglianone hit a 435-foot home run with a 115.4 mph exit velocity in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the White Sox, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, Caglianone has at least 70-grade raw power and is in his first big-league camp. The Royals coaches were very complimentary of Caglianone, who is working on not swinging as hard as he can every time, and letting his natural raw power do the work while chasing less. If he can develop even just a 50-grade hit tool, Caglianone could annually be among the league leaders in home runs. He is likely to open the year at Double-A, but from there, he'll climb as quickly and as far as his talent takes him.

Gausman threw live batting practice Sunday and will do one more such session before making his first spring start, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Gausman is seemingly a little behind the rest of the Jays starters, as Easton Lucas is currently working in Gausman's spot in the Jays' Grapefruit League rotation. It sounds like Gausman is on track to potentially make his first spring start next week. He showed up to camp intentionally carrying more weight because he says he loses weight throughout the MLB season and wanted to better hold up over the full season. In 2024, he had his lowest strikeout rate (21.4 percent) since 2018 and his highest walk rate (7.4 percent) since 2017.