MLB Player News

Basallo (abdomen) believes he'll be ready to return to Grapefruit League play this weekend, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Basallo was pulled from Thursday's game against the Tigers due to right-side abdominal discomfort, but he thinks it was merely cramping and imaging was deemed unnecessary. Consider the young slugger day-to-day.

An MRI on Lewis' right side came back negative, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Lewis had to be scratched from Thursday's Grapefruit League lineup against the Pirates due to tightness in his side, but he has managed to sidestep a serious injury. The Twins are likely to keep Lewis out of game action for at least a few days to be safe, but he should be considered day-to-day.

Dingler (elbow) is batting fifth as the designated hitter in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

The 27-year-old catcher is coming back from arthroscopic surgery in January on his right elbow, and he's still working through his throwing progression. Dingler has been fully participating in all other baseball activities, so he'll enter the lineup Friday as the DH. He could gain full clearance within the next week and should be good to go for the start of the regular season.

Crochet allowed one hit and one walk over two scoreless innings in Thursday's spring start against the Rays.

Crochet made his Grapefruit League debut, throwing 23 pitches (14 strikes) in his first step on the way to an Opening Day start. Other than a lack of strikeouts, it was an unremarkable outing for the left-hander, who led the majors in 2025 with 255 punchouts. He used most of his repertoire, including a splitter he'd like to use more of in 2026.

Griffin (foot) is starting at shortstop and batting eighth in Friday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Orioles.

Griffin was lifted from his last game Wednesday as a precaution after being hit on the foot by a pitch, but he's fine. This is the top prospect's first Grapefruit League start since he swatted a pair of home runs Tuesday against the Red Sox. Griffin is competing for the Pirates' Opening Day shortstop gig.

Rocker allowed two runs on five hits while striking out one over 2.2 innings in Thursday's spring start against the Brewers. He also hit a batter.

There was much to like about Rocker's second Cactus League outing. He threw first-pitch strikes to seven of 13 batters and worked out of trouble in the first two innings. Getting ahead early and more use of his changeup have been areas that manager Skip Schumaker is looking for Rocker to focus on. The manager saw the strike-throwing Thursday, but the right-hander did not throw a changeup. "He's still continuing to try and develop," Schumaker told Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. "He needs that pitch to be successful. That's why I don't really care so much about the results. We all want to see that changeup." Rocker needs to pitch well during spring training to earn a spot in the rotation, but he also needs more in his arsenal than just a slider and fastball.

Simpson (hamstring) is starting in left field and batting sixth in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 25-year-old is making his first start of spring training Friday after recovering from left hamstring tightness. Simpson showed off his two-category upside in 109 games as a rookie last season with a .295 batting average and 44 stolen bases, but his stats were otherwise underwhelming with 53 runs scored, 26 RBI and no home runs.

Halpin made an adjustment to his swing during the offseason, designed to shorten his movement and repeatability, Joe Noga of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Halpin, who belted a three-run home run in Thursday's spring game against Seattle, is competing for a role in the outfield with several others. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt described the swing adjustment as significant. "He's got some power," Vogt said. "But (we want him to) just be able to hit the ball all over the field and be able to repeat the move a lot more." Halpin made a brief impression during a late-season call-up in 2025, serving as a defensive replacement and a baserunning weapon during Cleveland's drive for the postseason. The 23-year-old will need to show significant improvement with his bat to put himself in contention for more than a bench role, however.

Fairchild departed training camp and will compete in the World Baseball Classic for Chinese Tapei, Joe Noga of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Fairchild appeared in three games prior to leaving camp and remains in the mix for a spot in the outfield. He's gone 2-for-7 with two runs scored in Cactus League competition.

Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said Martinez will primarily focus on the outfield, particularly center field, during spring action, Joe Noga of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Martinez bounced between second base and the outfield in 2025 and will still be a versatile asset going forward, but the plan during Cactus League games is for him to be out on the grass rather than the dirt. All three of Martinez's spring appearances have come in center field, including Thursday's contest against Seattle in which he belted a double and drew a walk. There are a lot of moving parts in the Guardians' outfield, but Martinez could still land a regular gig in center.