MLB Player News

Mountcastle (neck) expects to play in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

A return for Tuesday's exhibition had been mentioned as a possibility, though that was seen as a best-case scenario after Mountcastle reported neck stiffness over the weekend. He will instead stay back and take live batting practice to prepare for his return to action Wednesday. The 27-year-old has had a bit of a slow spring with a .592 OPS in nine games, but he appears on track to be ready for Opening Day and still projects to see a lot of playing time at DH to begin the season.

Schanuel (back) was evaluated further after being scratched from Monday's exhibition against the Brewers, and he was told by trainers that it's not serious, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The Angels can breathe a sigh of relief as Schanuel appears to have avoided a significant injury. The team figures to closely monitor the 22-year-old over the next few days to ensure he's ready to go for Opening Day.

Smith seems likely to make the Cubs' Opening Day roster, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, and he now has less competition with Matt Mervis getting optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Sunday.

Smith would give Chicago a left-handed power bat off the bench as well as a veteran option should Michael Busch falter at first base. It may not be a fantasy-friendly role right away, but Smith could have more value down the road if his playing time increases. The 28-year-old hit 12 home runs across 153 games with Washington last season to go along with a .254 batting average.

Schanuel was scratched from the Angels' Cactus League lineup Monday against the Brewers because of back tightness, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Schanuel had been slated to play first base against the Brewers but will be replaced by Miguel Sano. Consider the 22-year-old day-to-day for the time being.

Horwitz is batting .138 (4-for-29) with his only extra-base hit being a double through 12 Grapefruit League games.

The 26-year-old came into camp with a chance to win a spot on the Toronto bench as a left-handed complement to Vladimir Guerrero at first base and Justin Turner at DH, but Horwitz has done little to secure the gig. The organization's subsequent moves to bring in Daniel Vogelbach and Joey Votto suggest Horwitz is headed for some minor-league seasoning. He slashed .337/.450/.495 over 107 games for Triple-A Buffalo last year, and his 6:7 BB:K this spring reflects his strong plate discipline, but he'll need to make more consistent hard contact to have much of a big-league future.

The Guardians reassigned Manzardo to minor-league camp Monday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Manzardo is one of the Guardians' top prospects and was given the chance to compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster, but despite slashing .381/.458/.476 over his 13 Cactus League appearances, the Cleveland brass determined that he could use some more development time in the minors. After coming over from the Rays last summer in a deadline deal that sent right-hander Aaron Civale to Tampa Bay, the 23-year-old got on base at a .348 clip at Triple-A Columbus and slugged six home runs in 92 plate appearances, showing the blend of power and on-base skills that could make him a mainstay at first base for the big club for years to come. However, against lefties, Manzardo slashed just .161/.269/.330 between his Triple-A stops with Columbus and Durham, so mastering same-handed pitching may be the final box that he needs to check before getting his first taste of the big leagues.

Tellez (back) will start at first base and bat sixth for the Pirates in Monday's spring contest versus the Phillies, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Tellez was scratched from the Grapefruit League lineup over the weekend with a minor back issue, but he's fine. The 29-year-old is slated to be the Pirates' primary first baseman against right-handed pitching this season.

Isaac hit two home runs in Saturday's Spring Breakout game, an 8-8 tie against Minnesota, despite being limited to DH this spring due to a sore ankle, MLB.com reports. His second home run had an exit velocity of 110.4 mph.

It doesn't sound like an injury to be worried about for the regular season. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound lefty slugger has huge raw power, but he didn't sell out for it in his first full pro season, logging a 21 percent strikeout rate at Single-A and at High-A. He hit 19 home runs with a .916 OPS between the two levels. Isaac could be big-league ready in a year or two, and the main question is whether he will be platooned at the highest level since he had a .697 OPS in 94 plate appearances against southpaws.

The Nationals reassigned Diaz to minor-league camp Sunday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Diaz signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals in late December. He had a .804 OPS with 17 home runs over 118 games for the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate but saw no time in the majors during the 2023 season.

Votto was removed from Sunday's Grapefruit League game as a precaution after rolling his right ankle in the dugout, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Votto clubbed a solo homer on the first pitch he saw from Zack Wheeler before the dugout accident prompted an early exit from his spring debut. It doesn't appear to be a serious issue, so the veteran slugger could be back on the field in the next few days.