MLB Player News

Moore (foot) exercised the opt-out clause in his minor-league contract Thursday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

The Phillies will have 48 hours to add Moore to their 40-man roster or he'll become a free agent Saturday. Moore was removed from Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta with a bruised foot, but manager Rob Thomson downplayed the injury after the contest. The 33-year-old Moore has slashed .172/.265/.207 with one extra-base hit, four RBI, four runs scored, two stolen bases and a 3:8 BB:K across 34 plate appearances this spring. He's competing for a utility job.

The Dodgers selected Espinal's contract from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

Espinal signed a minor-league contract with Los Angeles in mid-February, and after dominating in spring training to the tune of a .389/.432/.639 slash line to go with two homers, 13 RBI and 12 runs scored through 15 contests, he's now officially claimed a spot on the team's Opening Day roster. The 31-year-old's clearest path to playing time early in the year will be in a short-side platoon role at second base, as Tommy Edman is expected to miss the first month of the regular season while recovering from ankle surgery. Once Edman returns, Espinal will likely be relegated to a bench role while Edman and Hyeseong Kim split reps at the keystone.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Moore was lifted from Wednesday's Grapefruit League game versus Atlanta in the top of the fifth inning due to a bruised foot, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Thomson downplayed any concern about the injury, noting that Moore was removed from the game mostly as a precaution shortly after fouling a ball off his foot. The 33-year-old signed a minor-league deal with the Phillies over the winter and is in the mix for a utility spot on the Opening Day roster.

Urias (elbow) will start at third base and bat third in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

Urias will make his return to the St. Louis spring lineup for the first time since March 9, after he had been temporarily held out of action due to elbow soreness. The Cardinals' willingness to deploy him in the infield rather than at designated hitter in his return suggests that the elbow issue is no longer affecting his throwing. Urias is likely to serve as a utility infielder for the Cardinals, with most of his starts expected to come against left-handed pitching when St. Louis is at full strength.

Edman (ankle) has continued to ramp up his running progression and is also taking on-field batting practice, per MLB.com.

Edman seems to be making steady progress in his recovery from right ankle surgery. He's already been ruled out for Opening Day, though it's possible that he could be ready to join the Dodgers before the end of April. Edman is eventually slated to start at second base this season, and while he's out that position could be manned by Hyeseong Kim, Miguel Rojas, Alex Freeland or a combination of that trio.

Padres manager Craig Stammen said Sunday that Song (oblique) has resumed swinging a bat, per 97.3 The Fan.

Stammen mentioned that Song "took some swings...off the tee" Friday and that he would subsequently continue a hitting progression. The manager also indicated that the team hopes to get Song into some games before the end of spring training, though even in that case it's not certain that the South Korean slugger will be ready for Opening Day. Song initially hurt his oblique in January and then aggravated the issue in early March, so San Diego is likely to be cautious in the pacing of his recovery schedule.

Semien went 1-for-2 with a home run and three RBI in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.

Facing one of his former clubs, Semien drove a cutter from minor leaguer Grant Rogers over the left-field fence in the first inning. It was the veteran second baseman's second homer of the spring, but Semien hasn't exactly been locked in at the plate in camp, batting .172 (5-for-29) in 11 games with a 1:9 BB:K. After posting a career-low .669 OPS for the Rangers in 2025, the Mets are hoping Semien can rebound in a new environment while providing his usual strong defense, but the 35-year-old hasn't produced a hard-hit rate above the 26th percentile since 2021. There simply may not be much juice left to squeeze out of his bat.

The Pirates optioned Valdez to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.

Valdez was limited to just 102 plate appearances with the Pirates in 2025 before suffering a season-ending dislocated left shoulder in May, but after playing in the Dominican Winter League during the offseason, he received a clean bill of health heading into the spring. Despite offering the ability to play multiple infield positions, Valdez status as a left-handed hitter likely limited his appeal as a bench bat for the Pirates. Valdez will get the chance to play regularly at Indianapolis to begin the season and could emerge as a strong-side platoon option for the Pirates at some point in 2026 if Pittsburgh loses an everyday infielder to an injury.

Kim (finger) arrived at spring training Monday and said that he's been cleared to take part in fielding drills, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

After suffering a torn tendon in his right middle finger in an offseason accident, Kim underwent surgery Jan. 18 to address the injury and is facing an estimated recovery timeline of 4-to-5 months. Because he's mostly been limited to rehab work for the first two months post-surgery, Kim stayed home for the beginning of camp, but he's now far enough along in his recovery to start working out with the team again and increasing his baseball activities. Kim has yet to resume swinging a bat, which will be the major hurdle that he will need to clear before embarking on a rehab assignment. Once he's ready to return from the injured list, Kim is expected to take over as Atlanta's everyday shortstop, but Mauricio Dubon will likely fill those duties for at least the first month and a half of the season.

The Mets reassigned Bae to minor-league camp Sunday.

Briefly a member of the Mets' 40-man roster in the offseason after being claimed off waivers in November, Bae was outrighted in January and attended spring training as a non-roster invitee. Despite posting an .871 OPS in Grapefruit League play, Bae was unable to secure a spot on the Opening Day roster. He should get the chance to play regularly at Triple-A Syracuse.