MLB Player News

Dubon practiced Saturday for the first time since being hospitalized in late February for an intestinal illness, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Dubon remains a few days away from getting game action, though manager Craig Counsell has been optimistic that he'll be good to go by the start of the Triple-A season. He played just 27 games at that level last season he was being shut down with a torn ACL, but a run of games with good health could put him in position for a callup later in the season in the event of an injury on the big-league club.

Urias (hamstrings) remains out of the lineup for Saturday's Cactus League game against the Reds.

Urias has been held out of games the past few days with general fatigue in both hamstrings, an issue that first surfaced Tuesday. The rookie remains on track to be back to full strength for Opening Day after taking some time off to heal.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Hoerner is "showing pretty well" this spring, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com reports.

Hoerner has three hits in four Cactus League at-bats, and Maddon said he's impressed with the 21-year-old's approach at the plate and added that he's "not far off" from the majors. A first-round pick out of Stanford in last year's draft, Hoerner will likely start the season at Low-A or High-A but could move up the ladder quickly if he plays well.

Gimenez went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins.

The blast, his first of the spring, came off minor-league arm Nick Anderson, but it was still a strong performance from Gimenez. The Mets' No. 2 fantasy prospect has been getting extra playing time with Amed Rosario (hand) on the shelf, but Gimenez has no chance of breaking camp with the big-league club after reaching Double-A for the first time late last season as a 19-year-old, slashing .277/.344/.358 over 37 games for Binghamton.

McNeil went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins.

A minor wrist injury briefly derailed his preparations for the season, but McNeil seemed 100 percent Friday in slugging his first homer of the spring. He got the start in left field in this one, but the Mets plan on having him split time between the outfield and third base for the rest of camp with Jed Lowrie (knee) and Todd Frazier (oblique) both looking iffy for Opening Day.

The Astros scratched Altuve (side) from the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

It's the second time in three days that Altuve has been listed in Houston's lineup before being scratched as a result of left side soreness. Manager AJ Hinch suggested Saturday that he's unconcerned with Altuve's injury and labeled the star second baseman as day-to-day. With Opening Day just under three weeks away, Altuve has plenty of time to put the injury behind him and erase any lingering doubt about his ability to handle an everyday role.

Rosario (hand) remains out of the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Luis Guillorme will garner the starting nod at shortstop while Rosario gets another day off to recover from a sore left hand. The Mets are likely just playing things safe with Rosario, who was cleared of any structural damage to the hand when he was struck by a pitch in Monday's exhibition against the Rays.

Altuve (side) is likely to play Saturday against the Cardinals, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Both Altuve and Alex Bregman are back on the travel roster, which means they are expected to play. Altuve suffered his injury Wednesday and was held out the last two days as a precaution. Manager AJ Hinch said both could have suited up Friday, but it wasn't worth the risk.

Merrifield went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run Friday night against the Dodgers.

Merrifield clubbed his first long ball of spring training in the fifth inning, putting the Royals out in front 4-3. The 30-year-old hit for average in 2018 (.304) but his power numbers noticeably declined from his 2017 season. He belted 12 homers and 60 RBI through 158 games last year compared to 19 home runs and 78 RBI in 145 contests in 2017.

Mathias (head) appears to be just fine after getting hit in the helmet with a pitch Friday against San Francisco, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

It's always alarming when a player gets plunked on or around their head, although Mathias managed to walk away unscathed. He's expected to be fine moving forward, although the Indians may monitor him closely as a precaution.