Semien (illness) will start at second base and bat leadoff in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Giants.

Semien was scratched from the lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Reds after falling victim to a stomach bug, but he appears to have made enough strides in his recovery overnight to return to action. He's gotten off to a slow start at the dish during Cactus League play, recording six hits in 32 at-bats.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said that Durbin has been out of the Cactus League lineup since Saturday after the 25-year-old infielder was struck in the forearm by a foul ball over the weekend, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The Brewers aren't overly concerned about the injury, with Murphy noting that X-rays on Durbin's forearm returned negative. Durbin could have played in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Cubs if needed, but the Brewers instead opted to take advantage of Wednesday's off day to give him some extra time to heal. If he's able to play Thursday against the White Sox, Durbin will look to build momentum in his bid to win a spot on the Opening Day roster. He's flashed power (two home runs) and speed (two stolen bases) through his first 10 games this spring, but he's hitting just .172.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Thursday that Acuna is among the players who could step into larger roles in the infield with Jeff McNeil (oblique) expected to begin the season on the injured list, SNY.tv reports.

Mendoza also listed Brett Baty, Donovan Walton and Luis De Los Santos as candidates to help replace McNeil, though Walton and De Los Santos are attending spring training as non-roster invitees and may be less likely than Acuna and Baty to break camp with the big club. After getting a call-up from Triple-A Syracuse last September, Acuna exclusively filled in at shortstop for an injured Francisco Lindor and hit .308 with three home runs in 40 plate appearances to close out the regular season, but he made all seven of his postseason appearances at the keystone while McNeil was recovering from a fractured wrist. Acuna has dabbled at both middle-infield spots as well as third base during Grapefruit League play, but expect most of his reps to come at the keystone for the rest of the spring as he looks to solidify himself as the top option at the position until McNeil returns.

Manager Carlos Mendoza announced Thursday that McNeil is recovering from a low-grade right oblique strain and will be out for 3-to-4 weeks, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

After missing time late last season with a wrist injury, McNeil reported to camp at full health and was poised to begin the 2025 season as the Mets' everyday second baseman until he presumably suffered the oblique strain earlier this week. Mendoza said that McNeil will be shut down from baseball activities for the next 7-to-10 days, and the 32-year-old will then need about two or three weeks to complete a hitting progression before being ready to make his season debut. With McNeil potentially headed for a stint on the 15-day injured list, Luisangel Acuna could be in line to open the season as the Mets' primary option at the keystone.

Atlanta reassigned Leblanc to minor-league camp Thursday.

Leblanc faced an uphill battle to make the roster out of spring training. He fared reasonably well in the Grapefruit League, going 5-for-16 with a home run and a steal, but it wasn't enough to break camp with the big club. The 28-year-old will likely open the season at Triple-A Gwinnett after spending most of last season with Triple-A Salt Lake in the Angels organization.

Drury has a chance to earn a roster spot with the White Sox to begin the regular season, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Drury had a poor 2024 season, but he had previously posted consecutive campaigns with at least an .800 OPS. He has hit well this spring by collecting nine hits across 30 at-bats, including one home run and five doubles. Drury is likely to be a bench bat even if he makes the roster, though he's an option to keep an eye on with so many unproven options in the White Sox's lineup.

Eeles will begin the season on the Triple-A injured list after undergoing offseason surgery to address a cartilage issue, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Eeles signed with the Twins for $500 out of an independent league last year and then rose quickly from Low-A to Triple-A during the season. He hit .307/.435/.497 with 12 home runs and 41 stolen bases between three levels and hit .299 with a .919 OPS at Triple-A. It was the first season in the minors for the Cedarville University graduate, so he could be a late bloomer at age 25 if healthy.

Gonzales is expected to serve as the Pirates' primary second baseman in 2025, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Gonzales got his first prolonged look in the majors in 2024 and held his own by posting a 94 wRC+ and .709 OPS. That performance combined with his prospect pedigree sets him up as a key contributor for the 2025 season, with the majority of his playing time likely coming at second base. Across 28 plate appearances this spring, Gonzales has struck out only 14.3 percent of the time, though that's also come with just two extra-base hits.

The Reds returned Rule 5 pick Bowman to the Athletics on Wednesday.

Bowman, 25, went just 3-for-25 at the plate for Cincinnati this spring. He will likely open the 2025 season at Triple-A Las Vegas, where he had just a .592 OPS over 38 contests in 2024.

Rengifo (hamstring) will get some at-bats in during a minor-league game Wednesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Rengifo will not play the field or run the bases as he recovers from a hamstring issue, but playing in the minor-league game will allow him to get his timing down at the plate. The switch hitter has not been ruled out for Opening Day, but between him being eased into camp following last season's wrist surgery and the more recent hamstring issue, he's played in just one Cactus League game thus far.