MLB Player News

Polanco (knee) will start at designated hitter Monday against the Guardians in his Cactus League debut, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.

Polanco underwent surgery last October to repair the patellar tendon of his left knee. While he hasn't had any known restrictions in Mariners camp, the club has held him out of Cactus League play until now, a tactic that isn't atypical for veteran players. Polanco is slated to be the Mariners' everyday third baseman this season.

Through eight Cactus League games, Bote has gone 10-for-20 with two home runs, two doubles, nine RBI, six runs and a 1:4 BB:K.

Bote has been given ample playing time this spring after he signed with Los Angeles on a minor-league deal in mid-December. The veteran utility man wasn't expected to have much of a chance at a roster spot, but he's doing all he can to put the onus on the Dodgers to find room for him given his scorching hitting in Cactus League play. Bote batted .304 over 48 plate appearances with the Cubs last year, though he didn't have any homers or stolen bases and struck out at a 27.1 percent clip. He's logged time in parts of six big-league campaigns and can play all over the infield as well as in the outfield, so Bote has plenty of defensive versatility to offer if he's able to claim a roster spot.

Bae suffered a hand injury during Sunday's spring game against the Tigers, but manager Derek Shelton downplayed the injury, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Bae jammed his hand while sliding into third base but doesn't appear to be facing a serious injury. The 25-year-old struggled in 29 big-league games last season with a .463 OPS and spent most of the campaign in the minors.

Black (back) is batting third as the designated hitter in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Guardians.

It's the first game action of the spring for Black, who suffered a minor back injury early in camp. The 24-year-old finished last season at Triple-A Nashville but received his first taste of the majors and had a .204/.316/.245 slash line and 29.8 percent strikeout rate in 57 plate appearances. He faces long odds to crack Milwaukee's Opening Day roster.

Kim went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, a walk and three total runs scored in Saturday's Cactus League win over the Giants.

Kim had been struggling mightily entering Saturday, collecting just one hit -- an infield single -- through 14 at-bats. However, he turned things around a bit against San Francisco with a solo home run to left field in the fifth inning. The Dodgers have been working with Kim to revamp his swing in order to try to unlock more power, which is likely at least partially responsible for his early-spring struggles. It's possible that the 25-year-old will begin the season in the minors to provide more time and less pressure for him to work on his swing mechanics.

Westburg (back) took some swings in the batting cage Sunday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old has been battling a sore back over the past week but has returned to light hitting and throwing over the past couple days. Assuming he's able to continue ramping up his baseball activities over the next few days, Westburg could return to game action before the end of the week.

Wisely is battling Casey Schmitt, Osleivis Basabe, Jake Lamb and Christian Koss for a utility role this spring, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Wisley is off to a strong start in spring training by hitting .462 (6-for-13) in seven games. He's likely behind Schmitt for the utility role, but the Giants may keep two backup infielders on the active roster.

Garcia was scratched from the lineup ahead of Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins with an illness, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Garcia showed up to the ballpark Saturday with a sore throat and fever and was sent home. Expect Garcia to be shelved for a couple days, but it doesn't appear to be any sort of long-term issue for the Nationals' second baseman. Darren Baker stepped into Saturday's lineup in place of Garcia.

Garcia was scratched from the lineup ahead of Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

It's unknown why Garcia was taken out of the starting nine, but the Nationals should offer some clarity in the near future. Darren Baker will step in to cover second base and bat sixth.

Manager Carlos Mendoza said that Acuna is fine after getting hit in the arm by a pitch in the second inning of Saturday's game, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The Mets will take another look at him Sunday, but it seems Acuna escaped the incident with nothing more than a bruise. In five games this spring, the 22-year-old infielder has gone 2-for-10 with an RBI, two runs scored and two stolen bases -- one of which came after he was plunked Saturday.