MLB Player News

Rengifo (hamstring) will start at third base and bat third in Wednesday's split-squad Cactus League game against the Cubs, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

He'll be making his spring debut Wednesday after a bout with left hamstring tightness kept Rengifo behind the Angels' other healthy position players during the early stages of camp. Rengifo still has plenty of time to get enough at-bats in during Cactus League games to guarantee his availability for Opening Day, and he could find himself in a prominent lineup spot to begin the regular season. Per Fletcher, manager Ron Washington said Feb. 22 that he views Rengifo as a candidate to serve as the Angels' leadoff hitter.

Edman (wrist) resumed playing catch and hitting off a tee Tuesday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

The rehab progress of Edman's right wrist has been slow and inconsistent, so the Cardinals had shut him down for a while after he reported more pain. The plan is for Edman to get back to hitting soft-toss pitching relatively soon, though a clearer timeline for his return to the lineup likely won't come until he faces live pitching again. If Edman isn't ready to go by Opening Day, Dylan Carlson would be in line to begin the season as St. Louis' center fielder.

Rengifo (hamstring) is expected to see some at-bats in one of Wednesday's split-squad games, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

The 27-year-old has been dealing with a hamstring issue the past couple weeks but is now poised to make his spring debut Wednesday. Rengifo had a .783 OPS with 16 homers in 126 games last season and should see action all across the diamond for the Halos in 2024.

Guillorme is dealing with quad soreness and is expected to be back in games soon, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Tuesday.

Guillorme has not played in a spring game since Feb. 28. Despite this, he has been taking ground balls during batting practice. The 29-year-old signed with Atlanta on a one year contract in January, adding depth to the team's infield.

Urias (shoulder) is starting at third base and batting seventh for the Mariners in Tuesday's Cactus League contest against the Rangers, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.

Urias has started some games at designated hitter, but this is his first time playing the field this spring as he comes back from right shoulder soreness. The shoulder still isn't 100 percent, per Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, but the Mariners evidently feel it's good enough to test things out in a game. There had been some concern that Urias might not be ready in time for Opening Day, but it now would appear he should be OK if he can avoid setbacks. Urias is slated to see starts at the hot corner for the M's, perhaps sharing the position with Josh Rojas.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday that McNeil (biceps) is feeling "a lot better" and could return to Grapefruit League games soon, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

McNeil has been battling some left biceps soreness but did not require an MRI, and it sounds like he's almost put the injury in the rearview mirror. The 31-year-old also has a partial UCL tear in the elbow of the same arm, which surely factors into the team taking extra precaution. McNeil is slated to be the club's primary second baseman in 2024.

Foscue started at designated hitter and went 2-for-4 with a double in Monday's spring game against the Angels.

Foscue ripped his third double of the spring and is 7-for-20 over eight Cactus League games. His 21 plate appearances this spring are second on the club, which suggests the Rangers are giving him an audition for the roster. Foscue was listed as the primary DH on the first two projected Opening Day rosters assembled by Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. There is not a clear path to playing time as a position player, partially due to his limited range and a fringy arm; therefore, DH is the best bet for Foscue. He's hit well in the upper minors and drew more walks (85) than strikeouts (70) in 2023, which suggests he could handle MLB pitching.

Drury is slashing .125/.263/.125 with an RBI and a 2:7 BB:K through 18 Cactus League plate appearances.

Both of Drury's hits so far have been singles, and he's struck out in over one-third of his plate appearances. The slow start shouldn't be a major concern, however, given his veteran status and recent regular-season consistency. Drury is coming off back-to-back solid campaigns in which he hit a combined 54 homers and drove in a combined 170 runs. He's slated for an everyday role in the Angels' infield again this season and should be among the team's primary sources of power.

Villar is day-to-day after X-rays on his left hand came back negative, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Villar had to be removed from Monday's contest against the Rockies after being hit on the left hand by a pitch, but he's managed to escape with merely a bruise. The 27-year-old is competing for a reserve infielder job with the Giants this spring.

Villar was removed from Monday's Cactus League contest against the Rockies after being hit on the left hand by a pitch, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Villar was struck by a Peter Lambert offering in the sixth inning and walked off the field with the trainer. This could just be a precaution since his day was likely close to over, anyway, but it's unclear at this point whether he might require X-rays.