MLB Player News

Eeles left Sunday's spring training game against the Tigers due to left shoulder discomfort, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Eeles suffered the injury on a collision with teammate Enrique Bradfield in the outfield. Eeles is aiming to earn a bench spot on the big-league roster, so this injury certainly won't help his cause if it forces him to miss additional time. He can be considered day-to-day moving forward.

Mauricio went 0-for-2 with a stolen base in the Mets' Grapefruit League opener against the Marlins on Saturday.

After reaching on a throwing error by Connor Norby in the second inning, Mauricio promptly swiped second base. It was an encouraging sign for the 24-year-old infielder. Prior to missing the entire 2024 season after ACL surgery, Mauricio had gone 31-for-38 on the basepaths over 142 games in 2023 split between Triple-A Syracuse and the majors, and per Statcast he recorded a sprint speed in the 60th percentile. In his return last season, he went just 4-for-4 in 61 big-league games on steal attempts with a 15th percentile sprint speed. If Mauricio has regained his wheels and is more confident in the health of his knee a year further removed from surgery, he could make a surprising impact in the SB category if he's able to earn consistent playing time.

McNeil (shoulder) will start at second base and bat sixth in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Guardians, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

McNeil will don an Athletics uniform for the first time after coming over from the Mets in a December trade. He underwent thoracic outlet surgery shortly after the conclusion of the 2025 regular season, with his agent later saying that the issue caused McNeil discomfort when he swung the bat late in the campaign. Entering his age-34 season, he figures to benefit from a big park upgrade moving from Queens to Sacramento.

Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said Saturday after the signing of Ramon Urias that the roster addition wouldn't "get in the way, substantively, for the opportunities for (Gorman)," Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The 25-year-old infielder is in line to be the team's primary third baseman in 2026, and that won't change even after Urias was brought aboard. Urias does offer a short-side platoon partner for the lefty-swinging Gorman and is also a superior defender, so he'll get reps versus lefties and could handle third base while Gorman is used at designated hitter. Gorman is looking to bounce back from a two-year drought at the plate, having slashed just .204/.284/.385 with a 35.7 percent strikeout rate over that stretch.

Sosa does not have a set defensive home entering the 2026 season and is on the White Sox's roster bubble, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Sosa started 99 games at second base and 42 at first base for the White Sox in 2025, and he was an exactly league-average hitter with a 100 wRC+ across 544 plate appearances. However, the emergence of Chase Meidroth and the signing of Munetaka Murakami will push Sosa out of those roles entering 2026. Also hurting Sosa is his lack of defensive value at any position, as he registered minus-10 defensive runs saved at second last season. Sosa is out of minor-league options.

Gimenez admitted he was still playing through pain at the end of last season after returning from a high-ankle sprain in August, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports. "Anyone who's had a high-ankle sprain," Gimenez said in camp this week, "they know."

The 27-year-old infielder was an overall disappointment in his first season with Toronto, slashing a career-worst .210/.285/.313 during the regular season and swiping just 12 bases after back-to-back 30-steal campaigns for Cleveland. Gimenez will shift to shortstop on a full-time basis in 2026, and while his defense should still be an asset, his ability to stay healthy and provide some value with his bat and legs would be a welcome sight in a Jays offense that will be adjusting to the offseason departure of Bo Bichette.

Garcia is out of the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against Houston due to left hamstring tightness, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

The Nationals are viewing Garcia as day-to-day, so it doesn't seem like he's dealing with anything too serious. The 25-year-old figures to open the season as Washington's primary second baseman, though he's also been taking reps at first base this spring.

Helman was scratched from Saturday's Cactus League game due to a groin/hip injury, Matthew Postins of SI.com reports.

Helman's injury isn't considered serious, as his removal from the starting lineup was deemed precautionary. Specifics regarding the injury are uncertain, but it's an issue in his groin or hip area. The 29-year-old appeared in 38 games with the Rangers last season, slashing .232/.290/.455 with five home runs and four stolen bases across 110 plate appearances.

Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said Saturday that the signing of Ramon Urias could lead to more playing time in the outfield for Fermin, Brian Murphy of MLB.com reports.

Fermin is an infielder by trade, but he's seen a bit of action in the outfield in the majors and at the Triple-A level. The 26-year-old slashed .283/.377/.417 in 70 appearances with the big club and .300/.428/.485 with a 45:25 BB:K at Triple-A Memphis in 2025. Fermin could see more of an opportunity at the big-league level in 2026 as the Cardinals go through a rebuild.

Keaschall (thumb) will start at second base and bat second in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox.

A left thumb injury ended Keaschall's 2025 season and required surgery in October, but he is ready to roll this spring. While he didn't flash a ton of over-the-fence pop as a rookie with four homers in 49 games, Keaschall displayed an intriguing combination of contact, gap power and speed. The 23-year-old projects as Minnesota's starting second baseman to begin 2026.