MLB Player News

Drury, who fouled a ball off his calf Friday, is not in Saturday's lineup against the Rangers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

He was expected to be in Saturday's lineup, so his absence suggests the team is either being extra careful and/or Drury's calf was hurting more than anticipated. It seems like a day-to-day situation until further notice.

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

Getting the start at second base and hitting second, Garcia launched a wind-aided shot to the opposite field in the third inning off Hunter Brown. The 22-year-old infielder remains a big part of the Nationals' rebuild despite his initial struggles in the majors, and he's looked good at the plate this spring, going 11-for-37 (.297) with two doubles, two homers and a 3:5 BB:K.

Polanco's availability for Opening Day could be in question, as he has not played in a spring training game while working his way back from last season's knee injury, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said earlier in the week that Polanco was on track for Opening Day, but manager Rocco Baldelli was more evasive Friday and said he would have an update in a few days. Polanco missed the final month of last season and has been doing back-field work, but it's getting late enough in spring training that his absence from even a minor-league spring game is cause for concern.

Altuve is 2-for-14 with six strikeouts in Cactus League action.

Altuve has away been away from the team to play for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, but he struggled prior to his departure. He has also gone just 2-for-12 for Team Venezuela to this point in the tournament. Altuve's track record of excellent production certainly outweighs his slow start to the exhibition season, though it would be reassuring to see him collect a few knocks once he returns to camp for the Astros.

Angels manager Phil Nevin said Drury left Friday's game with a tightened calf but will return to the lineup Saturday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Drury fouled a ball off his calf, and it tightened up on him in the third inning. It sounds like Drury has avoided a significant injury.

Drury has left Friday's Cactus League game against the Royals for undisclosed reasons, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Drury was replaced by Jose Gomez after being seen limping after he exited the field. There should be an update on his status by the end of Friday's game.

Villar (hip) is in line to return to Cactus League play Saturday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Villar will have missed about a week of action with a left hip flexor strain. He's struggled so far this spring, going 1-for-14 with eight strikeouts and no walks, but he'll have time to sharpen up ahead of Opening Day. Villar is in line to be the Giants' primary third baseman.

Ibanez (finger) has been cleared for baseball activities and will work out with the Tigers on Friday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Ibanez was given clearance to ramp things up following an MRI on Thursday. It's uncertain when he might be ready to return to game action, but after getting injured in the first week of March, his chances of making the Opening Day roster haven't been helped by the missed time.

Rosario is batting .292 (7-for-24) through nine Cactus League games.

It's business as usual for Rosario, who will be the Guardians' primary shortstop to begin 2023. He posted a positive defensive runs saved (six) for the first time in 2022, so any lingering concerns about his overall game appear to be behind him. He also slashed .283/.312/.403 with 11 home runs, 18 stolen bases, 71 RBI and 86 runs scored in 153 contests last year, emerging as a steady presence in the No. 2 spot in the order.

Marte is batting .154 (2-for-13) with one double, three walks, one RBI and one run scored over five spring games.

Marte is currently at the World Baseball Classic as part of Team Dominican Republic. When he returns to MLB action, the 29-year-old will be Arizona's primary second baseman. After a brief dalliance as a center fielder, the Diamondbacks decided to move him back to the keystone due to injuries that were perceived as a result of him playing the outfield. As an infielder in 2022, Marte played 137 games, but his .728 OPS was his lowest output since 2016.