MLB Player News

Wisely (illness) will start in center field and bat sixth in Sunday's Cactus League game versus the Athletics, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Wisely will add another position to his skill set by getting a look in center field. The 23-year-old is gaining a lot of attention in spring training and has a chance to make the Giants' Opening Day roster as a bench bat. If he continues to play well, he could push for a strong-side platoon role, as manager Gabe Kapler is fond of playing matchups. Over the last two years, Wisely has seen time all around the infield and in left field as part of the Rays' organization.

Albies went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.

The second baseman golfed a Matt Manning pitch deep down the right-field line in the second inning. It was Albies' first homer of the spring and only his second hit in 15 at-bats, but his 2:2 BB:K doesn't suggest he's struggling. The 26-year-old played only 64 games last season due to multiple injuries, but he's healthy in camp and looking to regain the form that saw him post career-best fantasy numbers in 2021.

Rojas has been scratched from Sunday's Cactus League lineup against the Rockies for undisclosed reasons.

Rojas has been replaced in the lineup by Buddy Kennedy, who will hit seventh and play third base. There should be an update shortly as to why the veteran infielder is out of the lineup.

Massey (ankle) is starting at second base and batting seventh in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Guardians.

The 24-year-old suffered the ankle injury when he was hit by a pitch Wednesday, but he'll return to the lineup Sunday after taking a few days off. Massey is expected to begin 2023 as Kansas City's primary second baseman, though he may need to improve upon the .683 OPS he posted last season to retain the job for long.

Stefanic was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday.

Stefanic got a modest look in his first taste of MLB action last season, logging 69 plate appearances over 25 games. However, he managed a meager .197/.279/.230 slash line, well off the .314/.422/.425 line he posted at the Triple-A level. Stefanic is an extreme contact hitter but offers little in the way of power or speed, so he doesn't figure to ever be an impactful fantasy asset. The Angels have multiple infielders returning from injury this season and also added Brandon Drury and Gio Urshela in the offseason, so Stefanic faces a difficult path back to the big leagues.

Fermin (quad) was optioned Saturday to Triple-A Memphis, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Fermin is dealing with a quadriceps strain, but was likely to open the year in Triple-A regardless of the injury. The infielder was acquired from the Guardians in November and added to the 40-man roster immediately after. He provides the Cardinals with organizational depth up the middle of the infield.

Villar was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's game against the Dodgers due to left hip tightness, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

After hitting a promising .231/.331/.455 (albeit with a 32.0 percent strikeout rate) in 52 games as a rookie last season, Villar entered spring training with a good shot to carve out a regular role at third base. If his injury remains nothing worse than tightness and he's able to return to the field soon, he'll still be in the favorite to start at the hot corner, but if he's forced to hit the injured list, Wilmer Flores and J.D. Davis could earn a larger share of at-bats.

Oritz has been in the concussion protocol over the last few days after he was hit in the head by a batted ball, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Ortiz won't be able to return until he is not experiencing concussion symptoms. The shortstop prospect was added to the Orioles' 40-man roster in November after closing the season with a .320/.383/.534 slash line across 26 games with Triple-A Norfolk. He's likely to see much of his playing time at that level in 2023, though he could earn a midseason call-up to the majors if he plays well.

Turang went 3-for-8 (.375) with a double, an RBI, three runs, a walk and a stolen base over his last three exhibition appearances.

Turang racked up just a pair of singles over his first four games of the spring, but he got going a bit over the past week. Turang has a case to break camp with the big club, but given the glut of infielders on Milwaukee's 40-man roster, it seems most likely he will begin the season with Triple-A Nashville.

Semien went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in Friday's spring game against the Athletics.

Semien is batting .320 (8-for-25) with six runs scored over nine Cactus League contests. He fell off in all the major hitting categories in 2022, his first year with the Rangers, and he needs to bounce back in 2023 to justify the seven-year, $175 million investment Texas has in him.