MLB Player News
-
Taylor Walls 3B | TB
Rays' Taylor Walls: Scratched from lineup Sunday
Walls was removed from the lineup for Sunday's Grapefruit League game versus Pittsburgh due to oblique tightness, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Walls had been set to make his first spring appearance, which would have also been his first game action since early September of last year after he ended the campaign on the 60-day IL due to sports hernia surgery. Walls' removal from the lineup Sunday was precautionary, but the Rays figure to take a cautious approach to his return. Raynel Delgado has taken Walls' place at shortstop and in the leadoff spot against the Pirates.
-
Miles Mastrobuoni 3B | SEA
Mariners' Miles Mastrobuoni: Smacks grand slam in spring debut
Mastrobuoni went 2-for-2 with a double and a grand slam in Saturday's Cactus League matchup with the Giants.
It was a strong start to the spring for Mastrobuoni, who got the start in left field Saturday. He put the Mariners ahead early with his first-inning grand slam off Hayden Birdsong. Mastrobuoni, who hit just one home run while posting a .620 OPS in 175 plate appearances last season, has a shot to make Seattle's Opening Day roster as a bench option thanks to his positional versatility.
-
Taylor Walls 3B | TB
Rays' Taylor Walls: Making spring debut Sunday
Walls (sports hernia) will start at shortstop and bat leadoff in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Walls underwent sports hernia surgery in early September last year, ending his season after 101 games and 317 plate appearances. Despite a .195/.286/.298 career slash line over parts of five big-league seasons with the Rays, Walls may have the leg up on prospect Carson Williams for the starting job at shortstop thanks to his plus defense.
-
Bryan Ramos 3B | BAL
Orioles' Bryan Ramos: Back to Baltimore
The Orioles claimed Ramos off waivers from the Cardinals on Friday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
Ramos has been bouncing around for the past month after he was DFA'd by the White Sox in January. Chicago then traded Ramos to Baltimore, but the Orioles then DFA'd the third baseman before the Cardinals claimed him and then designated Ramos for assignment themselves earlier this week. Ramos will provide organizational corner infield depth for the Orioles if he sticks around.
-
Coby Mayo 3B | BAL
Orioles' Coby Mayo: Could take over at third base
Mayo could be the Orioles' Opening Day third baseman following an injury to Jordan Westburg (elbow), Brendan Mortensen of MASNSports.com reports.
Westburg is set to miss at least the first month of the season due to a partially torn UCL in his right elbow. Mayo was primarily a third baseman in the minors before the Orioles had him focus mostly on first base last season. However, there is a clear need at the hot corner now, so the 24-year-old is in line to return to his old position. Mayo has mostly struggled at the big-league level, but the former top prospect showed signs of life last September, slashing .301/.393/.548 with five homers.
-
Coby Mayo 3B | BAL
Orioles' Coby Mayo: Might be thrust into regular role
Mayo could see increased opportunity at third base for the Orioles if Jordan Westburg (oblique/elbow) has to miss time, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner reports.
Westburg is now dealing with an elbow injury in addition to an oblique strain, and his long-term status is uncertain. The Orioles had seemingly moved on last season from Mayo playing third base, preferring to use him instead at first base, but now the team could have a much larger need at the hot corner. Mayo has been getting lots of reps at third base in camp and could be the Opening Day starter there if Westburg is shelved. Blaze Alexander is also a candidate to play third base, though he could be needed at second base initially while Jackson Holliday (hand) is out. Mayo has slashed just .201/.285/.349 with a 31.2 percent strikeout rate in the majors, but he did perk up last September with regular playing time, hitting .301/.393/.548 with five homers.
-
CJ Alexander 3B | HOU
Astros' CJ Alexander: Latches on with Astros
Alexander signed a minor-league contract with the Astros on Tuesday.
Alexander spent nearly all of 2025 at Triple-A, slashing .254/.355/.450 across 462 total plate appearances with three organizations. He'll now begin the 2026 campaign in the Astros' farm system and is again likely to spend most of the year at Triple-A Sugar Land.
-
Ryan McMahon 3B | NYY
Yankees' Ryan McMahon: Will get shortstop reps this spring
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that McMahon will be given some reps at shortstop during spring training in order to find out whether he can be a backup option at the position, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.
McMahon played three innings at shortstop for the Rockies during the 2020 season, but that's the extent of his experience at the position. In all likelihood, the Yankees would use McMahon at shortstop only in an emergency situation. The 31-year-old is slated to be the team's primary third baseman against right-handed pitching.
-
Royce Lewis 3B | MIN
Twins' Royce Lewis: Works with personal hitting coach
Lewis worked with a personal hitting coach, Jeremy Isenhower, this offseason on simplifying his pre-pitch mechanics, Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports.
Isenhower was recommended to Lewis by Bobby Witt and former teammate Jorge Polanco, and Lewis made six different trips to Houston this offseason in order to work with Isenhower. The hope is that, by quieting his pre-pitch movement, Lewis should be able to improve his pitch recognition, swing decisions and quality of contact. After slashing .307/.364/.549 over 70 games in his first two major-league seasons, Lewis has hit a disappointing .235/.288/.416 in 188 contests since the start of the 2024 campaign. He'll be Minnesota's everyday third baseman again in 2026.
-
Caleb Durbin 3B | BOS
Red Sox's Caleb Durbin: Looks healthy for camp
Durbin (elbow) was spotted taking part in infield drills at third base during Monday's full-squad workout, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Durbin underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right elbow in late October, but he doesn't look like he'll be operating with any restrictions in his first spring training with the Red Sox, who acquired him last week in a six-player deal with the Brewers. It should be noted that Marcelo Mayer took part in drills at second base. Where Durbin and Mayer, both of whom have experience at second and third base, eventually land is one story in Boston's spring training. During his rookie campaign with Milwaukee, Durbin served as the team's primary third baseman and was a threat on the basepaths (18 steals in 24 attempts) and made contact at an elite clip (9.9 percent strikeout rate), but his 26.9 percent hard-hit rate ranked in the fourth percentile of all batted and limited his slugging production. With that in mind, Durbin's bat may profile better at second base rather than third base, but the Red Sox will likely give him a look at both positions throughout the spring.