MLB Player News

Miranda (shoulder) is expected to play first base for the Twins on Tuesday in their Grapefruit League contest versus the Rays, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Miranda has been limited to designated hitter duties while he works through some soreness in his right shoulder, but he's been throwing from 120 feet without issue lately. The plan is to mostly play him at third base this season and the club would like to get him into some spring games at the hot corner, but they could ease him back into things are first base initially, especially if Alex Kirilloff (wrist) isn't available. The shoulder has not affected Miranda at the plate, which his 1.079 OPS and three homers this spring can attest.

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said Monday that Moncada is still dealing with a bruised rib but didn't suffer a concussion as a result of his collision during Team Cuba's loss Sunday to Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Though prior reports suggested Moncada came away from the collision with a head injury, Grifol affirmed a day later that the infielder was dealing with an injury only to his midsection. It's not clear when Moncada might be ready to play in a game, but at this stage, the rib injury isn't believed to be anything that will affect his Opening Day availability.

Moncada was diagnosed with a concussion in addition to his bruised rib following Team Cuba's loss Sunday to Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Moncada was hurt during a collision in the bottom of the sixth inning that forced him out of the game in the subsequent frame. While his rib injury isn't believed to be particularly serious, he'll have to be monitored by the medical staff before he's cleared to return from his concussion. The 27-year-old will have a week and a half to recover before the White Sox begin the regular season against Houston on March 30. Whether he'll be available for any remaining Cactus League games remains to be seen.

Moncada is considered day-to-day with a bruised rib after exiting Sunday's World Baseball Classic against Team USA, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Moncada was involved in a collision to close out the sixth inning Sunday and was replaced defensively in the bottom of the seventh. It's unclear whether his rib issue will impact his availability for Opening Day, but a better idea of his status should come into focus based on his usage over Chicago's final few Cactus League games.

Moncada exited Sunday's World Baseball Classic semifinal against Team USA following a collision in the bottom of the sixth inning, Kyle Glaser of Baseball America reports.

The exact nature of Moncada's injury isn't clear, but he was replaced defensively in the bottom of the seventh inning following his outfield collision to close out the sixth. It seems unlikely that Cuba will advance to the World Baseball Classic final due to Team USA's significant lead, but it's unclear if Moncada's injury will impact his availability for the final few games of Cactus League action.

Henderson went 1-for-2 with a walk in Sunday's Grapefruit League win over the Pirates.

Henderson is hitting just .160 through 10 games this spring, and just one of his hits, a triple, has gone for extra bases. It's not exactly an encouraging line for a player whose spot in the big leagues isn't guaranteed, but the bright side is that players like Ramon Urias and Jorge Mateo also haven't done much with the bat this spring. Henderson is still more on the likely side to make the Opening Day roster, but he'll need to build off of Sunday's effort to solidify his place in the Orioles' short-term plans.

Donaldson went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts Saturday in a Grapefruit League contest against the Blue Jays.

It has not been a strong exhibition season for Donaldson, as the hitless effort sees the former MVP drop his slash to .200/.310/.360 in Grapefruit League play. The 37-year-old is expected to open the year as the primary third baseman for the Yankees, but with several quality infield options -- and Donaldson's poor play in 2022 -- his hold on that job is precarious.

After an injury-plagued 2022 season, Moncada is fully healthy this spring, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Moncada was limited to only 433 plate appearances in 2022 due primarily to an oblique injury, and he suggested that he tried to return from the issue too early. That could in part explain his disastrous .212/.273/.353 line, particularly after he posted a respectable .787 OPS in 2021. This spring, Moncada has gone a combined 9-for-28 between the World Baseball Classic and Cactus League action.

Jung was involved in a minor car accident on his way to Saturday's Cactus League game against the Angels and has been scratched from the lineup, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Jung is not injured, but the Rangers will keep the third baseman out of the lineup as they deal with the logistics of the accident. Assuming everything is ok, the infielder should be back in the lineup in the coming days.

Chapman went 1-for-3 with a double in Friday's split-squad game against the Phillies.

The third baseman seems to have found his timing at the plate, going 6-for-22 (.273) over his last eight games with three doubles and a 2:2 BB:K. Chapman's still looking for his first spring homer, but hitting for power hasn't been an issue for the 29-year-old during his career. With free agency looming next winter, Chapman has plenty of incentive to put together a big 2023 after posting a .757 OPS last year with 27 home runs and 76 RBI.