MLB Player News

Arenado won't be available Wednesday for the Cardinals' Grapefruit League game against the Nationals after he had a cosmetic procedure to remove a mole near his right eyebrow, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

Arenado said the procedure was a simple process and noted that he expects to return to the lineup Thursday against the Marlins. Brendan Donovan will fill in at third base for Arenado, who has gone 4-for-16 with a home run through seven Grapefruit League games to date.

The Pirates announced Tuesday that Hayes is day-to-day after sustaining a minor right ankle sprain in a workout over the weekend, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

According to the update provided by the team, Hayes will continue with all baseball activities except baserunning in the short term and will be withheld from game action for a "brief period." With Opening Day a week and a half away, the timing of Hayes' injury is less than ideal, but so long as he isn't shut down from activity entirely and is cleared to begin running by early next week, he should be on track to avoid a trip to the injured list. While missing considerable time due to a wrist injury in his second MLB season in 2021, Hayes finished with a .257 average to go with six home runs and nine stolen bases across 396 plate appearances.

Longoria will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair a ligament in his right index finger, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports. A timeline for his return isn't clear, but his finger will be immobilized for at least 10 days before he's able to resume baseball activities.

The Giants might have a better sense about how long Longoria might be sidelined once the surgery is completed, but he won't be ready to go for Opening Day and appears likely to miss at least the first week or two of the regular season. The third baseman had yet to see any Cactus League action in spring training and will likely need at least a few rehab appearances before making his 2022 debut. Wilmer Flores, Thairo Estrada and Tommy La Stella are all candidates to pick up more work at the hot corner while Longoria is out of commission.

Wisdom went 2-for-2 with two home runs and four RBI in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Royals.

So much for a slow start to the spring, as Wisdom broke out in a big way. The Cubs added Jonathan Villar recently, which adds competition at third base, though Wisdom also has a path to playing time at designated hitter. If the 30-year-old continues to supply power like he did last season, when he blasted 28 home runs, he should be able to keep himself in the lineup most days.

The Mets reassigned Reynolds to minor-league camp Monday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

After signing a minor-league deal over the winter, Reynolds is back for a second stint with the Mets, who selected him in the second round of the 2012 first-year player draft. He made his MLB debut with the club in 2016 and has logged 251 plate appearances over parts of four years in the majors, compiling a .212/.282/.323 slash line. Reynolds is expected to serve as organizational depth at Triple-A Syracuse throughout the season and likely won't receive a promotion to the big club unless the team is simultaneously without several position players at a given time.

Moustakas (shoulder) will bat third and play third base Monday against the Cubs.

Moustakas missed time with a shoulder issue last week after hurting himself on a diving attempt in the field, but he's escaped without serious injury. He returned as the designated hitter Sunday and will be a full participant one day later.

Machado (back) will start at third base and bat second in Monday's Cactus League game against the White Sox.

After two days off to recover from back tightness, Machado will check back into the starting nine and keep himself on track to be ready to go for Opening Day. The 29-year-old has appeared in three Cactus League games thus far, going 2-for-7 with an RBI and a run scored.

Escobar went 1-for-2 with a walk and a solo home run in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

The veteran infielder took Kyle Finnegan, one of the Nats' potential closing options, deep in the sixth inning. Escobar is coming off a strong 2021 campaign split between Milwaukee and Arizona in which he slugged 28 homers and racked up 90 RBI over 146 games, and the switch hitter is expected to give the Mets a similar jolt of power from the bottom half of their batting order as the team's regular third baseman.

Machado (back) is not in the lineup for Sunday's Cactus League game against the Guardians, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The 29-year-old was scratched from Saturday's lineup with back tightness and will remain sidelined for Sunday's contest. Manager Bob Melvin said there's no worry about Machado's status for Opening Day, but it's still worth keeping an eye on the third baseman's status until he's able to retake the field.

Moustakas (shoulder) is batting second as the designated hitter in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Rockies, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Moustakas had been held out of the lineup since Tuesday, when he injured his left shoulder making a diving attempt in the field. The 33-year-old's return to the lineup is a good sign for his Opening Day availability, but the coast may not be fully clear until he's back playing defense.