MLB Player News

Hayes (thumb/forearm) is starting Saturday's game against the Cardinals, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Hayes left Thursday's Opening Day matchup due to a cramp from his thumb down to his forearm, but the issue went away quickly. He'll start at the hot corner and bat third following Friday's scheduled off day.

Senzel made two great catches in center field in Friday's loss to the Braves and appears fully healthy to begin the season, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "He's playing great," manager David Bell said. "He's anticipating, he's covering a ton of ground, making great plays. It's so nice to have Nick out on the field and he's impacting the game in all areas already."

After falling out of favor with the Reds to the point where he would have been optioned to Triple-A Louisville last season, but for a re-diagnosis that put him back on the IL, Senzel has appeared to regain the trust of the team to be the full-time center fielder. This is a big year for the 2016 second overall pick -- whether he can remain healthy for a full season remains in doubt, let alone whether his talent can be fully developed at the plate.

Bregman went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Friday's 13-6 victory against the Angels.

Bregman launched a solo home run off reliever Oliver Ortega to provide some extra insurance in the sixth inning and later contributed to an eight-run seventh. The 28-year-old now has homers in consecutive games to start the season and looks to be off to a good start toward returning to his 2019 MVP contender form after two subpar seasons.

Burger went 1-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and a walk Friday against the Tigers.

Burger drew the start at third base due to the absence of Yoan Moncada (oblique). Despite hitting ninth, Burger took advantage of his opportunity by roping a double to right field prior to coming around to score in the second inning. He is likely to get another start at third base Saturday because Tim Anderson remains suspended for the game, meaning Leury Garcia will shift to shortstop. Once Anderson is eligible to return Sunday, the most likely outcome is that Burger will split time with Garcia at third base until Moncada is back.

LeMahieu went 1-for-3 with a solo homer and a walk in Friday's 6-5 win over the Red Sox.

LeMahieu was retired in two of his first three plate appearances of the year, but he blasted a game-tying homer with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning to help lead the Yankees to the win. The 33-year-old is fully healthy after he underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia in October, and he figures to see plenty of playing time in 2022 as the Yankees' primary second baseman.

Devers went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, a walk and a strikeout in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Yankees.

Devers went yard six times in 12 Grapefruit League games this spring, and he stayed hot by homering in his first plate appearance of the regular season. The 25-year-old has topped 30 home runs in each of the last two seasons.

Urshela went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-1 loss to Seattle.

Urshela's 397-foot blast off Robbie Ray provided Minnesota's only run of the contest. Luis Arraez later pinch-hit for the 30-year-old in the ninth inning. Urshela registered a .720 OPS with 14 home runs through 442 plate appearances for the Yankees last season.

Perez was recalled by the Astros on Friday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Perez began the regular season on Houston's taxi squad, but he'll be added to the major-league roster after Yuli Gurriel was placed on the paternity list. The 22-year-old Perez appeared in 69 games at Double-A Corpus Christi last year and hit .267 with eight homers, 34 runs, 27 RBI and two stolen bases. He'll be in uniform for Friday's game against the Angels.

Longoria (finger) could return within four weeks rather than six as previously expected, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

A four-week timetable would give him a shot at returning before the end of April. While the Giants could still wind up playing things cautiously with the veteran third baseman, it appears as though he's making great progress in his recovery from finger surgery. He'll get his stitches out Friday and has already begun grip exercises.

Walls will be on the bench for Friday's game against the Orioles, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Walls is a switch hitter who performed nearly identically against righties and lefties in his 54-game debut last year. He'll hit the bench here against lefty John Means, with Yandy Diaz sliding to third base and Harold Ramirez starting at first, though it's too early to say whether that will be the Rays' default plan against every southpaw.