MLB Player News

The Marlins announced Monday that Norby (oblique) is progressing in his baseball activities, Kevin Barral of FishonFirst.com reports.

The report doesn't outline specifically what Norby is doing as he works his way back from a left oblique strain, but the fact that he's not shut down from activity can be taken as a positive sign. Norby still appears to be multiple weeks away from being ready to make his 2025 debut, though a firmer target date for his return should come into focus once he's cleared to go out on a minor-league rehab assignment.

Triolo is on the bench for Monday's game against the Rays.

Though he appeared to have a chance at seeing steady playing time at first base to begin the season while Spencer Horwitz (wrist) is on the shelf, Triolo has started just twice through the Pirates' first five games, with one of those coming at third base. Endy Rodriguez has instead emerged as the preferred option at first base and should handle a near-everyday role while moving between that position and catcher.

Smith (quad) will start at third base and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Reds.

Smith didn't play Sunday after exiting Saturday's contest versus the Red Sox with a left quad contusion, but he's feeling well enough to give it a go for the series opener in Cincinnati. The 27-year-old is in line to handle the bulk of the playing time at third base while Josh Jung (neck) is sidelined.

Clement is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Nationals.

Clement has now hit the bench three times through the Blue Jays' first five games. All of his absences have come against right-handed pitching, so Clement may be viewed as more of a part-time player even after performing at a better-than-league-average level versus righties in 2024 (.312 wOBA, 104 wRC+). Playing time could become even more difficult to come by for Clement when Daulton Varsho (shoulder) returns from the injured list, as Will Wagner would likely be deployed at third base even more frequently after having thus far moved between the hot corner and designated hitter.

Freeman is tending to a sore left wrist after being hit by a pitch in the sixth inning of Sunday's 6-4 loss to the Rays, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Making his first start of the season Sunday, Freeman played second base and grounded out in his first at-bat in the top of the third inning before taking his base on the hit-by-pitch in the sixth. Freeman came around to score a game-tying run and then went back out in the field for the bottom of the sixth, but he was lifted for a pinch hitter the next time his turn in the batting order came up in the top of the seventh. Fortunately for Freeman, X-rays on his wrist came back negative, but he's considered day-to-day while he waits for the soreness and swelling to subside. Kyle Farmer will start at second base in Monday's series opener in Philadelphia.

DeJong went 3-for-3 with two doubles in Sunday's win over the Phillies.

After an 0-for-6 start to his Nationals tenure with five strikeouts, DeJong broke out with two-baggers off Aaron Nola and Jose Ruiz. The veteran infielder is just a placeholder at third base for Washington, but he slugged 24 homers in 139 games last year between the White Sox and Royals and he could provide some thump from the bottom half of the order. DeJong isn't likely to do much more than that, however -- he's posted a strikeout rate north of 30 percent in each of the last three seasons, leading to a .205/.263/.372 slash line in 1,119 plate appearances.

Dunn is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Royals.

Milwaukee will face a left-handed starting pitcher (Kris Bubic) for the third time in four games, and the left-handed-hitting Dunn has found himself on the bench for each of those contests. Vinny Capra will get another start at third base, but Dunn still looks to be in line for the bulk of the playing time at the position as the strong-side platoon option.

Westburg (undisclosed) will start at second base and bat leadoff in Monday's game against the Red Sox, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

After going 6-for-13 with three solo home runs and a walk through the Orioles' first three games, Westburg was surprisingly held out of the lineup for Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Blue Jays. Though the assumption heading into the day was that Westburg was getting a rest day, manager Brandon Hyde said after the game that the 26-year-old infielder was available for the contest only in an emergency due to an unspecified issue. Whatever the case, Westburg is back in action Monday, as anticipated, so fantasy managers can feel comfortable with locking him into their lineups.

Maton is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Twins.

While serving as Chicago's designated hitter in final two games of the team's season-opening series versus the Angels, Maton went 1-for-6 with a solo home run. Though he'll head to the bench Monday while the Twins send a right-hander (Chris Paddack) to the mound, the lefty-hitting Maton could end up playing against righties more often than not if he's able to build on his outstanding spring training. Despite attending camp as a non-roster invitee, Maton earned his way onto the White Sox's Opening Day squad by turning in a .989 OPS over 19 Cactus League games.

Harris (oblique) opened a rehab assignment at Triple-A Las Vegas and went 1-for-3 with a stolen base while playing seven innings at third base in a 9-4 loss to Reno.

Harris didn't play in any Cactus League games after Feb. 26 due to a left oblique strain that resulted in him opening the season on the 10-day injured list, but after he was recently able to take part in some simulated games at Athletics camp in Arizona, he was given the green light to head out on a rehab assignment. The 26-year-old may need only a few games at Triple-A to prove his health, but since he doesn't appear to have a path to a spot on Athletics' active roster at the moment, Harris could be optioned to Las Vegas once he's reinstated from the IL.