MLB Player News

Dezenzo was diagnosed with a TMJ sprain on the left side of his jaw after getting hit in the head by a groundball in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against Washington, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Interestingly, Dezenzo's left side took the most damage even though he was hit on the right side of his face. The 24-year-old was also evaluated and cleared for a concussion, and he's slated to undergo further testing on his jaw Wednesday. Dezenzo has been great in spring training so far, slashing .378/.415/.615 with two homers and six RBI through 39 plate appearances.

Dezenzo exited Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals after getting hit in the head by a groundball, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Dezenzo was able to walk off the field on his own, though he was visibly bothered by his jaw after getting hit. The Astros will take a look at him to make sure he didn't suffer any significant damage and should offer an update on his status relatively soon.

The Astros optioned Whitcomb to minor-league camp Tuesday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The Astros have an opening at second base with Jose Altuve expected to move to left field, but Whitcomb never seemed to be under any real consideration to start at the keystone. He'll begin the season at Triple-A Sugar Land, where he played every position other than center field, catcher and pitcher last season.

Paris went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs and four RBI in Monday's Cactus League win over Arizona.

Paris doubled home a run in the second inning and cleared the bases with a three-run double in the ninth. The 23-year-old struggled mightily during stints in the majors each of the past two seasons, slashing a collective .100/.214/.165 with a 32.4 percent strikeout rate over 105 plate appearances. However, Paris worked on his swing mechanics during the offseason, and the results have been promising during the exhibition slate. He leads the Angels with 12 RBI during spring play and is slashing .364/.432/.697 with two home runs, 11 runs and three stolen bases. Paris has a chance of breaking camp with the big club, as Los Angeles will need to lean upon its infield depth early with Zach Neto (shoulder) expected to begin the campaign on the IL and Yoan Moncada (thumb) uncertain to be ready for Opening Day.

Morrii will be developed as a two-way player after signing for $1,510,500 million - the largest signing bonus for a Japanese amateur to not play for Nippon Professional Baseball, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. He had an exit velocity of 110.1 mph of his bat in Friday's Spring Breakout game, where he served as the DH.

Morrii is an 18-year-old Japanese two-way phenom who skipped Japan's professional league (NPB) draft to come to MLB. He thows 95 mph as a pitcher as well. It's a curious and unique decision to develop him as a two-way player. He's expected to begin the season in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League.

Baez is expected to open the season in a bench role with Trey Sweeney likely in line to serve as the Tigers' Opening Day starter at shortstop, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Sweeney hasn't been optioned to Triple-A Toledo yet, and if the 24-year-old sticks in the majors, the Tigers likely won't want him riding the pine instead of developing in the minors. Baez has seemingly kept himself prepared for the possibility of serving in more of a utility role this spring, as he's also been seeing time at third base in addition to his natural spot at shortstop. Baez has struggled mightily since signing a six-year, $140 million deal with Detroit in November 2021, but with three seasons still left on his contract, the Tigers may not be ready to write him off as a sunk cost just yet.

Grissom may be behind David Hamilton in the battle for the starting second base job, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora is expected to name his starter at second base soon, but it looks like both Grissom (.176 average, .535 OPS) and Kristian Campbell (15 strikeouts in 36 Cactus League at-bats) are losing out to Hamilton. The speedy Hamilton (.812 OPS, five steals) is out-hitting both competitors, and Cora's comments suggest he's more of a known commodity. The manager also noted Hamilton's improvement at the dish in 2024. The lone caveat here is if Rafael Devers eventually takes over at third base, which would likely mean Alex Bregman plays the keystone.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that Vazquez is expected to be fine after exiting Monday's Grapefruit League contest against the Red Sox after being hit by a pitch on the right elbow, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Vazquez looked to be in ample pain after being struck by a pitch in the seventh inning, but it doesn't sound like he will need any testing. The infielder is projected to open the season at Triple-A Norfolk.

Martinez was removed from Monday's 4-2 Grapefruit League loss to the Phillies in the top of the seventh inning due to a left hip contusion, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Martinez is considered day-to-day after suffering the injury when he was hit by a 96-mile-per-hour fastball in his lone plate appearance of the day. The 23-year-old infielder is unlikely to be included on Toronto's Opening Day roster and is expected to begin the season as an everyday player at Triple-A Buffalo.

Vazquez was lifted from Monday's Grapefruit League contest against the Red Sox in the seventh inning after being hit by a pitch on the right elbow, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Vazquez immediately went to the ground in pain after being struck by a wayward Luis Guerrero offering and eventually walked off the field. He could be sent for testing on the elbow as the Orioles look to assess whether he's dealing with any structural damage.