MLB Player News
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Zachary Neto SS | LAA
Angels' Zach Neto: Taking batting practice Monday
Neto (wrist) will hit off the tee and take live batting practice Monday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Neto also clarified that he sustained a small sprain to his left wrist, not the hand, as previously reported Saturday. The shortstop said that he's feeling good, and he expects to play Tuesday, either in a minor-league game or in the Angels' Cactus League contest versus the Cubs, per Fletcher. Neto should have plenty of time this week to pick up more at-bats and get himself ready for Opening Day.
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Marcelo Mayer SS | BOS
Red Sox's Marcelo Mayer: Should return Tuesday
Mayer (knee) is expected to rejoin Boston's Grapefruit League lineup Tuesday against Atlanta, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
The 22-year-old was scratched from Sunday's spring lineup due to left knee soreness and will rest again Monday, but the injury doesn't appear to be a serious concern. After posting a .674 OPS in 44 regular-season games as a rookie last season, Mayer's .816 OPS through 27 plate appearances in spring training put him in strong position to win the starting job at second base to begin 2026.
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Marco Luciano SS | NYY
Yankees' Marco Luciano: Fails to make Opening Day roster
The Yankees reassigned Luciano to minor-league camp Sunday.
Once a prized prospect in the Giants organization, Luciano's luster has dimmed while he's shown defensive limitations and has slashed a collective .217/.286/.304 over 126 plate appearances across multiple abbreviated stints in the majors. He was claimed off waivers by two other organizations this winter before landing with the Yankees, who outrighted him off the 40-man roster in February. After he was unable to win a spot on the Yankees' Opening Day squad, Luciano should be ticketed for a full-time role at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season.
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Francisco Lindor SS | NYM
Mets' Francisco Lindor: Not yet committing to Opening Day
Lindor (hand) played four innings at shortstop while making his spring debut in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, but afterwards he wouldn't commit to being ready for Opening Day despite saying that he has "checked every single box," Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
The 32-year-old went 1-for-3 with a run scored and a strikeout in his first game action since undergoing surgery in mid-February to repair a fractured hamate bone in his left hand. Lindor will continue ramping up toward playing a full game, and he certainly appears to be trending toward being available for the start of the regular season, even though that's not yet official.
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Christian Koss SS | SF
Giants' Christian Koss: Multi-hit effort in spring loss
Koss went 2-for-3 with a run scored in Saturday's 8-7 Cactus League loss to the Diamondbacks.
Koss singled in the fourth inning and came around to score before adding another single in the sixth. He's gotten on base frequently through 13 Cactus League appearances, slashing .423/.545/.423 with six runs scored, six RBI and a stolen base across 33 plate appearances during that span. The 28-year-old appears likely to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster in a utility role after making his big-league debut with the Giants last season, though Tyler Fitzgerald also remains in the mix for that role.
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Jeremy Pena SS | HOU
Astros' Jeremy Pena: Doing limited baseball work
Pena (finger) said Saturday that he's been swinging a bat with one hand, throwing plyometric balls and fielding groundballs during his rehab program, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The 28-year-old was diagnosed with a fracture in the tip of his right ring finger in early March, sidelining him for the World Baseball Classic and putting his availability for Opening Day into question. Pena's current participation in baseball activities is encouraging, and at this point, he's just awaiting clearance to throw and swing with both hands. Once fully cleared, the shortstop doesn't expect to need many at-bats before being ready for MLB action, so he still has a chance to be ready by Opening Day.
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Trevor Story SS | BOS
Red Sox's Trevor Story: Having workload monitored
The Red Sox are monitoring Story's workload this spring and will continue to do so during the regular season, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Story is being held out of the lineup Sunday for a third consecutive game, but the Red Sox are merely exercising caution with the 33-year-old. The club plans to give him a little more rest in 2026 after Story, who missed significant time in the first three years of the contract he signed with Boston in 2022, played 160 games last year, including playoffs.
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Maximo Acosta SS | MIA
Marlins' Maximo Acosta: Will miss time with oblique strain
The Marlins announced Sunday that Acosta has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 left oblique strain and is expected to be out for 3-4 weeks, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
Acosta already looked to be facing an uphill battle to make the Opening Day roster, and the injury he suffered last week will bring an end to any chance he had. Once he heals up and resumes full baseball activities, the 23-year-old infielder will report to a minor-league affiliate for a rehab assignment. Acosta has two minor-league options remaining, so he could end up sticking around at Triple-A Jacksonville once he completes the rehab assignment and gets activated from the injured list.
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Marcelo Mayer SS | BOS
Red Sox's Marcelo Mayer: Lifted from lineup with sore knee
Mayer was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins due to left knee soreness, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
The Red Sox haven't provided further details regarding the severity of the issue, but Mayer will presumably need at least a couple days off to recover from the injury. He's enjoyed a strong spring with an .816 OPS and 5:6 BB:K in 27 plate appearances, which appears to have given him the inside track for the Red Sox's everyday second base job.
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Zachary Neto SS | LAA
Angels' Zach Neto: Managing minor hand sprain
Neto said Sunday that X-rays on his injured left hand came back negative, and he expects to return to the Angels' Cactus League lineup within a few days, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Neto suffered the injury while sliding into home plate Saturday in a 6-2 win over the Mariners. Though a left hand strain had kept him out for the final two weeks of the 2025 season, the shortstop relayed that he's now dealing with a small sprain to the same hand, which is regarded as a more minor concern. Neto is expected to resume workouts in the coming days once the pain in his hand subsides, and if he's able to field his position and swing the bat without discomfort, he should soon get the green light to play in games.