MLB Player News

Bichette went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

The shortstop crushed a Tanner Banks pitch down the left-field line in the third inning for his first long ball of the spring. Bichette appears laser-focused on putting his rough 2024 season behind him, going 5-for-16 (.313) with two doubles, plus Sunday's homer, through his first six Grapefruit League games.

Clement was removed from Monday's game against the Tigers after being hit in the face by a pitch, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Clement was struck by a 91.3 mph fastball from Ty Madden and walked off the field with a trainer while holding a bloody towel to his face. The Blue Jays are saying for the time being that Clement is dealing with a lip laceration and contusion, although it's not clear whether he still needs to undergo additional testing. Clement is expected to open the season as Toronto's primary third baseman.

Montgomery (back) will continue to be held out of action through the White Sox' off day Tuesday before being re-evaluated, LaMond Pope of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Manager Will Venable said Sunday that Montgomery is "progressing well" as he recovers from back spasms, an injury which first popped up last Thursday. Montgomery has not resumed baseball activities, so a return to game action doesn't appear imminent. The 23-year-old is competing to be Chicago's starting shortstop and the longer the injury lingers, the better the chances are that he opens the season back at Triple-A Charlotte.

The Rangers reassigned Walcott to minor-league camp Monday.

Walcott was one of a host of roster cuts for the Rangers. Slated to turn 19 later this month, Walcott made a great impression at the plate this spring during his few opportunities, going 4-for-8 with three doubles and a home run. He's one of the top prospects in all of baseball and is likely headed back to Double-A Frisco to begin the 2025 campaign.

Sweeney is not a given to open the season as the Tigers' primary shortstop, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

In his latest Opening Day roster projection, Stavenhagen has Javier Baez and Zach McKinstry sharing the shortstop job and Sweeney opening the season at Triple-A Toledo. Nothing has been decided, as Sweeney could still very well start at the position at least against right-handed pitching, but the gig won't be handed to him. Sweeney hit .218/.269/.373 with four home runs over 36 regular-season contests for the Tigers in 2024 before going 2-for-22 at the dish in seven postseason games.

Jimenez (illness) went 1-for-1 with a walk and a run scored and played four innings at shortstop in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Phillies in Grapefruit League play.

Though Bo Bichette drew the start at shortstop Sunday, Jimenez's ability to come off the bench and play four innings in the field suggests he's healthy again after he had been scratched from the lineup for Friday's game against the Yankees due to an illness. Jimenez is vying for a utility role after slashing .229/.329/.358 over 210 plate appearances as a rookie with Toronto in 2024.

Merrill went 2-for-2 with a two-run home run Sunday in a Cactus League loss to Kansas City.

Merrill's homer was a massive 443-foot shot to center field. The 21-year-old is preparing for his second big-league campaign after posting an .826 OPS over 156 regular-season games last year en route to finishing second in NL Rookie of the Year voting. Merrill has looked good so far this spring, going 4-for-11 with four RBI through five contests.

Sweeney went 2-for-3 with a double, a solo home run and two total runs scored in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

Sweeney was scuffling a bit before today, as he started the spring 0-for-9 with four strikeouts. The 24-year-old appears to be Detroit's top option at shortstop, though veteran Javier Baez has said he's fully healthy after dealing with a hip injury. Long term, the Tigers likely want Sweeney to take the job and run with it, but Baez remains a looming threat in the short term, particularly due to his hefty contract. The two players could split playing time to a degree to begin the 2025 campaign, at least until one of them emerges.

Manager Clayton McCullough said Sunday that Sanoja is likely to see playing time at every position in the field except first base and catcher during spring training, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The 22-year-old made his big-league debut in September and had a .229/.250/.286 slash line in his first 15 MLB games, and he's now attempting to earn a spot on Miami's Opening Day roster. Sanoja isn't likely to receive regular playing time even if he secures a roster spot, but the defensive versatility could allow him to carve out a larger role.

Shaw (oblique) will start at third base and bat second in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Reds.

Shaw is ready to make his spring debut Sunday after the Cubs elected to ease him into action while he recovered from an oblique injury that he suffered shortly before the start of spring training. Heading into the spring, Shaw was viewed as the leading candidate to begin the season as the Cubs' everyday third baseman, but he'll need to prove his health and put together a strong showing in the Cactus League to ensure he breaks camp with the big club. The Cubs will open their regular season with a two-game set versus the Dodgers on March 18 and 19 in Tokyo, and even if Shaw isn't activated for those contests, he could still be added to the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster ahead of the team's domestic season opener March 27 in Arizona.