MLB Player News

Wade went 2-for-3 with a home run, three total RBI and a walk in Friday's Cactus League victory against the Cubs.

Wade plated three of San Diego's five runs, laying down an RBI bunt single in the fourth inning and slugging a two-run shot to right field in the sixth. The first of the two hits was more in line with Wade's skill set, as he ranked in the 85th percentile in sprint speed last year and has just seven home runs over eight big-league regular seasons. Wade has a .205/.279/.333 slash line this spring as he competes for a roster spot as a utility man for the Padres.

Hamilton is expected to claim a roster spot as a utility fielder if he does not win the starting second base job, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Hamilton and Kristian Campbell are the primary candidates to start at second base, and it's a hopeful sign for Campbell that he started Friday and will do so again Saturday. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he has a good idea of what they plan to do at the keystone but has not made it official. At one point during spring training it appeared that Hamilton was the frontrunner, but Campbell emerged as the leader over the final week of the Grapefruit League season.

Story (back) is in the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

Back tightness led to Story being scratched Friday for the second time in 10 days. While he will make a quick turnaround, keeping Story in line for Opening Day, these issues will likely temper enthusiasm surrounding his strong spring (.333/.341/.615). Story has not reached 100 games played in a season since 2021.

Manager Alex Cora said Friday that Story (back) is expected to play in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Story was scratched from Friday's lineup due to back tightness, which was particularly concerning given the fact he already missed a week earlier this spring due to a similar issue. While his latest injury doesn't seem to be anything severe, fantasy managers may want to take note of Story's frequent back issues, as the 32-year-old has been injured often since joining the Red Sox in 2022.

Lux started at third base and went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's spring game against Seattle.

Lux poked his first Cactus League homer in the second inning and has an .858 OPS through 16 spring games. He's played a lot of third base (11 starts) and figures to see ample time there in the regular season along with starts at second base and in left field. However, it may take a while to determine a pattern of who plays and when. Jeimer Candelario is expected to share third base with Lux and first base with Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Corner infield will get muddier once Spencer Steer (shoulder) is ready to play the field.

Neto (shoulder) has been throwing across the diamond in addition to participating in other defensive drills, Jack Janes of The Sporting Tribune reports.

Neto began throwing from shortstop to first base this week after being limited to shorter throws during the first half of March. The 24-year-old is also doing "just about every defensive drill that the rest of the team is doing" aside from throwing and was recently cleared to take swings off a hitting machine. It's not yet clear when he'll be able to face live pitching, and Neto remains likely to begin the season on the injured list, but he continues to be described as "ahead of schedule" in his rehab from the right shoulder surgery he underwent last November. Neto made it clear that he's pleased with his progress to this point, saying, "Honestly, I feel really great with my shoulder and where it's at. I'm feeling way stronger since when I first walked in here. I'm trusting our training staff and our coaches to get me in the right spot. I'm feeling great every day I walk in here."

The Nationals optioned Nunez to Triple-A Rochester on Friday.

Nunez turned heads in Nationals camp with a .419/.486/.484 slash line through 35 plate appearances and seemed to be making a real push for the Opening Day roster. He'll instead begin the season in Triple-A, which will allow the 24-year-old infielder to continue developing while playing every day -- something he wouldn't have been able to do in Washington.

The Blue Jays optioned Jimenez to Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Jimenez was in contention for a backup infielder spot but ultimately didn't make the cut. The 23-year-old will receive regular reps at Buffalo.

Story was scratched from Friday's Grapefruit League lineup versus the Pirates due to lower-back tightness, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

It's the second time this month that Story has had to be scratched from the lineup because of a back problem, which is not ideal. He missed nearly a week of action the first time around, but it's not clear how long he might out this time. The Red Sox should have more on Story's condition later Friday.

Manager Brandon Hyde said Henderson (side) will take live batting practice Saturday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Hyde admitted Thursday that Henderson is "running out of time" to be ready for Opening Day, but he doesn't appear far off from being cleared for game action. Even if the 23-year-old begins the season on the injured list, he doesn't seem likely to miss much time given where he's at in his rehab program.