MLB Player News

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.

Campbell is expected to start at second base Saturday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Boston manager Alex Cora said Friday he has a "pretty good idea of what we're going to do" at second base. That Campbell started at second base Friday and will do so again Saturday suggests the job will be his to start the season. David Hamilton, who was the frontrunner at one point during spring training, will likely make the team as a utility player if he does not win the starting job at second base.

Carrasco is expected to be part of the Yankees' Opening Day roster, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

Carrasco did a great job standing out this spring, turning in a 1.69 ERA while striking out 15 batters in 16 innings across five appearances. His performance combined with injuries to Gerrit Cole (elbow), Luis Gil (lat), JT Brubaker (ribs) and Clarke Schmidt (shoulder) has seemingly resulted in the 38-year-old Carrasco breaking camp with the big club. Whether his spring success translates into the regular season will likely determine if the right-hander remains in the majors once the Yankees' injured arms start to return.

The Red Sox plan to install Narvaez as the backup catcher to starter Connor Wong, Chris Cotillo and Christopher Smith of MassLive.com report.

The club on Friday informed Seby Zavala that he will not be added to the Opening Day roster, which paves the way for Narvaez, pending any last-minute additions.

The Red Sox informed Zavala on Friday that he will not make the Opening Day roster, Chris Cotillo and Christopher Smith of MassLive.com report.

Zavala has an opt-out clause in his contract and will huddle with his agent to figure out his next step. This means the Red Sox plan to install Carlos Narvaez as the backup catcher to starter Connor Wong.

Bello (shoulder) expects to be activated by the first or second week of April, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Bello will open the regular season on the 15-day injured list and remain behind in Fort Myers when the Red Sox break camp. His IL stint can be backdated by as many as three days, so in theory the pitcher could be ready for the club's first home series against the Cardinals, which begins April 4. Boston opens the regular season with two road stops, first in Texas and then Baltimore.

Goldschmidt (back) will start at first base and bat leadoff in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

Goldschmidt's return to the spring lineup comes one day after initially scheduled, but he now seems to be fully recovered from the back soreness that has been bothering him since Monday. The veteran first baseman has been great this spring, slashing .313/.389/.688 with three homers and 10 RBI through 36 plate appearances.

Crochet allowed five hits and two walks while striking out nine over 5.1 scoreless innings in Friday's spring start against the Pirates.

Crochet finished up the Grapefruit League on a strong note, exactly as he began it. The left-hander dominated through five spring outings, giving up just one run in 15.2 innings (0.57 ERA) with 30 strikeouts and eight walks. Crochet will next pitch Opening Day against the Rangers.

Varsho (shoulder) will begin the season on the injured list, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Varsho has been able to DH this spring with plenty of success, turning in a 1.126 OPS over 33 plate appearances. However, manager John Schneider has said that the 28-year-old would likely head to the IL if he hadn't been cleared to play in the field by Opening Day. Varsho has been throwing from 120 feet, but it doesn't seem like there's enough time to get him outfield-ready in time for the start of the season, so his 2025 debut will be delayed until at least April 6.

Manager John Schneider said Saturday that Sandlin will be a part of Toronto's Opening Day bullpen, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Sandlin has made five appearances in the Grapefruit League, surrendering two earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out eight batters over five innings. He'll likely settle into a middle-relief role to start the year, though his ability to rack up strikeouts keeps the door open for a healthy amount of high-leverage opportunities.