MLB Player News

Moncada (thumb) fielded grounders Monday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Moncada did not hit or throw, as he's not ready for that yet since it's his right thumb that's bothering him. It's not yet clear when he'll be ready for full baseball activities and games, but Moncada still hopes to be ready to go on Opening Day. If Moncada needs time on the injured list, the Angels would likely use Luis Rengifo at third base, with Tim Anderson entering the lineup at second base.

Scherzer said after starting in a minor-league game Monday that his right thumb still "hurts," Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports. "It hurts to grip the ball," Scherzer said, adding that the thumb has been giving him problems once he gets to around 50 pitches in spring outings.

The pitcher also noted that the thumb is "absolutely critical to your arm health" and implied that he's had problems with it "since 2023." What this all means for Scherzer's outlook is not yet clear. He is working with a hand specialist, doctors and trainers and expects to know more about his status within the next couple days. If Scherzer needs time on the injured list to begin the season, Yariel Rodriguez could step into the Blue Jays' rotation.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Cousins (forearm) has extended his throwing distance off flat ground to 90 feet, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

Cousins has yet to pitch in a game this spring while recovering from a right forearm strain, and since he's not yet throwing off a mound, he seems unlikely to make an appearance before the Yankees' Grapefruit League slate comes to a close. As a one-inning reliever, Cousins won't require much ramp-up time once he's deemed ready to face hitters, but he's still ticketed for a stint on the injured list to begin the season.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that Rodriguez (elbow) will play catch Tuesday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The right-hander will begin his throwing progression as he works his way back from elbow inflammation. Rodriguez is essentially going to be rebuilding his arm strength from scratch, so the plan is for his throwing progression to be slow and steady. A timetable for his season debut could be available in the coming weeks.

The Royals reassigned Caglianone to minor-league camp Monday.

Caglianone never had a real chance to make the Royals' Opening Day roster, but he nonetheless turned heads in camp, putting up a 1.871 OPS with three home runs over 13 Cactus League tilts. The 22-year-old is likely to begin the season at Double-A Northwest Arkansas and could push to debut in 2025 if he's able to make enough contact.

Rodriguez was scratched from the lineup for Monday's Cactus League game against the Athletics due to an illness, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.

Rodriguez wasn't feeling well upon reporting to the ballpark Monday, so he'll likely receive a day or two off before making his return to the lineup. Luke Raley will start in center field Monday in Rodriguez's stead. The 22-year-old outfielder has already logged 35 at-bats in Cactus League play, batting .229 with three home runs and one stolen base.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that LeMahieu has resumed hitting and is "moving the needle" in his progress from a left calf strain, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

LeMahieu is a little more than two weeks removed from suffering the injury and has begun the process of easing back into baseball activities. He doesn't appear to be particularly close to being ready for game action, however, so LeMahieu remains without a clear timeline for making his 2025 debut. Oswaldo Cabrera is expected to open the season as the Yankees' primary third baseman.

Smith has a "good" chance of making the Astros' Opening Day roster, Will Kunkel of FOX26 Houston reports.

Smith has just 32 games' worth of experience in the minors, but he seems to be forcing the team's hand after coming over from the Cubs this winter in the Kyle Tucker trade. The 22-year-old hit his third home run of the spring Sunday, an opposite-field shot against established big leaguer Tylor Megill, and Smith also made an impressive diving catch in right field, which looks like his most likely position in the majors. The expectation is that if Smith does indeed make the roster, he will play close to every day for Houston.

Bichette went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, a run scored and a stolen base in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta.

Getting a look in the leadoff spot, Bichette stole his first bag of the spring. The 27-year-old shortstop could see significant time at the top of the order in 2025, especially if he quickly erases memories of his rough 2024, and he did steal 38 bases combined in 2021-22 before running mostly disappeared from his skill set over the last two seasons. Bichette is having a big spring as he looks for a clean slate at the plate, batting .351 (13-for-37) with three doubles, two homers and a 2:6 BB:K.

Newcomb is in the mix to open the season in Boston's rotation while Brayan Bello (shoulder), Lucas Giolito (hamstring) and Kutter Crawford (knee) are out, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Newcomb has been using a new cutter this spring and has "caught our eyes" with how he's pitched, per manager Alex Cora, allowing just one run with a 10:3 K:BB over 9.2 innings. Quinn Priester and Richard Fitts have been viewed as the favorites to capture the final two rotation spots, and that still might be the case. However, Priester and Fitts both have minor-league options remaining, so the Red Sox could send one of them down and award Newcomb with a rotation spot, helping to reinforce depth. Newcomb hasn't been used as a regular starter in the majors since 2018.