MLB Player News

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Cabrera was scratched from the lineup for Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers due to an illness, Max Goodman of NJ.com reports.

Oswald Peraza was a late addition to the Yankees' lineup in place of Cabrera, who was scheduled to start at third base and bat eighth. Provided the illness isn't anything that keeps him out of commission for more than a few days, Cabrera should still have a good case to make the Yankees' Opening Day roster, especially with DJ LeMahieu (calf) likely to begin the season on the injured list.

Diaz (illness) is out of the Astros' Grapefruit League lineup for a second straight day Thursday but will go through a full workout, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

It sounds like Diaz should be ready to play in games in a day or two. The Astros' top catcher is 3-for-28 with one home run at the dish during Grapefruit League action.

The Astros reassigned Matthews to minor-league camp Thursday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Manager Joe Espada said of Matthews after the transaction that "second base looks like his best" position, adding that "there's a path" to a major-league role for Matthews eventually. Assuming Jose Altuve moves to left field as expected, the keystone could represent Matthews' best path to a major-league debut relatively soon if he gets off to a nice start at Triple-A Sugar Land. Slated to turn 23 on Sunday, Matthews slashed .265/.384/.481 with 15 homers and 32 stolen bases across four levels in the minors in 2024.

Walker (oblique) hit in the batting cage Thursday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

It's the first time he's swung a bat since coming down with left oblique soreness last week. Walker has also gone through defensive workouts and is "coming along nicely," per Astros manager Joe Espada. It's not clear when Walker might be ready to play in games, but it shouldn't be long.

Baez will start at third base and bat sixth in Thursday's Grapefruit League game versus the Yankees, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Baez hasn't played third base since 2019, when he started there one game. With Matt Vierling (shoulder) out, it's possible Baez sees some action at the hot corner versus lefties. He also remains in the mix for playing time at shortstop.

Perez (back) isn't in the Tigers' Grapefruit League lineup Thursday against the Yankees and also isn't listed on their travel roster for Friday's game versus the Pirates, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Perez hasn't played since March 2 due to lower-back tightness and it would appear his return to action is not imminent. If healthy, the 25-year-old should be in line to play a lot early in the season while Matt Vierling (shoulder) and perhaps Parker Meadows (arm) are out. However, it would seem Perez's own availability for Opening Day is in peril.

Houck allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out two over 2.2 innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League start against Minnesota.

This was just Houck's second Grapefruit League outing and first in 11 days. He threw 62 pitches but just 30 for strikes. From a pitch-count standpoint, he's on scheduled to be ready for the first turn of the rotation in the regular season.

Walls (quadriceps) is in the lineup for Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Walls will return to action for the first time since March 8, having turned the page on the quad issue. Known more for his glove than his bat, Walls is expected to serve as the Rays' primary shortstop until offseason addition Ha-Seong Kim (shoulder) is ready to return. Kim is said to be targeting late May for his 2025 debut.

Casas went 1-for-2 with a walk and a three-run home run in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.

This was Casas' second game back in Grapefruit League action after missing a week battling an illness that swept through Boston's camp. He swatted his first spring home run in the first inning. The lefty-hitting first baseman is batting .133 (2-for-15) through seven Grapefruit League games.

Pederson started at first base and went 1-for-2 with a home run and three RBI in Wednesday's Cactus League game against Cincinnati.

Pederson walloped a three-run homer in the first inning. It was his third of the Cactus League and second driven to the opposite field. Pederson is expected to mostly see time at DH in 2025, but he'll get opportunities to fill in for Jake Burger at first base.