MLB Player News

Martinez has hit in five consecutive games and is 9-for-21 (.429) with two solo home runs and five doubles through nine Cactus League games.

Martinez is expected to make the Opening Day roster and is included on Cleveland's latest roster projection compiled by Zack Meisel of The Athletic. The Guardians are having him focus on center field after Martinez bounced between the outfield and second base in 2025. He's expected to serve in a depth role.

Torkelson (forearm) will start at first base and bat cleanup in Thursday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Yankees.

Torkelson had to be removed from a simulated game Tuesday after being hit on the right forearm by a pitch. He managed to avoid fractures, though, and is back in action after a day to rest. Torkelson is 4-for-19 with two doubles and a 1:6 BB:K so far this spring for the Tigers.

Kayfus was not included in the latest 26-man roster projection for the Guardians compiled by Zack Meisel of The Athletic.

Entering spring training, Kayfus had been in line for opportunities at first base and designated hitter, but the acquisition of Rhys Hoskins after camp opened put a blocker in that plan. That left outfield as the only viable path to playing time for Kayfus, who is competing with other prospects, Chase DeLauter and George Valera. Kayfus is 3-for-20 (.150) with five walks, three extra-base hits (including a home run) and two RBI over 10 Cactus League games.

Jones is not included on the latest roster projection compiled by Zack Meisel of The Athletic.

There are several reasons why Jones is not a lock to make the Opening Day roster, and those were established before he went 3-for-26 (.115) through nine Cactus League games. Jones' left-handed bat is redundant, and the Guardians' decision to test Steven Kwan in center field and the need to give at-bats to prospects ready for MLB are also signs that Jones is on the bubble. It was mildly surprising Cleveland committed $2 million to the outfielder instead of non-tendering him last November, considering Jones was coming off a two-year backslide following what looked like a breakout season in 2023.

Meidroth has a .441 on-base percentage across 34 plate appearances in the Cactus League.

Meidroth has primarily served as Chicago's leadoff hitter this spring, though he has also hit second on a few occasions. His skillset is similar to what he showed as a rookie in 2025, as he's striking out at just an 11.8 percent clip while walking slightly over 20 percent of the time. He should reach base consistently and score plenty of runs during the regular season due to his on-base ability and the improved lineup around him.

Lee could serve as the White Sox's backup catcher to begin the regular season with Kyle Teel (hamstring) sidelined, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

The White Sox are planning to only carry two catchers on their Opening Day roster, which would have almost certainly left Lee on the wrong side of the roster bubble. However, with Teel set to miss the start of the regular season, Lee is the favorite to serve as the backup to Edgar Quero for the first few weeks. Drew Romo, in camp on a minor-league deal, is Lee's primary competition.

Quero will serve as the White Sox's starting catcher to begin the regular season with Kyle Teel (hamstring) sidelined, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Quero was originally slated to back up Teel behind the plate while also drawing some at-bats as DH. However, he should now see more consistent playing time at catcher for the first few weeks of the season. If Quero performs well in that span, he could force a more even playing-time split than originally anticipated once Teel returns.

Seymour allowed one hit and no walks in 2.1 scoreless innings during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He struck out four.

The 27-year-old left-hander is off to an encouraging start this spring, posting a 2.70 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 12:3 K:BB over 10 frames (four appearances). With Shane McClanahan and Steven Matz expected to have workload limitations to start the year, the Rays are likely to need a couple of long relievers on their Opening Day roster, per Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times. That bodes well for the roster chances of Seymour, who recorded a 3.63 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 64:19 K:BB across 57 innings for Tampa Bay in 2025.

Ward went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

It was the first homer of the spring for the 32-year-old, who's slashing a strong .250/.400/.500 with three doubles, six walks and one stolen base across 30 plate appearances covering 10 Grapefruit League contests. After coming over from the Angels in an offseason trade for Grayson Rodriguez, Ward is preparing to be Baltimore's everyday left fielder in 2026. Ward slashed .228/.317/.475 and set career highs in homers (36), RBI (103) and runs scored (86) over 663 plate appearances for the Angels last season.

Manager Will Venable isn't concerned about Montgomery's poor results in Cactus League games, Barry Bloom of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Montgomery is only 5-for-27 to this point in the spring, while also striking out at a 28.6 percent clip. While not necessarily surprising given his minor-league track record and his results in a small sample from the majors in 2025, Venable still defended Montgomery by saying that the young shortstop has had a good spring from a process standpoint. Venable also reiterated that the poor results will not influence Montgomery's expected role as a starter to begin the season.