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Patrick Wisdom 3B | SEA
Cubs' Patrick Wisdom: Expected back Tuesday
Wisdom (quad) is expected to play in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Royals, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.
Wisdom was scratched from Thursday's game against the Rockies due to right quadriceps tightness. It was a precautionary measure, and the infielder is expected to only miss a few days. In 302 plate appearances last season, Wisdom slashed .205/.289/.500 with 23 home runs and 46 RBI.
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Ian Happ LF | CHC
Cubs' Ian Happ: Dealing with hamstring strain
Manager Craig Counsell revealed Saturday that Happ has a mild left hamstring strain, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Counsell is optimistic that Happ will be ready for Opening Day, but the outfielder has no timeline to return to spring training games. Happ slashed .248/.360/.431 with 21 home runs and a career-high 84 RBI over 691 plate appearances in 2023.
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Max Muncy 3B | LAD
Dodgers' Max Muncy: Returns to lineup
Muncy (hand) is starting at third base and batting fourth for the Dodgers' spring training game against the Cubs on Saturday, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Muncy had been held out for the past couple of games after getting hit in the hand by a pitch during Wednesday's contest against Texas. He resumed swinging a bat Friday and was never expected to miss much time. Muncy tied a career high with 36 homers last season and has already hit one out in six at-bats this spring.
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Joey Wendle 2B | ATL
Mets' Joey Wendle: Nursing sore shoulder
Wendle has been dealing with a sore right shoulder, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Wendle's shoulder has prevented him from playing so far during spring training, but he is on track to make his Grapefruit League debut in about a week. The 33-year-old infielder slashed .212/.248/.306 across 318 plate appearances with Miami last season and figures to operate in a utility role for the Mets in 2024.
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Jeff McNeil 2B | ATH
Mets' Jeff McNeil: Won't hit for now
Manager Carlos Mendoza said Saturday that McNeil is dealing with left biceps soreness and will be shut down from hitting for a few days, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
McNeil will not undergo an MRI as the injury isn't believed to be serious enough to warrant that, but the infielder will be reassessed by the team Tuesday. He was expected to make his spring training debut in the first week of March, but the Mets are opting for the cautious approach given the biceps soreness is in the same arm that McNeil sustained a partial ligament tear late last season. He slashed .270/.333/.378 with 10 home runs and 55 RBI over 648 plate appearances in 2023.
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Carson Spiers RP | CIN
Reds' Carson Spiers: Gives up first spring runs
Spiers allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and one walk while striking out two over 2.2 innings in Friday's spring game against the Diamondbacks.
Spiers made his second Cactus League appearance, entering for multiple innings following starter Brandon Williamson. The right-handed Spiers retired the first two batters in the fourth inning then allowed three two-out runs, including a solo home run. Arizona touched Spiers for another run in the sixth. He's one of many candidates for the final rotation spot but a lack of meaningful experience at the upper levels of the minors could lead to Spiers opening at Triple-A Louisville.
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Brandon Williamson SP | CIN
Reds' Brandon Williamson: Makes second spring appearance
Williamson allowed three runs on five hits and struck out three over three innings in Friday's spring start against Arizona.
This was Williamson's second Cactus League appearance and first start. The Diamondbacks touched him for runs in the first two innings, before the left-hander ripped off a perfect third frame. Williamson was included as the fifth starter in the latest roster projection from Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. That represents a change from Sheldon's first projection, which had Nick Lodolo (tibia) at the back end of the rotation. Recent news that Lodolo will undergo additional testing clouds the final spot.
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Matt McLain 2B | CIN
Reds' Matt McLain: Takes grounders
McLain (oblique) took groundballs Thursday after passing a series of tests that showed he's no longer dealing with the soreness issue, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
The update also mentions McLain was scheduled for light swinging, but there were no details provided. The plan calls for the infielder to work with a mobility coach to become more flexible in his core. To this point, all updates on McLain's condition have been positive and suggest he'll be ready for Opening Day.
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Graham Ashcraft RP | CIN
Reds' Graham Ashcraft: Strong spring debut
Ashcraft walked one and struck out two over two hitless and scoreless innings in Thursday's spring start against the Dodgers.
Ashcraft's first Cactus League start was delayed in deference to his September toe surgery. The right-hander wasted little time in showing is stuff was sharp. Ashcraft struck out Mookie Betts on a 99-mph fastball, then Jason Heyward broke two bats during his plate appearance. Ashcraft told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com that he has to work on keeping the slider in the zone and was pleased with the one changeup -- a new pitch -- he threw.
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Joe Mantiply RP | TOR
Diamondbacks' Joe Mantiply: Makes spring debut
Mantiply allowed one hit and hit two batters over a scoreless inning in Friday's spring game against Cincinnati.
Mantiply loaded the bases with one out but wriggled out of the jam by inducing a 5-2-3 double play. That he faced adversity and pitched out it is the positive spin on the left-hander's first Cactus League appearance. He's expected to occupy a spot in the bullpen to open the season, but the one-time high-leverage option needs better results to reclaim a trusted role in 2024. Mantiply recorded a 4.62 ERA with a diminished strikeout rate and increased walk rate in 2023.