MLB Player News

Monasterio will be part of a three-player platoon at second base early in the regular season, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Boston manager Alex Cora discussed his plans for second base, where Marcelo Mayer will start against right-handers. Against lefties, it will be either Monasterio or Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Monasterio was better than Kiner-Falefa against left-handers in 2025, but Cora indicated he would "mix-and-match" between the two. Fantasy managers will get an early look at how Cora handles the situation, as Boston is scheduled to face left-handers in its first two games of the regular season.

The Angels placed Grissom on the 10-day injured list Monday due to a left wrist sprain.

Grissom received a cortisone shot last week to help treat his injured hand. Angels skipper Kurt Suzuki noted that the 25-year-old has progressed well since then and has begun hitting off a tee and fielding grounders, but Grissom won't be ready to go for the start of the season. Once healthy, Grissom is expected to fill a utility infield role for the Angels.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that Mayer will be part of a platoon at second base early in the regular season, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Cora indicated that Mayer will sit against left-handers with either Isiah Kiner-Falefa or Andruw Monasterio sliding in at second base against righties. Back in February, before spring training started, Cora envisioned Mayer playing against all starters, but it appears that won't be the case to start the season. Mayer was just 4-for-26 (.154) in the majors and had a .630 OPS in the minors against southpaws last year.

Bader (hamstring) will start in center field and bat second during Tuesday's exhibition game against the Sultanes de Monterrey, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bader has been dealing with left hamstring tightness since Friday, but he's now been given the green light to return to a game setting. Assuming his hamstring holds up, the 31-year-old outfielder figures to be good to go for San Francisco's season opener against the Yankees on Wednesday.

The Astros granted Lambert his release Tuesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The team informed Lambert on Sunday that he won't be included on the Opening Day roster, and the 28-year-old righty has now decided to explore his options in free agency. He posted a 2.92 ERA and 1.70 WHIP over 12.1 innings in the Grapefruit League but owns a 6.28 ERA across his MLB career, so he may have to settle for a minor-league contract.

Salazar did not make the Astros' Opening Day roster, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

He's out of minor-league options, so Salazar will have to be exposed to waivers first if the Astros intend to send him to Triple-A Sugar Land. The 30-year-old has seen spot duty with Houston the past three years, slashing .232/.318/.268in 67 plate appearances.

Vazquez has made the Astros' Opening Day roster as a backup catcher, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Vazquez inked a minor-league contract earlier this month and has won the No. 2 job behind starter Yainer Diaz. The 35-year-old slashed only .215/.267/.311 the past three seasons with the Twins and is unlikely to play much in Houston.

Marquez hurled 4.2 innings in an exhibition start against Seattle on Monday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out eight batters.

Marquez actually worked as a reliever Monday, though he followed opener Kyle Hart after just one inning. Marquez logged a starter's workload with 81 pitches, and he racked up a whopping 22 whiffs -- 18 of which came on his knuckle curve. The veteran pitcher hasn't been a big strikeout guy in recent seasons, averaging less than a punchout per inning every year since 2019, but having Coors Field as your home park can have that kind of impact. Over his final two outings this spring, he's racked up 17 strikeouts across 9.2 frames. It remains to be seen if Marquez has rediscovered something in his arsenal or if he's just thriving in the atmosphere of exhibition games, but he seems to be headed for a role in San Diego's Opening Day rotation, and there's suddenly a reason to at least consider his name at the end of fantasy drafts in deep leagues.

Slater agreed to a one-year, major-league contract with the Marlins on Tuesday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Slater parted ways with the Tigers over the weekend after posting an .856 OPS in 15 spring training games. The 33-year-old will provide the Marlins with some veteran outfield depth in the wake of Kyle Stowers' (hamstring) and Esteury Ruiz's (oblique) injuries. Slater has excelled against left-handed pitching throughout his nine-year MLB career, so he'll likely step into a short-side platoon role.

Jones went 2-for-2 with a pair of home runs and three total RBI in an exhibition loss to the Cubs on Monday.

Jones didn't start, but he still made a big splash after entering as a defensive replacement in the fifth inning. The young slugger belted a solo homer in his first plate appearance and added a two-run shot in his second. Jones leads the Yankees with six long balls and 11 RBI during the exhibition slate, and he's posted a sensational 1.621 OPS over 12 games. He'll begin the campaign at Triple-A, but there's a good chance he'll make his regular-season big-league debut at some point in 2026.