MLB Player News
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Ryan Mountcastle 1B | BAL
Orioles' Ryan Mountcastle: Set to return Wednesday
Mountcastle (neck) expects to play in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
A return for Tuesday's exhibition had been mentioned as possibility, though that was seen as a best-case scenario after Mountcastle reported neck stiffness over the weekend. He will instead stay back and take live batting practice to prepare for his return to action Wednesday. The 27-year-old has had a bit of a slow spring with a .592 OPS in nine games, but he appears on track to be ready for Opening Day and still projects to see a lot of playing time at DH to begin the season.
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Zach Eflin SP | TB
Rays' Zach Eflin: Confirmed for Opening Day
Eflin will start for the Rays on Opening Day, March 28 at home against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
This had been widely assumed after Eflin turned in a career year in 2023, leading the team in innings pitched, wins and strikeouts. We now have confirmation that Eflin will start Opening Day, which lines him up for two starts on the season-opening homestand. The results this spring don't look good, but the right-hander has already built up to four innings and should be able to stretch out a bit more before he takes the hill in a game that counts.
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Ceddanne Rafaela CF | BOS
Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela: Enters game as infielder
Rafaela entered Monday's spring game at second base and went 0-for-1 against the Twins.
Rafaela made his first spring appearance in the infield, although he's played second base in the minors. There was some talk of him filling in at second base while Vaughn Grissom (groin) recovers, but Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced a platoon, involving Enmanuel Valdez and Pablo Reyes, at the keystone to start the season, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. That means if Rafaela makes the Opening Day roster, it will likely be as the team's primary center fielder.
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Connor Wong C | BOS
Red Sox's Connor Wong: Homers in two straight
Wong started at catcher and went 2-for-3 with with a two-run home run in Monday's spring game against the Twins.
Wong went deep for the second time in as many games, upping his spring line to .433/.469/.833 with eight extra-base hits and eight RBI over 30 Grapefruit League at-bats. The spring production is a sign that offseason adjustments have worked, per Ian Browne of MLB.com. "He's made adjustments," manager Alex Cora said. "It started towards the end of the [2023] season. And in the offseason, [hitting coach] Pete [Fatse] came down here to Fort Myers. They started cleaning up a few things with the leg kick and all that." Wong said he's shorter to the baseball and trying to eliminate the swing-and-miss and choose better pitches overall. In 2023, Wong struck out 134 times in 403 plate appearances (33.3 K%).
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Nick Pivetta RP | BOS
Red Sox's Nick Pivetta: Works into fifth inning
Pivetta allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out five over four-plus innings in Monday's spring start against Minnesota.
Pivetta, whose pitch count reached 79 in his penultimate spring outing, was removed in the fifth inning after the first batter reached on a single. For those calendar watchers, Pivetta's five-day schedule lines up perfectly with Opening Day, March 28, on the road in Seattle. The right-hander has a 5.25 spring ERA with 13 strikeouts and three walks over 12 innings.
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Josh Jung 3B | TEX
Rangers' Josh Jung: Serves as DH
Jung (calf) served as the designated hitter in a minor-league game Monday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
In order to get as many at-bats as possible, Jung was the leadoff batter in every inning and went 2-for-4 with two singles. Texas manager Bruce Bochy is hopeful Jung will be ready to go by Opening Day and sees the third baseman playing in two exhibition game against the Red Sox at Globe Life Field on March 25-26. The manager has not ruled out a start in a Cactus League game before the Rangers break camp.
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Sam Moll RP | CIN
Reds' Sam Moll: Makes spring debut
Moll allowed two runs on two hits and two walks over one inning in Monday's spring game against the Giants.
Moll, who was delayed by left shoulder soreness, made his spring debut Monday. Despite the results, Moll is a lock for a bullpen spot provided he can build up over the next week.
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Frankie Montas RP | CIN
Reds' Frankie Montas: Rights himself Monday
Montas allowed one run on three hits while striking out five over four innings in Monday's spring start against San Francisco.
Montas elicited sighs of relief, delivering a strong outing after surrendering four runs in each of his previous two Cactus League starts. The lone run scored on a misplayed grounder up the middle. A wavering breaking ball was the main culprit in his previous outing, but Montas was able to locate the pitch better Monday, per Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Montas will have one more start before taking the ball Opening Day, March 28, at home against the Nationals.
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Stuart Fairchild LF | CIN
Reds' Stuart Fairchild: Starts in center field Monday
Fairchild started in center field and went 0-for-3 in Monday's spring game against the Giants.
Fairchild will help fill the void in center field created Saturday when TJ Friedl sustained a fractured wrist. The injury is expected keep him sidelined through the end of April. The right-handed hitting Fairchild and lefty Will Benson will be the primary fill-ins at the position, although it's not yet known if there will be a strict platoon. Benson started in center field Sunday against righty Shane Bieber, while Fairchild got his start against lefty Kyle Harrison. Fairchild has impressed thus far in spring training, batting .360 (9-for-25) with five extra-base hits and six RBI.
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Kyle Nelson RP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Kyle Nelson: Returns to action
Nelson (groin) allowed one walk over a scoreless and hitless inning in Monday's spring game against Oakland.
Nelson was held back for eight days while dealing with a groin injury, but manager Torey Lovullo never deemed the injury serious enough to impact the pitcher's availability for Opening Day. Nelson is expected to fill a middle-relief role for the Diamondbacks, as he's done each of the last two seasons.