MLB Player News

Palacios will see some time at third base during spring training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Palacios has shown versatility during his major-league career, where he has seen most of his playing time in the outfield corners and at second base. He should get a fair amount of playing time at the keystone behind Gavin Lux. Although Palacios has played third base in just two major-league games, the Rays expanding his utility in order to improve his chances of making the Opening Day roster. Palacios slashed .333/396/.452 with four steals, one home run and three RBI across 48 plate appearances for Tampa Bay in 2025.

Kiner-Falefa is getting work at first base early in spring training due to the absences of Triston Casas (knee) and Romy Gonzalez (shoulder), Sean McAdam of Masslive.com reports.

Casas continues to recover from major knee surgery last May, and Gonzalez has been shelved since September due to a left shoulder injury. Kiner-Falefa has typically served at second base, third and shortstop during his major-league career, but the veteran utility man could get some looks at first during spring training and early in the regular season behind Willson Contreras.

Butler (knees) took part in a live batting practice session during Monday's full-squad workout, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Butler's ability to face live pitching early on in camp confirms that he's back to full health in advance of the 2026 campaign. Back on Oct. 3, the outfielder underwent surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee and received a platelet-rich plasma injection to address tendinitis in his left knee, but he seems to have had a relatively normal offseason. After he broke out with an .807 OPS in 2024, Butler's knee problems may have played a factor in his downturn in productivity in 2025, when he slashed .234/.306/.404 and saw his strikeout rate jump more than four percentage points to 28.4 percent. Despite the nearly 100-point drop in his OPS, Butler still came through with strong numbers in the counting categories (21 home runs, 22 steals, 83 runs, 63 RBI).

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Cabrera (ankle) will not play in Grapefruit League games right away, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Cabrera is considered fully healthy after undergoing left ankle surgery last May, but he will be eased into game action. Barring any setbacks with the ankle, Cabrera should be part of the Yankees' Opening Day roster in a utility role.

The Yankees outrighted Fernandez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday.

Fernandez had been claimed off waivers from the Rockies earlier this month before the Yankees designated him for assignment days later. He passed through waivers this time around and will remain in camp with the Yankees as a non-roster invitee. Fernandez slashed just .225/.265/.348 with a 29.9 percent strikeout rate over 147 plate appearances with the Rockies in 2025 in his first stint in the big leagues.

Trout said Monday that he wants to return to center field this season, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

Trout began the 2025 season as the Halos' right fielder, but he was a full-time designated hitter from late April on after suffering a bone bruise to his surgically repaired left knee. The three-time MVP noted Monday that he's more comfortable in center field and believes it's easier on his body. Per Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register, manager Kurt Suzuki said that he's open to giving Trout some exposure to center field in the Cactus League, but the Angels plan on having the 34-year-old work at all three outfield spots this spring before deciding where to place him once the regular season gets underway. Jo Adell was the team's primary center fielder in 2025, but he rated poorly defensively and played more right field in the final two months.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that he expects Judge to play in "four or five" of the team's first nine Grapefruit League games before he joins Team USA in early March for the World Baseball Classic, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.

Veterans like Judge are typically eased into spring lineups, but he'll get in some competitive at-bats early in camp to ensure he's sharp ahead of the WBC. Boone also reiterated that Judge will be a full participant in full-squad workouts throughout the week and is facing no limitations with his throwing after a flexor strain in his right elbow resulted in a brief stay on the injured list last July and kept him from playing the outfield for about five weeks. In spite of the elbow concern, Judge continued to thrive at the plate and took home his third American League MVP Award last season while batting a career-best .331 and slugging 53 home runs over 152 games.

Haggerty (ankle) took live batting practice against teammate Nathan Eovaldi on Sunday, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Haggerty didn't see action after mid-August of last season due to a setback in his recovery from an ankle issue during a September rehab assignment. That didn't deter the Rangers from tendering him a contract this offseason, and he's in good shape to win a utility job on the Opening Day roster. In addition to being able to play all three outfield spots, second base, third base and shortstop, the switch-hitting Haggerty will give Texas a weapon against left-handed pitching. He slashed .318/.376/.435 across 94 plate appearances versus southpaws in 2025.

Langford (oblique) took his first live batting practice session of spring training Sunday, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Langford was shut down for the final five games of the 2025 season due to a left oblique strain, but he's believed to have had a normal offseason. The 24-year-old will open the season as the Rangers' everyday left fielder, though he could occasionally slide over to center in place of Evan Carter when Texas faces left-handed pitching.

Manager Skip Schumaker said Sunday that he expects Nimmo to open the season as the Rangers' everyday right fielder and leadoff hitter, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Josh Smith served as Texas' primary leadoff man in 2025, but Nimmo's .350 career OBP and less extreme splits make for a more logical choice at the top of the order. After batting fourth or fifth for much of last season with the Mets, Nimmo will lose out on RBI opportunities with the move, but he could make a push for his first 100-run campaign since 2022 while hitting in front of Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford. The move to right field could prove to be a more challenging adjustment for Nimmo, as he hasn't seen action there since 2020.