MLB Player News

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that Betts won't play in a spring game until at least Sunday, and maybe not until "early next week," Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Betts isn't dealing with an injury, but Roberts has intentionally held him out of Cactus League contests thus far. The veteran manager stated that the Dodgers "wanted to ramp [Betts] up differently," per Plunkett, and further explained, "I wanted Mookie to start a little bit later as far as not getting into spring training ready to go, and kind of use spring training to build up." Betts is looking to rebound from a subpar season offensively, as his .732 regular-season OPS last year was the lowest mark of his big-league career.

Doyle was diagnosed with a sprained left wrist Friday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Doyle has been held out of Cactus League action since he was scratched from Wednesday's lineup with a wrist injury. Now that imaging has confirmed he suffered a sprain, the Rockies will keep him on the bench for a few more days before taking another look at him.

Bader was removed from Friday's Cactus League game against the Dodgers due to a right thumb contusion, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Bader was removed from Friday's game after his lone at-bat in the first inning, when he grounded out to second base. Giants manager Tony Vitello relayed to reporters after the game that Bader's thumb had been bothering him "for a few days" and will keep him out of action for the next couple of days, per Santos. Bader signed a two-year, $20.5 million contract with the Giants in January and is expected to serve as the team's starting center fielder, and while an extended absence isn't expected, this allows for Jerar Encarnacion and Will Brennan to both see more reps in the outfield.

Young (wrist) is starting in center field and batting second in Friday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Astros, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Young was held out of the first handful of Nationals spring training contests with right wrist soreness, but he's been cleared for game action. The speedster will see most or all of his playing time in center field for the Nationals this season, but he may need to improve on last year's .583 OPS to get regular starts.

Friedl started in left field and went 1-for-3 with a run scored in Thursday's spring game against San Diego.

Friedl, who normally defends center field, moved to left field so that Dane Myers could play center. Reds manager Terry Francona talked to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com about the alignment, which could be deployed during the regular season against certain lefties. The manager praised Myers' defense in center and will try to get Friedl in left a few more times this spring, although the latter is expected to be the primary center fielder during the regular season. Friedl has appeared in three Cactus League games, going 3-for-8 with a walk and three RBI.

The Rockies are expecting Castro to be aggressive stealing bases this season, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The Rockies have revamped their front office and much of the coaching staff during offseason, leading to several new philosophies. One such change will be a focus on aggressiveness on the basepaths in an effort to create more run-scoring opportunities. Castro is among several players on the roster who could benefit, though he's only 24 of 40 on stolen base attempts across the last two regular seasons.

Condon has gone 6-for-10 with two home runs and four RBI across six Cactus League appearances.

It's a small sample, but Condon has had an impressive start to spring training. He popped a home run to the opposite field Thursday and now has only two strikeouts across his first 12 plate appearances. Condon is in the mix for a roster spot at first base, though he'll likely start the season in the upper minors.

Bader went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 13-12 Cactus League loss to the Brewers.

Bader, who signed a two-year, $20.5 million pact with San Francisco in January, recorded his first home run with the Giants in the fourth inning. The 31-year-old is coming off the best offensive campaign of his career in 2025, during which he slashed .277/.347/.449 with 17 long balls, 54 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 501 plate appearances over 146 regular-season games between the Twins and Phillies. He is expected to take over as the Giants' everyday center fielder this season, pushing Jung Hoo Lee to right field.

Doyle underwent imaging on his left wrist after the injury forced him to be scratched from Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Cubs, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The Rockies had said previously that Doyle being scratched was precautionary, but him being sent for imaging suggests there's some level of concern. The results of the imaging are not in yet but might be available later Thursday. If Doyle is forced to miss time, the Rockies could shift Jake McCarthy over to center field.

Benge went 3-for-3 in the Mets' Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old hit leadoff, and while all three of Benge's knocks were singles, they all came in two-strike counts as he saw a total of 19 pitches over the three plate appearances. Benge is being given a real chance to win the starting job in right field during camp, and performances like this can only help his case. He slashed .282/.389/.467 between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A in 2025 with a 13.5 percent walk rate and a 17.5 percent strikeout rate, adding 14 homers and 24 steals on 28 attempts in 116 games.