Astros manager Joe Espada said Friday on Foul Territory that, if Jeremy Pena (finger) isn't ready for Opening Day, Carlos Correa (neck) would shift to shortstop and Paredes would start at third base.

Pena has been diagnosed with a fracture in the tip of his right ring finger and will be reevaluated in two weeks before it's known whether he has a chance to be ready for the opener. Paredes doesn't have a clear path to a starting job when the Astros' crowded infield is healthy, but Pena's injury could open the door to everyday playing time for Paredes, at least on a temporary basis.

Wisdom went 2-for-3 with a solo homer and a second run scored in Thursday's Cactus League matchup against the Padres.

After starting the spring 1-for-10 across four games, Wisdom's gone 4-for-6 with a pair of homers in his last two contests. The 34-year-old Wisdom signed with the Mariners as a non-roster invitee after spending the 2025 season in the KBO, where he posted an .856 OPS with 35 home runs in 119 games. Any chance that Wisdom had to earn a starting role went away with the signing of Brendan Donovan, though the veteran is still looking to make the Opening Day roster as a bench piece.

Yesavage could face an abbreviated workload to begin the season, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The Blue Jays have been pitching Yesavage in live batting practice sessions rather than games, and there's no timeline for when he will appear in a Grapefruit League contest. Manager John Schneider noted Friday of Yesavage that "we still view him as a starter," but the righty could be limited to 3-4 innings per start early on in the season. Toronto is being careful with Yesavage's workload after he threw 139.2 innings in 2025, including the postseason, which was a 46.1-inning jump from 2024 at East Carolina.

The Guardians optioned Gomez to minor-league camp Friday.

Gomez was added to the 40-man roster over the winter but never had a real chance to win an Opening Day roster spot. The righty coughed up four runs on five hits and a 1:4 K:BB over 3.1 innings in Cactus League play.

The Guardians optioned Peterson (triceps) to minor-league camp Friday.

Peterson suffered a right triceps strain in late February and will not be ready for the start of the season. Once healthy, he'll be ticketed for the rotation at Triple-A Columbus.

The Angels optioned Sandridge to minor-league camp Friday.

The left-hander has made two Cactus League appearances for the Angels, permitting five runs over two innings of work. An offseason trade acquisition, Sandridge posted a 4.55 ERA and 47:17 K:BB over 31.2 frames last season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the Yankees organization in 2025.

The Angels optioned Fermin to minor-league camp Friday.

The 24-year-old has had a rough spring, yielding five runs on four hits and four walks over 3.2 innings. Fermin made 40 appearances for the Halos last season and should still play a role in their bullpen in 2026.

Arias (back) will start at shortstop and bat eighth in Friday's Cactus League contest versus the Angels.

Arias missed the past week of action with lower-back spasms, but he's ready to go now. The 26-year-old has gone 2-for-9 with a double and is projected to be the Guardians' primary shortstop during the upcoming season.

Black allowed no hits and two walks over a scoreless inning in Thursday's Cactus League loss to the Rangers. He did not record a strikeout.

In a high-scoring affair, Black managed to work a scoreless eighth inning, albeit while issuing a pair of walks. The right-hander has worked primarily as a starter throughout his professional career, but Royals manager Matt Quatraro said, "We view him more as a reliever. Just as a reliever? Not necessarily. If you need a spot start, maybe that would be the case," per MLB.com. After being traded from the Giants in November, a retooling of his repertoire with the assistance of Kansas City's coaching staff has proven effective thus far in Cactus League play, as Black has tossed five scoreless innings across four appearances. The 26-year-old may be ticketed to open the season with Triple-A Omaha, but the club appears to believe he can contribute at the big-league level in 2026.

Ragans allowed six runs on five hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch over 1.2 innings in Thursday's Cactus League loss to the Rangers. He struck out two.

Ragans was ambushed early, allowing the first three hitters of the game to reach before Jake Burger launched a homer from the cleanup spot that quickly put the Rangers ahead by four in the first inning. Kansas City allowed Andrew Perez to finish the first frame before sending Ragans back out for the second inning, where he surrendered another home run to Wyatt Langford. While it certainly wasn't a banner outing for the southpaw, his velocity wasn't a concern, as his fastball averaged 96.8 mph and topped out at 98.5 mph. It was an injury-riddled and disappointing 2025 season for the 28-year-old, who posted a 4.67 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across 13 starts and 61.2 innings. However, a 2.50 FIP, 14.3 K/9 and a career-worst .354 BABIP are data points that have Kansas City believing Ragans can rebound and return closer to his 2024 form in 2026.