JJ Wetherholt, 2B, Cardinals: Wetherholt went 1-for-3 with a home run, his second this spring, as part of a 7-2 victory against the Orioles in Grapefruit League action. Wetherholt homered off Orioles prospect Nestor German, hitting one of four blasts by Cardinals prospects in this game. Joshua Baez hit one out, and Chase Davis added two homers in the game.

So far, Wetherholt is having the type of spring he needed to have to lock down his place on the Opening Day roster. St. Louis traded infielders Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras in the offseason, all but guaranteeing a spot for Wetherholt, who has done his best to walk through the open door by going 5-for-18 (.278) with two homers, seven walks and a stolen base through nine games.

Joshua Báez, OF, Cardinals: Baez continued a hot stretch in the Grapefruit League by connecting for a home run for a third straight game. His blast Monday was hit against Orioles righthander Nestor German. Baez went down to pull a slider with authority to left field. The ball traveled 416 feet and was hit at 109 mph.

Baez went 1-for-3 in the game with a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored. Through 10 spring games he has gone 7-for-21 (.333) with three homers, five RBIs and a stolen base.

The Cardinals optioned Baez to Triple-A Memphis after the game, but he is a 40-man roster member who will make his MLB debut this season if he hits in the International League.

Kevin McGonigle, 2B/SS, Tigers: McGonigle launched a first-pitch-of-the-game home run off Team Dominican Republic's Luis Severino in a World Baseball Classic tune-up game, but that didn't count as an "official" spring training at-bat. McGonigle added his first "official" spring homer Monday against Rays reliever Jake Woodford. He hit the ball nearly 108 mph and pulled it 391 feet to right-center field. McGonigle is charging for an Opening Day roster spot and is doing his part by going 7-for-20 (.350) with two doubles, a triple, a homer, three walks and a stolen base through 10 games.

Related: Should Kevin McGonigle & JJ Wetherholt begin the year in the majors?

Elmer Rodriguez & Spencer Jones, Yankees: With fewer than three weeks until Opening Day, the Yankees optioned two of their top prospects to minor league camp. Rodriguez and Jones played well in Grapefruit League games and could make their MLB debuts this season. Rodriguez made two appearances totaling six innings. He allowed two runs on five hits, striking out five. Jones batted 6-for-18 (.333) with three home runs, seven RBIs, three stolen bases, four walks and six strikeouts in nine games. Rodriguez is currently pitching for Puerto Rico in the WBC, and he threw three scoreless innings Monday against Cuba in a 4-1 win.

Logan Henderson, RHP, Brewers: Henderson pitched three innings in a Cactus League game on March 4 but hasn't appeared since as he has contended with elbow soreness, according to MLB.com Brewers beat writer Adam McCalvy. Henderson also dealt with a flexor strain in the same right elbow last season that cost him most of August and all September. In five big league starts, he recorded a 1.78 ERA with a 33% strikeout walk and 8% walk rate in 25.1 innings.

Parker Messick, LHP, Guardians: Messick achieved big league success as a late-season callup last year. Using a blend of deception, location and solid stuff, he pitched to a 2.72 ERA in 39.2 innings. He has pitched effectively in three Cactus League starts this spring as he tried to capture a rotation spot in Cleveland. In his latest effort on Monday he struck out four four in 4.2 innings, allowing no runs on two hits. Overall, Messick has allowed two runs on six hits in 9.1 spring innings, striking out seven and walking four.

Editor’s Picks

Scouting Derek Curiel: Speaking of the Cardinals, Baseball America’s latest mock draft (released yesterday) projected the LSU star to St. Louis at 13th overall. Curiel is a fascinating prospect with some pure hitting accolades yet significant questions about his power potential. Carlos Collazo took a deep dive into his profile today for BA subscribers. Read more…

PPI Candidates: Matt Eddy sorts through the complete five-year history of MLB’s Prospect Promotion Incentive history and highlights names to know for 2026. Read more…

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

Each day, we’ll pick a prospect that has our attention.

Trevor Cohen, OF, Giants: Cohen was San Francisco’s third-round pick in 2025 and started his pro career on a strong note. The Rutgers alum is a hard-nosed, throwback-type of player who has the potential for above-average-or-better tools in every category except power. He’s got a sound knowledge of the strike zone and the bat-to-ball skills to spray line drives across the outfield. He’s another piece of a wholly up-arrow system. 

Quick Hits

Prospect news and notes from around baseball…

• Tigers outfielder Max Clark was reassigned to minor league camp on Monday. He went 2-for-18 with five strikeouts in nine big league spring training games.

• Clark wasn’t the only notable prospect sent back to minor league camp. Twins LHP Connor Prielipp, OF Emmanuel Rodriguez, Brewers SS Jesús Made and Dodgers OF Josue De Paula were among others.

• Reds RHP Rhett Lowder was roughed up for five runs (three earned) and seven hits in 3.2 innings against the A’s.

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