MLB Player News

Lowe went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk in Thursday's season-opening win over the Marlins.

Lowe's two-bagger off Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara was the only other extra-base hit of the day for the Rays besides Austin Meadows' solo home run. The relatively productive afternoon at the plate to open the season was an encouraging sight, considering Lowe hit just .179 (7-for-39) and struck out 14 times in Grapefruit League play.

Merrifield went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, two RBI and two runs scored during Thursday's Opening Day win over the Rangers.

Merrifield made his at-bats count and kept Kansas City's lead alive with a solo home run against Kolby Allard in the eighth inning. It looks like the 32-year-old is set for another season as a reliable fantasy producer in every category.

Arraez went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a walk during Thursday's extra-inning loss against the Brewers.

Arraez is expected to work as Minnesota's leadoff hitter in most games this season, and he certainly lived up to the role in the opener, reaching base in three of his six plate appearances. He's posted an on-base percentage north of .360 in each of his first two big-league seasons, so Arraez is a solid fit for the role despite his lack of speed.

Arraez will lead off and play left field in Thursday's season opener against the Brewers.

Arraez has spent the majority of his career in the infield, but he's no stranger to the outfield, having started 18 games in left in 2019. Per Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic, he's expected to fill the leadoff spot regularly this season, pushing Max Kepler (who's batting fifth Thursday) into the heart of the order. Arraez doesn't steal like a traditional leadoff man, as he's swiped just two bags in 124 major-league games, but his .390 on-base percentage fits well at the top of the order.

Haggerty has made the Mariners' Opening Day roster, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

The versatile 26-year-old flashed potential in his first Mariners season in 2020 with a .260/.315/.400 slash over 13 games. Despite the fact that he followed it up with just a .239 average this spring, his experience playing every position in the field except catcher and first base made him too valuable not to stick.

Rosario is out of the lineup for Thursday's season opener versus the Tigers.

With southpaw Matthew Boyd on the hill for the Tigers, Cleveland will roll with the right-handed Jordan Luplow in center field. Cleveland's plans for that position remain less clear versus right-handed pitching, but the lefty-hitting Ben Gamel could have the edge for those starts over Rosario, who is right-handed like Luplow. If that's the case, Rosario would have to settle for a utility role to begin the season, limiting his overall playing-time outlook.

Barreto (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

The 25-year-old was shut down for 4-to-6 weeks March 22 with right elbow inflammation, and the move to the 60-day IL will guarantee he misses the first two months of the season. Barreto was competing for a utility role in camp and likely won't return until June.

Manager Mike Matheny said Lopez would start at shortstop in the Royals' season opener Thursday against the Rangers, Josh Vernier of 610 Sports reports.

Texas is bringing a right-hander (Kyle Gibson) to the mound Opening Day, so the lefty-hitting Lopez looks on track to at least occupy the strong side of a platoon at shortstop while Adalberto Mondesi (oblique) is sidelined to begin the season. Per Vernier, Matheny said that he expects Mondesi to miss "a couple of weeks" with the injury, so Lopez could be in store for a near-everyday role until around at least mid-April. With a .228 lifetime average and three home runs and one stolen base across 159 career games, Lopez shouldn't be counted on to deliver much fantasy value even if he receives steady at-bats.

The Royals recalled Lopez from their alternate training site Wednesday.

Lopez initially appeared set to miss out on joining the Opening Day roster, but Kansas City chose to bring him back following Adalberto Mondesi's surprising placement on the 10-day injured list due to an oblique strain. The severity of Mondesi's injury isn't yet known, but Lopez could end up filling the strong side of a platoon at shortstop with Hanser Alberto for however long Mondesi is sidelined. While handling a near-everyday role for Kansas City the past two seasons, Lopez provided little fantasy value with a .228 average, three home runs, one stolen base, 59 runs and 43 RBI in 159 games.

Chavis failed to control the strike zone throughout spring training, which was a factor in the Red Sox sending him to the alternate camp, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Chavis lost out on the final roster spot to Christian Arroyo. Having minor-league options while Arroyo did not likely factored into the decision, but Red Sox manager Alex Cora spoke to Chavis chasing pitches. "We talk about a few things that he needs to do to be the complete hitter we know he can be. I think at the end, he didn't control the strike zone. He was very aggressive chasing pitches out of the zone," Cora said. Chavis had a 1.129 OPS over the first 18 spring games, but the infielder went just 2-for-17 with eight strikeouts over the final seven contests. He'll start the season at Triple-A Worcester and work on understanding the upper edge of the strike zone and driving pitches in the zone.