MLB Player News

Mayfield was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old was acquired from the Braves for cash considerations in February but was unable to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster. Mayfield will likely fill a utility role if he receive a big-league chance this season.

Gimenez appears to have secured the everyday shortstop job for Cleveland as Opening Day approaches, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.

Gimenez and Amed Rosario opened camp in contention for shortstop duties, but Cleveland has since experimented with Rosario in the outfield more frequently, signaling that he's now being viewed as more of a utility player. The decision doesn't come as a surprise given the superior defense Gimenez demonstrated during both players' time together in the Mets organization, but the 22-year-old has continued to display some promise at the plate this spring, too. Though he has yet to attempt a steal in 13 games, Gimenez is slashing .286/.342/.571 with two home runs and two triples.

Biggio underwent X-rays on Wednesday that revealed no fracture to his pinkie finger, Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star reports.

Biggio was scratched from Wednesday's spring lineup due to finger discomfort, but it doesn't appear as though he'll be forced to miss additional time. Manager Charlie Montoyo said Wednesday that Biggio is currently considered day-to-day. It's unlikely that the injury will limit the 25-year-old's availability for Opening Day.

Biggio has been scratched from Wednesday's spring lineup against the Yankees due to right pinky finger discomfort.

Biggio was initially slated to bat second and play third base Wednesday, but Randal Grichuk will now bat second while Breyvic Valera joins Toronto's lineup, playing first base and batting ninth. Biggio had been putting together a strong spring this year and will serve as Toronto's primary third baseman if he's healthy to begin the season, but the severity of Biggio's injury isn't yet known.

Rengifo is expected to break camp with the Angels now that Franklin Barreto has been shut down 4-to-6 weeks due to elbow inflammation, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Rengifo and Barreto had been battling this spring for one of the team's final roster spots, and the latter's injury likely means that Rengifo will make the cut as a reserve middle infielder. The 24-year-old has been doing his part to earn the role in Cactus League play, slashing .292/.419/.458 with a home run, seven RBI and two stolen bases.

Chavis went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's spring game against Tampa Bay.

It was his sixth spring homer, tying him with Bobby Dalbec for the team lead. The right-handed hitter is slashing .302/.362/.767 in an effort to claim the final bench spot. His main competition for the roster, Christian Arroyo, also went deep Monday and is slashing .300/.349/.550 with three homers and eight RBI.

Hernandez has "done everything possible" to be the Red Sox's leadoff hitter per manager Alex Cora, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Hernandez doesn't fit the traditional mold of a leadoff man, as he's never stolen more than four bases in a season. He doesn't entirely fit the modern mold, either, as he owns a career .313 on-base percentage and has come in at .308 or below in that category in four of the last five seasons. His .270 on-base percentage last season was a career low, as was his 4.1 percent walk rate, but he's evidently done enough to impress Cora. The leadoff role would be a boost to his fantasy value primarily through the extra plate appearances it comes with and should also boost his run total, albeit at the likely cost of a handful of RBI.

Entering play Monday, Merrifield has gone 12-for-27 (.444 average) with four doubles and a 0-for-2 success rate on stolen-base attempts through 10 Cactus League games.

With batting averages of .280 or better in every season of his career, Merrifield looks poised to find himself near the top of the AL leaderboard category during his sixth season in Kansas City. He'll likely chip in plenty of runs while reprising his familiar role as the Royals' leadoff man, and while the 30-plus steals he notched in both 2017 and 2018 are probably out of reach at this stage of his career, the 32-year-old should at least remain a double-digit stolen-base threat. Merrifield's Statcast-measured sprint speed ranked in the 89th percentile of all players in 2020, suggesting he still boasts some premium wheels.

Barreto will be shut down for four to six weeks due to elbow inflammation, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Barreto had been pushing to win a utility role but now won't get to fill that role in the early part of the season. He won't start building back up until late April at the earliest and then will still need a fair amount of time before he's ready for game action. Luis Rengifo now looks likely to break camp with the Angels in a bench spot.

Arraez could share the leadoff role against right-handed pitchers with Max Kepler this season, manager Rocco Baldelli told MLB.com. Arraez hit leadoff Sunday and went 2-for-3 with a walk and double. He's hitting .300 (9-for-30) this spring.

Arraez will move to a utility role this season with the Twins signing Andrelton Simmons to play shortstop and moving Jorge Polanco to second base. However, he's expected to get near everyday duty as starters are rested regularly. The Twins may not have a set lineup as manager Rocco Baldelli likes to play matchups each game, but it sounds like Arraez will be in the leadoff mix.