MLB Player News

Rosario made three errors in his first three innings in center field Tuesday against the Angels, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

There's a reason players typically try out new positions in spring training. Three bad innings isn't nearly a large enough sample to call the outfield experiment a failure for Rosario, but it's clear he has some things to work on. Cleveland appears to be preparing him for a utility role this season, opening up shortstop for Andres Gimenez.

Bannon was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

The 24-year-old infielder hit .176 with two doubles, a steal and a 6:7 K:BB in 17 at-bats during Grapefruit League play. Capable of playing at both second and third, Bannon will likely make his MLB debut at some point this season if he performs well at Triple-A.

The Shortcode="annotation" data-id="306" data-text="Tigers" data-canon="Detroit Tigers" data-type="SPORTS_OBJECT_TEAM" data-league-abbreviation="MLB" data-team-abbreviation="DET">Tigers optioned Short to Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday.

Short was one of six Tigers demoted as the organization reduced its contingent at big-league camp to 42 men. The 25-year-old shortstop is expected to handle an everyday role at Toledo in 2021.

Polanco left Tuesday's game against the Pirates with left adductor tightness and is considered day-to-day, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The adductor is a muscle by the groin/thigh area, and if the tightness turns out to be a strain, Polanco's status for Opening Day would be in doubt. For now, it sounds like a day-to-day issue. His injury opens up more playing time for Luis Arraez in the short term.

The Rays optioned Brujan to Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Brujan was among the 10 Rays sent to minor-league camp as Tampa Bay looks to narrow its active roster down to 26 ahead of Opening Day. Though he's overshadowed by organization mate Wander Franco, Brujan could be the first of the two to get the call to the big leagues thanks to his versatility. Brujan has prior experience at both middle-infield spots and third base, and he also dabbled in center field earlier in spring training.

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

Chavis went deep in the second inning for his fourth Grapefruit League homer and is 8-for-29 with five extra-base hits and seven RBI over 12 spring games. Boston manager Alex Cora praised Chavis' ability to lay off pitches outside the zone, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports. If that were to continue, it'd improve his chances of claiming the final bench spot. Smith also noted that Chavis will likely make the Opening Day roster if Franchy Cordero opens the season on the injured list. Cordero began camp on the COVID-related IL and only recently began working out with the team. If he lands on the IL to start the season, Marwin Gonzalez would be the likely starter in left field.

Barreto is competing for a utility role this spring, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, and has helped his candidacy with a .353/.421/.529 slash line in 11 Cactus League contests.

Barreto is out of minor-league options, which could give the Angels extra motivation to include him on the Opening Day roster. The fourth-year pro struggled mightily last season, collecting only two hits and striking out 15 times in 27 at-bats, but has swung a hot stick this spring. However, Barreto has struck out seven times in his 17 spring at-bats, so he doesn't appear to be past the contact issues that have dogged him throughout his professional career.

Kemp (hip) will start in left field and will bat seventh in Monday's Cactus League game against Cleveland.

Kemp checks back into the starting nine for the first time since exiting last Thursday's game against the Rangers after he was hit in the hip by a pitch. He appeared as a reserve second baseman in Sunday's loss to the White Sox, and after experiencing no setbacks with his hip, Kemp will presumably play a few more innings Monday.

Arroyo went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's spring game against the Twins.

Arroyo has homered in each of his last two games and is angling for the final bench spot. He's 8-for-23 with two homers, four RBI and three runs scored in 10 Grapefruit League games. He and Michael Chavis are competing for that final roster spot, but Chavis has minor-league options remaining, which works to Arroyo's benefit.

Polanco went 2-for-3 in Sunday's spring training win over Boston. He's hitting .333 (6-for-18) this spring with five walks and one strikeout.

Polanco has moved to second base after the Twins signed Andrelton Simmons. Polanco has had some ups and downs at second base, but he should improve as he adjusts to the new position, which he played frequently in the minors. Polanco is showing his bat could bounce back from last year's subpar performance (.258 with a .658 OPS) simply from improved health. Polanco underwent surgery in October to remove a bone spur and a small bone chip from his right ankle, which bothered him last year.