MLB Player News

Mayfield was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Mayfield struggled in his big-league debut in 2019, hitting .156 with a 24.6 percent strikeout rate in 65 plate appearances. With Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Aledmys Diaz all ahead of him on the depth chart, Mayfield doesn't project to play a significant role for Houston in 2020.

Espinal was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Espinal has played in only 28 games at the Triple-A level, so it's no surprise to see him head back there to open the season despite his strong showing in Grapefruit League play before spring training was suspended. While the 25-year-old is set to begin the year with Buffalo, he could make his big-league debut at some point in 2020 if his success in the upper minors continues.

Bannon hit .333/.467/.667 with one home run, one double, six strikeouts and three walks in 15 plate appearances in big-league camp.

The sample is tiny, and he struck out at a 40 percent clip, but he did damage when he wasn't striking out. More telling is Bannon's .200/.258/.247 slash line with one home run and 18 strikeouts in 93 plate appearances in the Arizona Fall League, where he primarily played third base. Bannon, who turns 24 in a month, will likely open the year at Triple-A, where he played 20 games to close the 2019 season.

Rengifo is expected to begin the campaign with Triple-A Salt Lake, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Rengifo entered spring training with a chance to earn a roster spot as a backup infielder, but he struggled in Cactus League play, hitting .240 with only one extra-base hit (a double) in 25 at-bats. Per Bollinger, Rengifo is unlikely to break camp with the Angels; instead, he'll gain more seasoning with an everyday role at the Triple-A level.

Andrus batted .333 (6-for-18) with three walks, a run scored and one stolen base over nine spring games.

Although he provided value in steals (31) in 2019, Andrus was put on notice late in the season. He posted respectable numbers at shortstop -- 12 home runs, 72 RBI -- but Rangers general manager Jon Daniels felt the shortstop was capable of more than a .706 OPS. While the GM mentioned having competition at shortstop during spring training, that never materialized and Andrus returns to the spot at which he's called home the last 11 years in a Rangers uniform. The 20-homer campaign of 2017 looks like an outlier, but the Rangers are looking for more potency in the bat.

Arroyo slashed .368/.478/.526 with a solo home run and four runs scored across 10 games in spring training.

Arroyo went 7-for-19 at the dish over that stretch, registering six singles to go along with a solo homer. According to Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com, whenever play does resume, it'll mark a key spot for Arroyo's career in Cleveland, as the 25-year-old is out of options. He'll need to continue seeing the ball well at the dish to secure a spot on the 26-man roster.

Lowe, who hit .350 (7-for-20) across nine Grapefruit League contests, should be in the lineup the majority of the time when the Rays face a right-handed starting pitcher this season, John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lowe showed marked improvement at the plate in what was his second big-league tour of duty in 2019, as he slashed .270/.336/.514 with 36 extra-base hits (17 doubles, two triples, 17 home runs) and 51 RBI over 327 plate appearances. The 25-year-old flashed some defensive versatility as well, logging time at four different defensive positions and at designated hitter. Lowe's success this spring only serves to brighten his prospects for the coming season, and his solid .278/.355/.543 line across 259 plate appearances versus righties in 2019 supports the notion his playing time should remain secure versus that handedness.

Arauz batted .214 (6-for-28) with two walks, a double, a home run, five RBI, and one run scored over 14 Grapefruit League appearances.

It's hard to peg Arauz's status as the Red Sox and the rest of MLB disbanded training camp. He was essentially in competition for a utility infield spot with Tzu-Wei Lin. Out of three roster projections -- MassLive.com, WEEI.com, NESN -- Arauz is expected to earn a roster spot in one of them: MassLive.com. That's largely based on him being selected in the Rule 5 draft during the offseason, so he can't be stashed in the minors without first being offered back to the Astros. As spring training wore on, Arauz looked overmatched when the Red Sox saw more major-league pitching. He could land as the 26th man, but that depends on whether interim manager Ron Roenicke opts to keep a third catcher or an extra reliever. With the Red Sox short on proven starters, there may be a need for additional help in the bullpen.

Chavis is being considered as one of the candidates to become the long-term replacement at second base, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

The Red Sox are not counting on Dustin Pedroia (knee) coming back in 2020, and even if he eventually returns, his contract expires in 2021. So, the organization must plan for the long term. Chavis started 31 games at second base in 2019 and is expected to share that role with Jose Peraza in 2020 as well as first base with Mitch Moreland when the season resumes. To be an everyday player, however, Chavis may need to cut down on his 33.2 strikeout percentage in 2019, third among players with at least 380 plate appearances. He needs to better handle fastballs high in the zone, while we'll also note he had a reverse-split against left-handers (.226 in 2019). The 24-year-old infielder worked on his swing during the offseason, explaining that he tried to remove the "slack" in it. Other long-term second base options include Jeter Downs, C.J. Chatham and Cameron Cannon.

Haggerty (elbow) remains a candidate for one of the two projected final Opening Day roster spots, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Haggerty was still sidelined by elbow soreness when spring training was suspended, but the time off he's currently receiving will likely help him return to full health before play resumes. The 25-year-old had acquitted himself very well prior to being sidelined, hitting .357 (5-for-14) with three doubles, two RBI and one run across eight Cactus League games. Haggerty is capable of playing both second base and the outfield and is competing with Tim Lopes, Jose Marmolejos and Dylan Moore for one of the aforementioned spots.