MLB Player News

Castro is competing for one of the Tigers' final roster spots when the 2020 regular season begins, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Castro is jockeying to be Detroit's 25th or 26th player now that rosters have expanded heading into 2020. The 26-year-old played well in 97 games at the big-league level last season, posting a .291/.305/.384 slash line along with five home runs and four stolen bases. His ability to play multiple positions in the infield and outfield makes him a useful part of an MLB roster, though he may not play enough to be a reliable fantasy factor.

Espinal opened some eyes before spring training was put on pause, slashing .417/.462/1.000 with three home runs in 26 Grapefruit League plate appearances.

The 25-year-old has never hit more than 10 home runs in a minor-league season, so take that spring power production with an entire shaker of salt. Nonetheless, Espinal looked more than ready to make his major-league debut, and while he'll be at Triple-A Buffalo when the regular season begins, he remains the best option in the organization to fill in at shortstop for Bo Bichette -- whether that comes due to an injury, or if the club decides it isn't comfortable with the defense offered by Brandon Drury or Joe Panik when Bichette needs a breather.

Mayfield hit .125 (3-for-24) with a double and six strikeouts over 13 Grapefruit League appearances.

Middle infield injuries in 2019 forced the Astros to call up Mayfield in June. That enabled him to experience the first MLB action of his career, but Mayfield looked overmatched in 65 plate appearances, hitting .156 with a 24.6 percent strikeout rate. That he was 28 years old at the time of his MLB debut should indicate where Mayfield stands in the organization. The health of the middle infield -- Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Aledmys Diaz -- is the key factor in determining whether Mayfield will open the season with Houston. Even if one of that trio is hurt, the Astros could survive without needing to call up Mayfield.

Arraez hit .103 with zero extra-base hits, three walks and six strikeouts in 32 plate appearances this spring.

An 18.8 percent strikeout rate wouldn't be cause for concern for most hitters, but Arraez logged a 7.9 percent strikeout rate as a rookie, so it's at least worth noting. Even so, this was a tiny sample and Arraez has been working this spring on pulling the ball more when pitchers attack him inside. He has been mentioned as a candidate to lead off this season, at least against right-handed pitchers.

Drury is expected to begin the season in a bench role for the Blue Jays despite a weak .125/.192/.167 slash line through 26 plate appearances this spring.

The versatile utility man played every position on the diamond other than pitcher, catcher and center field last year, but Drury's bat hasn't been an asset since he left Arizona after the 2017 campaign. The 27-year-old could face competition for playing time around the infield from Joe Panik, and Santiago Espinal was also making a strong impression in camp before MLB hit pause on the season, so the chances of Drury seeing anything close to the 447 PAs he got in 2019 appear slim at best.

Lopez is expected to begin the 2020 season as the Royals' everyday second baseman, Griffin Fabits of The Kansas City Star reports.

The 25-year-old finished the 2019 campaign splitting time between shortstop and the keystone, but Alalberto Mondesi's return to full health will keep him at second base. Lopez had 402 plate appearances in his rookie campaign but suffered from inconsistency, as evidenced by a .240/.276/.325 slash line with two home runs and one stolen base. Lopez provided quality defense, but he'll need to improve upon the 62.2-percent groundball rate and 4.5-percent walk rate he posted last season.

Merrifield is expected to see more time in center field this season.

The acquisition of Maikel Franco in December is pushing Hunter Dozier to right field, and Nicky Lopez is expected to work at second base. Merrifield appeared in 138 games between those two positions last season, while totaling 17 games in center field. Merrifield's trademark versatility means he's still likely to move around the diamond, but his role in center field figures to be more significant than previous seasons once baseball is able to resume.

Mendick is expected to serve as the White Sox's utility infielder in 2020, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports. He's hitting .235 (8-for-34) with two walks, two doubles, two RBI and eight strikeouts over 15 spring games.

Mendick, who was a 26th-round draft pick out of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell in 2015, played three infield positions for the White Sox in 2019. When 2020 camp began, he was added to the short list of competitors, along with Leury Garcia and the organization's third-ranked prospect, Nick Madrigal, for the starting second base job. It looks like Garcia will be the starter while Madrigal hits the minors before an eventual callup later in the season. That leaves the lightly regarded Mendick, 26, as the primary backup at second base, shortstop and third base. He showed decent power for a utility infielder at Triple-A Charlotte and has stolen 39 bases over the last two minor-league seasons.

Torres committed his fifth error of the spring during Tuesday's Grapefruit League contest against Toronto.

Torres sailed a throw leading off the second inning, though teammate Gerrit Cole retired the next three batters to avoid any damage. Torres is tied for the league lead with five errors in 23 chances in Grapefruit League play but tops the Yankees with six RBI. His shaky spring defense is unlikely to put his Opening Day role in jeopardy but could be a cause for concern if it carries over into the regular season.

Jones was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday.

Jones struggled in 130 games at the Double-A level last season, hitting just .234/.308/.324. Given that he'd already played 48 games at that level in 2018, however, the Angels are apparently content to have him climb the ladder despite his poor performance at the plate.