MLB Player News

Polanco underwent surgery Nov. 22 to address a right ankle impingement and is expected to resume baseball activities in six weeks, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

The recovery timeline should allow Polanco to return to full health by the time spring training arrives. According to Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com, Polanco will be confined to a walking boot for the next couple weeks before resuming strengthening work for the ankle, which had been a chronic concern for the 26-year-old. The ankle issue never forced Polanco to miss any action in 2019, as he suited up for a career-high 153 games and slashed an impressive .2925/.356/.485 en route to earning his first All-Star nod.

Brujan was added to the Rays' 40-man roster Wednesday.

This was a no-brainer for the Rays, as Brujan is one of their top prospects and this was the deadline to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The 21-year-old switch hitter will either be assigned to Double-A or Triple-A, and may not reach the majors until 2021.

Jones was added to the Angels' 40-man roster Wednesday.

His stock is down compared to where it was a couple years ago, but Jones is close enough to the majors that the Angels opted to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Jones, a second baseman who can also play the outfield, hit .234/.308/.324 with five home runs and nine steals in 544 plate appearances during a repeat of Double-A.

Espinal was added to the Blue Jays' 40-man roster Wednesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The move prevents Espinal from being selected in the upcoming Rule 5 draft. The 25-year-old hit .287/.347/.393 across the two highest levels of the minors last season.

Andrus is not expected to opt out of the final three years and $43 million remaining on his contract with the Rangers, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

The 31-year-old was productive last season with the Rangers, recording a .706 OPS with 72 RBI and 31 stolen bases, though he was inconsistent at times and seemed to draw the ire of the coaching staff on occasion, to the point where he may have to earn his starting role in spring. Although he doesn't have elite power numbers, Andrus should still carry fantasy value in 2020 thanks to his speed and ability to produce runs.

Altuve went 3-for-5 with a double Wednesday in a 12-3 loss to Washington in Game 2 of the World Series.

That's six multi-hit games in these playoffs for Altuve, who has hit safely in 12 of his 13 postseason games so far. The 29-year-old second baseman is hitting .358 with four doubles and five home runs while sporting a robust 1.131 OPS. He and left fielder Michael Brantley (2-for-4) were the only Astros hitters with more than one hit in Wednesday's game.

Torres went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a pair of walks Tuesday in a 4-1 loss to the Astros in Game 3 of the ALCS.

Torres touched up Houston reliever Joe Smith with one out in the eighth inning after starter Gerrit Cole had tossed seven scoreless innings. It was the second homer of the series and third of the postseason for Torres, who has at least one hit in all six playoff games and is slashing a cool .417/.481/.958 with 10 RBI in 24 at-bats. The 22-year-old has also chipped in with a pair of stolen bases in the postseason after stealing only five during the regular season.

Altuve went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, a stolen base and two runs scored Tuesday in a 4-1 win over the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALCS.

Altuve connected for a solo homer off of New York starter Luis Severino with one out in the top of the first inning to get the Astros on the board. The 29-year-old has managed at least one hit in all eight of Houston's postseason games in 2019 and is slashing .375/.412/.813 with four homers and two doubles in 32 at-bats. Altuve's second-inning steal was his first of these playoffs after he swiped a career-low six bags (11 attempts) during the regular season.

Lowe is not in the starting nine for Game 5 of the American League Division Series against the Astros on Thursday.

The 25-year-old has gone 3-for-9 with a home run and a double over the last two games in the ALDS, but won't start against Gerrit Cole on Thursday. Eric Sogard will start at second base, batting fifth.

Arraez (ankle) will bat ninth and play second base in Game 1 of the ALDS on Friday against the Twins.

Arraez left Saturday's game against the Royals with an ankle sprain, but the issue was evidently fairly minor. He posted a .334/.399/.439 slash line in his 92-game rookie season, excellent numbers for a No. 9 hitter.