MLB Player News

Renda signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox on Friday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Renda was designated for assignment at the start of November but will remain in the Red Sox organization for now. The 27-year-old slashed .318/.373/.453 between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket, and will continue to provide organizational depth at second base as Dustin Pedroia continues his recovery from his knee issues.

Altuve (knee) feels good and expects to be completely healthy for the start of spring training, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Altuve underwent surgery on his knee early in the offseason, but he's had no issue with his recovery thus far. "He's doing very well. All reports are that he feels good and our doctors say he's progressing well. No problems at all. He's going to be 100 percent for spring training," stated Houston's general manager Jeff Luhnow. Expect Altuve to be good to go come February.

Bostick agreed to a minor-league contract with Baltimore on Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Bostick will provide additional depth in the corner-outfield and middle-infield spots within the Orioles' system. He spent most of the 2018 season at the Triple-A level, hitting .295/.354/.414 with four home runs and 38 RBI. After being designated for assignment by Pittsburgh in early August, the 25-year-old latched on with Miami and finished the season playing in 15 major-league games. Though a path to playing time isn't exactly blocked in Baltimore, it seems likely that he'll be back at Triple-A next year.

Rengifo was promoted to the 40-man roster by the Angels on Tuesday.

Rengifo received Rule 5 draft protection along with Jose Suarez and Luis Madero. Rengifo made it to Triple-A Salt Lake in 2018, slashing .272/.358/.421 with three homers, 27 RBI and six stolen bases across 46 games with the Bees.

Chavis had his contract selected from Triple-A Pawtucket on Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

As expected, Chavis was added to the Red Sox's 40-man roster in order to protect the top prospect from the Rule 5 draft. The 23-year-old appeared in just 46 games between Pawtucket and Double-A Portland in 2018 thanks to a suspension, but he held his own at both stops, hitting a combined .298/.381/.538 with nine homers. He'll likely head back to Triple-A to start the 2019 season, though he should be in line for a promotion if he continues to impress on the farm.

Altuve (knee) is walking with a hinged brace on his knee under his own power, without any help from crutches, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

That minimal progress from Altuve is good, though he hasn't begun the more substantive part of his rehab yet. He's still optimistic that he'll be ready for spring training.

General manager Erik Neander said Lowe is in the mix of outfielders competing for a spot on the Rays' Opening Day roster, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lowe's chances of making the Opening Day roster seem to have improved after Mallex Smith was traded to the Mariners on Thursday. Tommy Pham, Kevin Kiermaier (foot) and Austin Meadows are expected to open the season as starters, but Lowe will battle it out with newly acquired Guillermo Heredia for the fourth outfield spot. The 24-year-old prospect made his major-league debut in 2018, hitting .233/.324/.450 with six homers and two stolen bases across 43 games for the Rays.

Renda was outrighted to Triple-A Pawtucket on Thursday.

This move takes Renda off the club's 40-man roster, which will free up a spot for the Red Sox to protect a younger prospect from the Rule 5 draft. Renda split time between Double- and Triple-A this past season, slashing a combined .318/.373/.453 with five home runs, 27 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He did play in one game for the big-league team, making his Boston debut as a pinch runner versus the Yankees in early August. Renda will remain in the Red Sox's system as additional infield depth for the time being.

Johnson was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

Johnson was cast off the team's 40-man roster in order to free up space for prospects in need of protection from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. The 28-year-old spent most of the 2018 campaign on the farm, hitting a combined .251/.345/.409 across 66 games with Salt Lake and Double-A Mobile. Johnson also appeared in 10 games with the big club, though he went hitless with four strikeouts in 10 at-bats.

Chavis has been taking ground balls at second base and could receive some reps in left field in order to provide defensive versatility within the Red Sox's system moving forward, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

This shouldn't come as any surprise considering Chavis is basically blocked at third base by Rafael Devers in the big leagues. The top prospect spent some time at first base in the Arizona Fall League last year and should benefit from gaining more experience at different positions this winter. Unfortunately, he missed 80 games this season due to a suspension following a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, which took him out of the running for a potential big-league promotion in September.