MLB Player News

Lowe agreed to a six-year, $24 million contract with the Rays on Tuesday that includes two club options, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Lowe has only 148 major-league plate appearances to his name and has been competing for an outfield spot on the Rays' Opening Day roster this spring. The 24-year-old enjoyed a hot spring training as he went 14-for-39 (.359) with nine extra-base hits and 14 RBI, though he also had 15 strikeouts. Lowe began 2018 at Double-A Montgomery, but worked his way to the majors and had a .774 OPS with six home runs after being called up in early August.

Torres is hitting .278 with three home runs and a pair of doubles through 38 at-bats in Grapefruit League play this spring.

The young infielder emerged as a potent offensive contributor during his rookie season last year when he logged an .820 OPS and launched 24 homers over 484 at-bats and he looks set to pick up where he left off with a robust .899 OPS during spring training. At just 22 years old, he's also an intriguing candidate to take a step forward at the plate as he accumulates more experience at the big-league level.

Lopez was assigned to minor-league camp Tuesday.

Lopez hit .278/.365/.417 in 57 games for Triple-A Omaha last season. He'll likely return there to make his case for a callup.

Tomlinson was assigned to minor-league camp on Tuesday.

Tomlinson went 2-for-25 in the Cactus League, which couldn't have helped his already slim chances at breaking camp in the big leagues. He's not on the 40-man roster, so he may not be the first choice to fill in when an infielder gets injured.

Drury went 2-for-3 with two doubles and a run scored in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.

The 26-year-old is now slashing .351/.400/.649 through 14 games this spring, and over half his 13 hits (five doubles, two homers) have gone for extra bases. On the downside, Drury's 3:13 BB:K isn't ideal, but he's still set to open the season as the Jays' starting third baseman while phenom Vlad Guerrero Jr. (oblique) gets healthy. If he comes out of the gate hot, Drury could well shift over to the keystone and remain in the starting nine after Guerrero makes his debut rather than move into a utility role.

Polanco started at shortstop and batted second in Monday's spring training win over Boston in what was likely a dress rehearsal of the Opening Day lineup, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Polanco had been out since Tuesday for personal reasons, but the absence won't significantly impact his preparation for Opening Day. He went 2-for-3 on Monday and is hitting .296 (8-for-27) with a .752 OPS this spring.

Biggio was sent to minor-league camp Monday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Biggio hit .252/.388/.499 for Double-A New Hampshire last season, adding 26 homers and 20 steals. He's expected to start the year with Triple-A Buffalo and profiles as a solid utility player long term.

The Pirates reassigned Franklin (hamstring) to their minor-league camp Monday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Franklin picked up a right hamstring injury early in camp and never played in any Grapefruit League games, ruining his slim chances of breaking camp with the big club. Unless he demonstrates some meaningful progress over the next week or two, he'll likely open the season on the injured list at Triple-A Indianapolis.

Polanco (personal) will return to the lineup Monday against Boston, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Polanco had been out since Tuesday for personal reasons, but the absence won't significantly impact his preparation for Opening Day. He'll play shortstop and bat second in a lineup that looks a lot like the one the Twins may use in the first game of the season.

Frazier went 0-for-2 with a pair of walks against the Red Sox on Sunday. He also stole his first base.

The 27-year-old, who is hitting .333 in Grapefruit League action, is expected to serve as Pittsburgh's leadoff batter. While he hasn't accumulated more than 406 at-bats in any of his three seasons, he's heading into 2019 as the team's clear starter at second base for the first time. As a result, Frazier is looking to build upon his career slash line of .280/.345/.422, knowing his bat will be in the lineup most games as a mostly helpful fantasy contributor in batting average.