MLB Player News

Rosario was removed from Saturday's spring game because of left knee irritation, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Rosario was hit by a pitch in his only plate appearance, but he was able to stay in the game for the remainder of the inning before being replaced in the field by David Thompson the following frame. The good news is the Mets are calling his removal precautionary. More should be known about the issue once he's further evaluated in the coming days, but consider him day-to-day for now.

Herrera has inflammation in his surgically repaired right shoulder and hasn't played since Wednesday, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports.

The good news is that Herrera is due back Sunday, and that it isn't considered serious by the team. "He'll be back in there most likely on [March 4]," manager Bryan Price said. "We don't see it as a major setback. It's just part of the recovery of the surgery he had on the back of his shoulder."

Barreto, who went 1-for-3 with a run in Thursday's 9-4 Cactus League loss to the Rangers, is hitting .308 (4-for-13) with two triples, one home run, three RBI, a stolen base and five runs over his first five spring training games.

The 22-year-old shortstop is once again showing well in spring play following a 2017 exhibition slate in which he slashed .481/.500/.667 with a triple, a home run and five RBI over 16 games. Barreto was nowhere near as successful in his regular-season major-league stint last season, however, generating a .197/.250/.352 line in 76 plate appearances. Strikeouts have proven to be a bit of an Achilles' heel for him at the Triple-A level (27.6 percent whiff rate over 510 plate appearances with Nashville in 2017), and unsurprisingly, the issue was exacerbated against big-league arms last season, leading to Barreto going down on strikes in almost half his plate appearances (43.4 percent). Consequently, contact rate and pitch selection will undoubtedly continue be priorities for him, and improvement in both areas figures to be key in him getting to and sticking on the major-league roster at some point in 2018.

Semien, who went 1-for-2 with a walk in Thursday's 9-4 Cactus League loss to the Rangers, is hitting .455 (5-for-11) with a walk and a run over four spring training games.

Semien is reportedly a strong candidate to handle leadoff duties to open 2018, although that figures to get definitively sorted out over the course of the spring. Playing on a one-year, $3.125 million deal this season, Semien will have plenty of motivation to bounce back from last year's injury-riddled campaign. Wrist surgery limited the 27-year-old to 85 games in 2017, although he was able to produce a respectable 10 home runs and 40 RBI in that relatively modest sample. Now at full health and looking for a long-term deal, Semien will strive to provide another boost to a batting average that he pulled up from a 2016 figure of .238 to .249 last season, while also getting back over the 20-homer mark that he'd reached two campaigns ago.

Andrus (back) is in the lineup Friday for the first time this spring, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Andrus had been sidelined with back spasms since the start of camp. He should have plenty of time to get his at-bats in and get up to speed by the time the season starts, so there should be little concern about him going forward.

Hernandez is back in camp Friday after recovering from an illness, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Hernandez has been out since Wednesday, one of many Dodgers who have been sidelined due to illness in the last few days. He should be unaffected by the start of the regular season, as he'll have plenty of time to get up to speed before Opening Day.

Hernandez, along with seven other Dodgers, is not traveling with the team due to an illness, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

There is a nasty cold spreading through Dodgers camp this week, and Hernandez is among those who are out sick. Joc Pederson will man center field while Tim Locastro occupies the keystone during Wednesday's exhibition. Consider Hernandez day-to-day.

Forsythe was taken off the the team's travel roster Wednesday due to an illness, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Forsythe joined the lengthy list of Dodgers who have been effected by a virus that is going around through the camp. Tim Locastro will get the nod at the keystone against the Padres in his stead.

Polanco is slated to enter the upcoming season as Minnesota's starting shortstop after his strong finish to the 2017 campaign, Patrick Reusse of the Star Tribune reports.

Polanco had a rocky start to the 2017 season. His inconsistent performance led to him being withheld from the starting lineup for eight of Minnesota's 10 games at the latter end of July. However, he was stellar upon his return. Over his next 55 games, Polanco hit .316/.377/.553 with 10 home runs and 42 RBI. While there have been concerns about his defensive abilities, Polanco's finish at the plate seems to have secured him regular playing time entering 2018.

Ngoepe could break camp with the Blue Jays as a reserve infielder if Troy Tulowitzki (heel) is unable to go by Opening Day, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The Blue Jays are expected to carry Aledmys Diaz and Yangervis Solarte as reserve infielders to open the season, but the team may need some additional infield depth if Tulowitzki's heel isn't fully recovered by Opening Day. If Tulowitzki were to open the year on the shelf, Ngoepe, who hit .222/.323/.296 in 28 games during his major-league debut last season, and prospect Richard Urena would be candidates to fill Toronto's final bench spot. Either way, barring any other injuries to the Blue Jays' infield (or a Josh Donaldson trade), the big-league stint would likely be short-lived, and thus uninteresting from a fantasy perspective.