MLB Player News

Espinosa signed a minor-league deal with the Blue Jays on Saturday that includes an invite to spring training, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.

Wilner expects Espinosa to make the big-league club out of camp as the 25th man, meaning Espinosa would act as insurance for Devon Travis, who has a lengthy injury history, and Troy Tulowitzki, who is already dealing with a heel injury that will sideline him for the start of the season. Espinosa hit .173 in 295 plate appearances last year and hit .209 in a full season in 2016, so while he has some power and is a quality defender, it is unlikely that he will hit for a high enough average to not be a net negative in most fantasy formats.

Fontana (shoulder) returned from injury by playing in a Triple-A game against the Brewers on Friday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register.

Fontana had missed the majority of spring training up until this point dealing with shoulder inflammation. With the Angels restocking their infield this offseason, there was little chance the 26-year-old would have made the Opening Day roster, even as a backup. It would likely take an injury to open up a spot for the utility infielder.

The White Sox reassigned Elmore to minor-league camp Friday.

Elmore signed a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training in February and saw only nine official at-bats. The 30-year-old seems likely to start the season with Triple-A Charlotte as organizational infield depth, assuming he remains with the White Sox.

Altuve and the Astros agreed to a five-year, $151 million extension Friday, Jon Heyman of FanRagSports.com reports.

The extension will cover the years from 2020 to 2024, taking Altuve through his age-34 campaign. The 27-year-old second baseman has been one of the best players in the game for the past four seasons and should remain at that level for a long time, though his productivity on the basepaths will more than likely tail off toward the back end of the deal. The contract will keep Altuve in Houston for the next seven seasons, and while there are certainly more hitter-friendly parks out there, any negative effects on that front are outweighed by the quality of the lineup that surrounds him.

Alvarez was designated for assignment Friday, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic Philadelphia reports.

Alvarez was removed from the 40-man roster after the Phillies selected the contract of Pedro Florimon. The 23-year-old Alvarez reached the Double-A level last year, hitting an unspectacular .247/.321/.382 in 209 plate appearances.

Rosario went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

His fourth-inning two-bagger was the only hit the Mets scrounged up against a dominant Max Scherzer, while Rosario's deep shot to left field in the eighth was his first homer of the spring. Injuries have cost the 22-year-old some time this spring, but he appears to be rounding into form well ahead of Opening Day.

Young was moved from the Cubs' spring training to minor-league camp Tuesday, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.

Young's bat was silent this spring, as he went 4-for-29 (.138) over 16 games. Due to Chicago's astounding depth around the infield, Young's chances of reaching the majors this season are slim. He'll likely report to Triple-A Iowa, where he hit .256/.311/.311 over 120 games last season.

Torres was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday.

With the recent signing of Neil Walker to play second base, this isn't all too surprising. Torres, the team's top prospect, is still viewed as a vital part of the Yankees' infield moving forward, but he'll now have some more time in the minors to smooth out any kinks (he was just 4-for-25 in Grapefruit League play prior to being optioned). It's still possible he could join the big club relatively early on if the Yankees feel he's ready.

The Angels reassigned Jones to their minor-league camp Saturday.

The toolsy Jones had earned an invite to his first big-league spring training after breaking out last season with a .282/.348/.446 line, 14 home runs and 27 steals across stops at Low-A Burlington and High-A Inland Empire. Look for the 20-year-old to open the 2018 campaign at the latter destination, with a promotion to Double-A Mobile likely in store for him by midseason if he's able to pick up where he left off in 2017.

Fontana hasn't participated in any Cactus League games since Feb. 27 while dealing with right shoulder inflammation, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The Angels are hopeful that Fontana will resume throwing soon, but it may be too late for the 26-year-old to make a run at a bench role on the Opening Day roster. At this stage in camp, Luis Valbuena and Kaleb Cowart look like the frontrunners to claim reserve gigs in the infield.