MLB Player News

Donaldson will bat leadoff in Friday's matchup against the Red Sox, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Manager Aaron Boone indicated late in camp that Donaldson could lead off on occasion during the regular season, and the 36-year-old will get the opportunity to do so on Opening Day. Donaldson mainly hit in the No. 2 spot with the Twins last year, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the Yankees move him around between different prominent spots in the order to find the best fit early in his tenure with the club.

Jung (shoulder) was placed on Triple-A Round Rock's 60-day injured list Thursday.

Since Jung isn't on the Rangers' 40-man roster, the team reassigned him to the minors after he suffered a torn labrum in February that later required surgery. As a result, he'll be on the IL of the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate rather than the big club. Jung is expected to require 6-to-8 months to recover from surgery, making it unlikely that he comes off Round Rock's 60-day IL until September.

The White Sox recalled Burger from Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports. Manager Tony LaRussa said Burger will start at third base and bat ninth in Friday's season opener in Detroit, per Fegan.

Less than a week after he was optioned to the minors, Burger will be rejoining the White Sox after Yoan Moncada was placed on the 10-day injured list with a Grade 1 oblique strain. Though the addition of Burger adds some reinforcements at third base, the 26-year-old won't necessarily be in store for a full-time role while Moncada is out. The Tigers are bringing a lefty (Eduardo Rodriguez) to the mound Friday, so the righty-hitting Burger could just be included in the lineup due to the platoon advantage being in his favor. Per Vinnie Duber of NBC Sports Chicago, Andrew Vaughn was seen taking reps at the hot corner during Thursday's team workout and could be an option at the position, while utility man Leury Garcia may also factor into the equation at third base.

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said Thursday that Moncada has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 oblique strain that is expected to keep him sidelined for three weeks, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Hahn provided the timeline for Moncada just minutes after the White Sox officially set their 28-man active roster for Opening Day by placing the 26-year-old on the 10-day injured list. While Moncada is sidelined, Jake Burger, Andrew Vaughn and Leury Garcia could all be candidates to pick up work at third base.

The White Sox placed Moncada on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a right oblique strain, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

The move is retroactive to Tuesday, so Moncada won't be eligible to make his season debut until April 15. The White Sox had previously indicated that Moncada tweaked a side muscle upon exiting Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Padres, but follow-up tests evidently confirmed that he strained his oblique. According to Vinnie Duber of NBC Sports Chicago, Andrew Vaughn was spotted practicing at third base Thursday during the White Sox's team workout, so he could step in to replace Moncada at the hot corner for Friday's season opener in Detroit.

The Royals optioned Rivera to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

Kansas City is expected to begin the season with a four-man bench that includes two outfielders (Kyle Isbel and Edward Olivares) and a first baseman/designated hitter in Ryan O'Hearn, which left no room for Rivera as a utility infielder. The lack of a versatile infielder off the bench shouldn't prove too consequential for the Royals, as everyday players Whit Merrifield, Nicky Lopez, Adalberto Mondesi and Hunter Dozier are all capable of playing at multiple positions.

Nevin was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Nevin played in 13 games this spring, batting .233 with two extra-base hits and six RBI, but he'll begin the season with Triple-A Norfolk. The 24-year-old spent the majority of 2021 with Norfolk, playing in 111 games and slashing .227/.305/.392 while launching 16 homers and driving in 52 runs. He also went 4-for-14 during a six-game stint in the big leagues last season, with three of his hits going for extra bases. Due to the state of the Orioles' overall roster, it's likely that Nevin will be back with the MLB roster at some point this summer.

Ramirez and the Guardians agreed to terms Wednesday on a five-year, $124 million contract extension, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. The deal includes a full no-trade clause.

Ramirez will still be paid $12 million in 2022 and will automatically have his existing $14 million team option for 2023 picked up as part of the extension, which won't go into effect until the 2024 season. Though Ramirez may not be able to justify a nearly $25 million salary in his age-36 season during the final year of the deal, he's already more than overdelivered on the four-year, $26 million extension he signed with Cleveland in March 2017. In the five seasons since that deal, Ramirez has produced a collective 139 wRC+ while playing 150-plus games in three of those four years, not counting the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. Though he's now locked in long term with a Cleveland club that could be teetering toward a rebuild, Ramirez still had a compelling case for a top-five selection during fantasy drafts earlier this spring after he finished the 2021 season with a .266 average, 36 home runs, 27 steals, 111 runs and 103 RBI.

Suarez went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in a Cactus League loss to the Reds on Tuesday.

Suarez went deep for the second time this spring in the second inning off Reds starter Hunter Greene. While the long ball is encouraging, there's very little doubt about Suarez's pop; however, the slugger's ability to get on base consistently otherwise is in question after he hit a career-low .198 last season with the Reds, and he didn't exactly assuage those concerns during the exhibition slate with a .143 average and 11 strikeouts across 33 plate appearances.

Moncada won't play in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Padres after tweaking his right side, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Moncada felt that he could play but didn't need to risk anything in an exhibition game. If the injury turns out to be worse than expected, Leury Garcia or Danny Mendick could spend time at third base.