MLB Player News

Rendon is expected to play in his first spring training game Tuesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Rendon's arrival at camp was slightly delayed, but as has been previously reported, it shouldn't have much of an impact on his status for Opening Day. The 31-year-old is in pursuit of a bounce-back season after appearing in only 58 games during the 2021 campaign due to a hamstring injury, struggling to a .240 average with six homers and 34 RBI over that stretch.

Chapman went 1-for-2 with a walk and a two-run home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

He crushed a Bryse Wilson offering deep to left field in the third inning for his first homer of the spring. Chapman is coming off a rough final stretch at the plate with Oakland, posting sky-high strikeout rates and feeble batting averages over the last two seasons in the aftermath of a hip injury, but his elite defense at third base will still an asset for the Blue Jays even if he never regains the form that saw him slash .263/.348/.507 over 301 games in 2018-19 for the A's.

Suarez singled and walked in his two plate appearances during a Cactus League loss to the Angels on Sunday.

The recently acquired slugger had gone hitless over two at-bats in his official team debut Friday, but he bounced back with a productive afternoon his second time around Sunday before being subbed out for Joe Rizzo. Although Suarez's power is above question, the Mariners hope the change of scenery helps him rebound from the combined .199 average and .293 on-base percentage he generated across 805 plate appearances over the last two seasons.

Urshela started at third base and went 0-for-3 in Sunday's spring training win over Tampa Bay.

Urshela will move to third base with the Twins signing Carlos Correa to play shortstop. Urshela will compete with Luis Arraez for the starting role, though the two could platoon. Arraez could also be used in a utility role and play nearly every day. Either way, both Arraez and Urshela are still expected to be in the regular mix for at-bats.

Freeman (shoulder) is set to resume hitting within the next week, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Freeman is recovering from surgery to fix a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He has not been cleared to play games yet, but it seems he shouldn't miss too much of the minor-league season. He's expected to see most of his time at Triple-A Columbus this year after hitting .323/.372/.470 across 180 plate appearances with Double-A Akron in 2021.

Urias should make his spring debut Sunday, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

He underwent core muscle surgery in November, so it's good to know he's ready for game action. Urias will be a strong contender for playing time in the middle infield for Baltimore this season.

Lewis started at shortstop and went 0-for-2 with a strikeout in his spring debut during Friday's loss to Atlanta. It was his first game action since tearing his ACL before the 2021 season.

Lewis is fully healthy as spring training begins. He hasn't played in a minor-league game since 2019 (with the 2020 minor-league season having been canceled), so he'll need some time in the minors to reacclimate himself. The first overall pick in the 2017 Draft is still regarded by many as Minnesota's top prospect, but the long layoff clouds his outlook. It's also not clear if he'll stick at shortstop or move to center field. He could begin the season at Triple-A, but the Twins may also ease him into action at Double-A.

Miranda went 1-for-2 in his spring debut in Thursday's loss to Boston. The Twins want him to work hard on his defense this spring, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Miranda was so impressive in the minors last season while hitting .343/.397/.563 with 17 home runs in 80 games at Triple-A that he could be a factor at third base in the majors early in the season with the Twins trading Josh Donaldson to the Yankees. However, he's never played in the majors as the Twins didn't elect to call him up last September, so it would be surprising if he was given a real chance to break camp with the big league club.

Duffy agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Angels on Wednesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Duffy appeared in 97 games for the Cubs last season and hit .287/.357/.381 with five home runs, 45 runs, 30 RBI and eight stolen bases in 322 plate appearances. The 31-year-old saw most of his action between third base and second base with Chicago but also made brief appearances at first base, shortstop and the outfield. Duffy should primarily operate as a infield option off the bench for the Angels.

The Blue Jays acquired Chapman from the Athletics on Wednesday in exchange for right-handed starter Gunnar Hoglund (elbow), shortstop Kevin Smith, left-handed starter Zach Logue and lefty reliever Kirby Snead, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The rebuilding Athletics shipped out both of their star corner infielders just two days apart, as first baseman Matt Olson was moved to Atlanta earlier this week before Chapman was sent to Toronto. With the Blue Jays, Chapman will provide elite defense at the hot corner, and he'll also be tasked with replacing some of the production at the plate that the team lost with Marcus Semien's departure for the Rangers in free agency. Since he broke out with career-high marks in home runs (36), RBI (91) and runs (102) in 2019, Chapman's offensive outputs have been trending down while his strikeout rate has spiked considerably, but the move to a friendlier home park and a star-studded Toronto lineup should help his numbers recover to some degree.