MLB Player News

Hayes (illness) cleared MLB protocol Monday and will rejoin the team soon, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Hayes hadn't yet reported to camp while recovering from COVID-19, but he'll be able to join the team soon after producing two negative tests. It's unclear whether the 23-year-old experienced any symptoms or what shape he'll be in upon his return. He was always expected to open the year at the team's alternate training site, but could eventually replace Colin Moran at third base if he gets back to 100 percent.

Moncada will bat second and play third base in Monday's exhibition game against the Cubs.

Moncada's availability for Opening Day has been in some doubt, as he only just arrived at camp Thursday after testing positive for COVID-19. He reportedly didn't experience many symptoms and is seemingly in decent shape as he's set for game action just four days later. Whether or not he'll be ready for an everyday role beginning with the first game of the regular season Friday against the Twins remains to be seen.

LeMahieu (illness) is starting at second base and leading off in Monday's exhibition game against the Mets.

Although LeMahieu missed the first couple weeks of camp due to testing positive for COVID-19, he'll be included in the team's exhibition lineup for the second consecutive night. The 32-year-old has been optimistic about being ready for Opening Day, and his leadoff status in back-to-back games would suggest that's a fairly realistic possibility. Even if he isn't ready for the team's season opener, he's said that he expects to be available "pretty soon thereafter."

Rivera was reassigned to the Rangers' alternate training site Sunday, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Rivera was thought to be a strong candidate to begin the season on the team's 30-man roster when camp started, but he'll instead work at the team's alternate training site. Given the 28-year-old's abilities as a utility infielder, he could be one of the team's top options to fill in as depth if injuries occur on the major-league squad. Rivera hit .183/.258/.217 with three RBI and two stolen bases over 34 games with the Marlins last year.

The Tigers plan to proceed slowly with Paredes due to the time he's missed over the spring and early summer, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Back in late February, Paredes missed some time in camp due to a sore right shoulder. The 21-year-old also has missed time since the team started summer camp, and he acknowledged that was due to a positive COVID-19 test. He was cleared to rejoin the team Friday and said he's feeling better, but the team won't rush him along. "He's missed a lot of time," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We're going to let him ease back into this thing. He needs to get back into baseball shape, so we don't expect him to do too much here." Parades has yet to appear above Double-A, so he was unlikely to debut in the majors this year anyway, but his lost offseason should pretty much guarantee that he won't see MLB action until 2021 at the earliest.

Muncy (finger) is in the lineup for Sunday's exhibition game against the Diamondbacks.

Muncy was limited in intrasquad action over the past several days while dealing with a left finger bruise, but it appears as though he'll perform a full range of activities Sunday. Given his smooth progression in his recovery, Muncy will likely be ready to take the field for Opening Day on Thursday.

Manager Derek Shelton said Sunday that Hayes has tested positive for COVID-19, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Hayes had been absent from camp over the past several days for an undisclosed reason, and Shelton was able to reveal the positive test Sunday. It's unclear whether Hayes is experiencing symptoms, but he'll need to produce two negative tests before MLB protocol allows him to rejoin the team. With Opening Day scheduled for Friday, it's unclear how much of the regular season the 23-year-old will miss as a result of the illness.

LeMahieu (illness) is starting at second base and batting leadoff in Sunday's exhibition game against the Mets.

The 32-year-old said Saturday he hadn't ruled out the possibly of playing Opening Day but understood it may not be realistic, yet he still finds himself batting leadoff a day later. LeMahieu joined the team Friday after missing the first couple weeks of camp due to testing positive for COVID-19, and his quick introduction to game action is a positive sign for his potential availability. According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, manager Aaron Boone will try to get him 2-to-3 innings Sunday and hopes he'll be good to play again Monday. Even if he's not game ready for Thursday's season opener, he expects to be good for regular-season action "pretty soon thereafter."

Manager Joe Maddon said he is confident Rendon (oblique) will be ready for Friday's season opener against the Athletics, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

It is unclear if Rendon will be ready to play in any of the Angels' three upcoming exhibition games Monday through Wednesday. Maddon said Rendon is feeling better, but there is no timetable for him to return to exhibition play.

Reynolds cleared MLB's COVID-19 protocol and reported for summer training Sunday, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

The 29-year-old was missing during the first few weeks of camp for unspecified reasons, but he was able to join the team for the final stretch before the regular season. Reynolds could be a factor as a utility infielder for the Royals in 2020, but the delayed start to camp may mean he's not game ready with Opening Day less than a week away.