MLB Player News

Manager Kevin Cash announced that Longoria (neck) will be in the Rays' Opening Day lineup against the Yankees on Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Longoria has dealt with some neck stiffness at different stages of spring training this year and was given the day off Friday to rest. However, the issue is not severe enough to put Longoria's status for Opening Day in jeopardy. Look for Longoria to draw into the third spot in the order for Sunday's opener against Masahiro Tanaka and the Yankees.

Asche appears to have a good chance to crack the White Sox's Opening Day roster following the removal of Giovanni Soto and Rymer Liriano from the 40-man roster, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

The 27-year-old has done everything possible to claim a spot on the South Side, posting a 1.167 OPS with four home runs to go with his nice positional versatility. Now that Liriano is out of the picture, Asche seems like the clear choice to act as the backup to Melky Cabrera in left field and Todd Frazier at the hot corner. Nothing is official yet, but things are looking up for the former Phillies prospect.

Rendon is still being held back by his leg injury, and manager Dusty Baker said he doesn't know whether the third baseman will be available for Opening Day, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports.

The 26-year-old fouled a ball off his calf Monday and hasn't returned to the exhibition lineup as of Friday. Perhaps this will be a brief absence, but Rendon has somewhat of a history of physical dings holding him back. He typically goes in the top 100 picks of 15-team mixed NFBC fantasy drafts, which isn't a price that puts a lot of responsibility on his shoulders but still could wind up being less than desirable if he misses much time.

Rendon (calf) is not in the Nationals' exhibition lineup Friday, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

The game may not happen because of weather concerns, but Rendon not being a part of it still causes a bit of concern headed into Opening Day. The Nats haven't indicated Rendon is in jeopardy of missing time next week and may just be resting him until Monday. Any fantasy players drafting this weekend should go in with a bit of caution over Rendon's value but -- unless more negative details are released -- not enough to downgrade him significantly from his mixed-league NFBC ADP of 91.54 (as of Friday).

Longoria has a stiff neck and will get Friday off, though he's still set to start on Opening Day, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The third baseman dealt with a similar issue when he was scratched from Grapefruit League action March 19, but while the recurrence may make fantasy owners take note, it seems to be a minor hurdle. Watch for further news on Longoria in the coming week, and perhaps he deserves a slight decrease in his draft-day price.

Urshela was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Thursday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Urshela's performance this spring was fine, but wasn't deemed deserving of a spot on the 25-man roster. Over 20 games he went 11-for-41 (.268) and hit two home runs. Although he may appear in the majors throughout the upcoming season, Urshela's fantasy value will remain limited unless those ahead of him in the organization face injuries.

Alvarez will begin the season with Triple-A Norfolk, Roch Kubatko of MASN reports.

The 30-year-old slugger was a late addition to Orioles camp after signing an NRI deal earlier in March, but he certainly did his best to prove his worth by posting a .900 OPS with two home runs in eight spring games. Even though this assignment isn't the news he was looking for, Alvarez will likely find his way back to the majors if he continues to mash while proving to be a somewhat competent outfield defender during his time at Triple-A.

LeMahieu is 18-for-57 (.316) with eight RBI and a stolen base in 18 Cactus League games.

The reigning batting champion continued his high-average ways this spring, and he even managed to crack one ball out of the park to produce a .491 slugging percentage. The only aspect of DJ Le's game that was absent from his spring performance was his propensity to draw walks, as he only collected three free passes during his time in Arizona. That isn't too concerning as it's most likely an attempt to focus on getting his swing back to last season's form from the get-go. LeMahieu is expected to slot into the Rockies lineup in the two-hole, which could help him top the 100-run plateau for the second season in a row.

Rendon has a bruise on his calf after fouling a ball off it earlier in the week but might play Friday, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

Rendon's injuy doesn't seem as if it'll cost him much regular-season work, if any. Suiting up Friday would confirm his middle-rounds value in mixed leagues for weekend fantasy drafts.

Manager A.J. Hinch confirmed Wednesday that he would use Bregman as his No. 2 hitter to begin the season, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Bregman has occupied that slot in the batting order for much of the spring, so Hinch's announcement doesn't come as a major surprise. The third baseman, who will turn 23 years old Thursday, struggled out of the gate in his first exposure to big-league pitching last summer, but closed the season out on a high note, delivering a .264/.313/.478 slash line over 217 plate appearances. Bregman flashed some burgeoning pop between the minors and big leagues last season to go with his impressive hit tool, and a cushy spot in the lineup between George Springer and Jose Altuve should allow him to rack up runs in his sophomore campaign.