MLB Player News

Chang was scratched from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs with a sore neck, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

The injury doesn't appear to be something that could significantly threaten Chang's readiness for Opening Day. If healthy, he stands a good chance of winning a bench role, though he doesn't have an obvious path to regular at-bats.

Bichette has gone 4-for-23 (.174) without an extra-base hit through 10 Grapefruit League games.

It's a shaky start to the spring, particularly for a player who set records for his extra-base prowess as a rookie in 2019, but Bichette's 5:6 BB:K indicates he's seeing the ball well and just hasn't gotten his swing entirely in sync yet. There's little reason to worry about a 23-year-old with a .307/.347/.549 slash line to begin his big-league career, and Bichette is poised to increase his RBI and run production this year thanks to the additions of George Springer and Marcus Semien to the Jays' lineup.

The Blue Jays optioned Lopez to their minor-league camp Thursday.

Lopez was one of 25 players the Blue Jays sent to minor-league camp in the organization's latest round of roster cuts. The 22-year-old infielder is likely to begin the 2021 campaign at Double-A New Hampshire or High-A Vancouver.

Anderson batted leadoff and went 0-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored in Tuesday's spring game against the Padres.

Anderson is 6-for-29 with a .475 OPS over 10 Cactus League appearances, but those numbers shouldn't scare off fantasy owners. He had subpar spring training in 2020 then posted a career-high .886 OPS. He possess a combination of power and speed that should be useful even if last season's high BABIP (.383) regresses.

Bogaerts (shoulder) will start at shortstop Wednesday for the first time this spring, Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald reports.

Bogaerts has been limited to DH duty since making his spring debut last Friday, but he is set to see his first action in the field in Wednesday's contest. Barring any setbacks over the next couple weeks, expect Bogaerts to occupy the starting shortstop spot come Opening Day.

General manager Dayton Moore said Tuesday that the Royals are open to putting Witt on the Opening Day roster, Jim Bowden of The Athletic reports.

The 20-year-old never seemed to have much of a chance of opening the season in the majors given that he has yet to see professional game action above rookie ball, but he's made an incredible impression so far in spring training. Witt has a .333/.379/.667 slash line with three home runs, seven RBI and nine runs through 11 Cactus League contests. The second overall pick of the 2019 draft primarily plays shortstop, but Moore made clear that Witt can also play second base, third base and center field. Kansas City's decision could get more difficult if he continues to perform well over the final two weeks of camp.

Bogaerts (shoulder) will serve as the designated hitter and bat third in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Though he'll be limited to DH duties for the fourth time in five days while he works back from a sore shoulder, Bogaerts is on track to make his spring debut at shortstop Wednesday against the Twins as long as he escapes Tuesday's contest without any setbacks. The 28-year-old is well on his way to being ready for a full-time role in the field by the time Opening Day arrives.

Fletcher will function as the Angels' everyday second baseman this season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Fletcher bounced around often during his first three big-league seasons, logging frequent time at second base as well as shortstop, third base and the outfield. He played more games (27) at shortstop last season than his 15 games at second base, due largely to Andrelton Simmons' injury woes. However, the Angels traded for a new starting shortstop in Jose Iglesias in the offseason, allowing Fletcher to settle in at second base. Still, it wouldn't be surprising to see him log time at other positions when needed.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Downs is feeling "OK" after injuring his left side in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Cora didn't suggest that Downs would require an MRI, so the 22-year-old appears to have avoided a more serious injury such as an oblique strain. The Red Sox are viewing Downs as day-to-day, but he looks like he'll have a chance to return to the spring lineup later this week.

Bogaerts (shoulder) is pushing hard to play shortstop Wednesday against the Twins, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Bogaerts was the designated hitter Sunday and will DH again Tuesday. If he doesn't get onto the field on his target date of Wednesday, it sounds like that should be coming any day now. He is tracking toward being in the lineup on Opening Day.