MLB Player News

Bichette went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

The young shortstop is still trying to consistently find his rhythm at the plate, but Bichette has hardly been slumping this spring, slashing .261/.346/.609 through 26 plate appearances with half of his hits (two homers and a triple) going for extra bases. He'll hit at or near the top of the order for the Jays this season as he looks to match or even build upon the .929 OPS he put together in his big-league debut last year.

Mondesi (shoulder) won't get into games until next week at the earliest, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Last weekend the hope was that he might be ready for Cactus League games this week, but he is still not ready. Mondesi is coming back from the same shoulder procedure (labral repair) that resulted in ineffective seasons from Gregory Polanco and Michael Brantley in their first years back from surgery, and it is still not a lock that he will be ready for Opening Day.

Bogaerts (ankle) will start at shortstop and bat third Thursday in the Red Sox's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Boston initially planned to have Bogaerts serve as its designated hitter for the second day in a row, but the team changed course and cleared the 27-year-old to make his first start in the field of 2020. Now that Bogaerts is back to manning his normal position, his sore left ankle doesn't look to be anything that will impact him heading into Opening Day.

Bogaerts made his spring debut Wednesday, going 0-for-2 while serving as the designated hitter in a game against the Tigers.

Bogaerts had been dealing with a sore ankle early in camp, prompting the Red Sox to bring him along slowly. There's still plenty of time for Bogaerts to get plate appearances in preparation for the regular season.

Mateo went 3-for-4 with three base hits, two RBI and a stolen base Tuesday in the Athletics' 6-5 Cactus League win over the White Sox.

With Marcus Semien getting the day off, Mateo took his spot at shortstop and at the top of the batting order and didn't look out of place. The 24-year-old put his premium wheels on display immediately, legging out an infield single on his first at-bat, then claiming his third stolen base of the spring. Mateo is competing with a host of players for the starting job at second base, but even if he fails to win the job battle, his high-end speed might be enough for him to crack the 26-man Opening Day roster as a utility man. The fact that Mateo has no minor-league options remaining and would likely be claimed if exposed to waivers helps his case for breaking camp with the A's.

Bogaerts (ankle) will make his spring debut Wednesday, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

Bogaerts has been brought along slowly this spring after reporting to camp with a sore ankle, but he is finally ready to play, and will serve as Boston's DH on Wednesday. With three weeks until regular-season games begin, he should have plenty of time to tune up his swing before Opening Day.

Wendle, who's competing for an infield utility role this spring, is hitting .400 (6-for-15) with two doubles, one home run, two RBI and five runs over his first six Grapefruit League games.

The versatile 29-year-old endured the worst offensive season of his career in 2019, slashing a pedestrian .231/.293/.340 across 263 plate appearances over 75 games. Wendle struggled with hamstring and wrist injuries last season, which certainly played a part in his subpar performance. However, he reported to camp at full health, and despite the modest sample, his early work at the plate suggests Wendle may be returning to the form that saw him generate an impressive .300 average and .354 on-base percentage during his first Rays campaign back in 2018.

Bogaerts (ankle) hit in the batting cage Tuesday and said afterward that he feels "pretty close to 100 percent" and anticipates playing in spring training games later this week, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Bogaerts' comments about his sore left ankle seemingly run counter to what interim manager Ron Roenicke said about the matter Sunday, when he indicated the shortstop was "still a ways away" from playing in spring games. That said, Roenicke indicated that he didn't feel Bogaerts was in any real danger of missing Opening Day, a sentiment that both player and manager align on. At this point, the 27-year-old probably shouldn't be downgraded much -- if at all -- in fantasy drafts, as he'll probably only need to play in a handful of games this spring to guarantee his availability for the season opener.

Anderson (illness) will start at shortstop and bat second in Monday's Cactus League game against the Padres, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Anderson was sidelined over the weekend with a stomach virus, but he'll get the green light to rejoin the spring lineup after reporting to the ballpark healthy Monday. He'll slot behind Yoan Moncada in the lineup, and those two players are expected to regularly occupy the Nos. 1 and 2 spots in some order once Opening Day arrives.

Herrera has gone 7-for-14 with four RBI in Grapefruit League action and has "opened eyes" in camp, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Herrera hasn't hit well thus far in the majors -- he owns a career .225 average in 383 at-bats -- but his versatility in the field and hot start to spring have impressed team officials. Still, the 27-year-old is not on the 40-man roster and remains a longshot to make the Opening Day roster in spite of a rash of injuries to Yankee position players this spring.