MLB Player News

Mondesi exited Thursday's game against the Rangers after a hard head-first slide while stealing third base, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Flanagan notes that Mondesi looked a little shaken up but that it didn't appear to be a serious issue. There was no indication as to what part of Mondesi's body might have been affected during the slide.

Lindor (calf) is playing in another minor-league game Thursday, but is not yet cleared to run at full speed, T.J. Zuppe of The Athletic reports.

Zuppe notes that Lindor has gotten quite good at briskly jogging in the field, and it is encouraging that he is right back out there after participating in a similar game Wednesday.

Diaz started at third base and went 2-for-2 with a walk in Wednesday's game against the Mets.

Diaz has started at second base, third base and shortstop during spring action and played a few outfield innings. He's not a direct replacement for Marwin Gonzalez, but Diaz will move around those three infield positions. Diaz is hitting .172 (5-for-29) with two RBI, seven strikeouts and four walks.

Crawford was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Crawford appeared to be the potential shortstop of the future when he was acquired in the Jean Segura trade over the offseason, but that future won't begin right away. He could still be up for a fair amount of run later in the year, but Tim Beckham will start the season at short for Seattle.

Lindor (calf) wil play in a controlled minor-league game Wednesday, T.J. Zuppe of The Athletic reports.

Lindor will receive three at-bats but will only jog to first base if he puts the ball in play. He'll also play what the team is calling "controlled" defense. It's tough to tell exactly what that means, but the fact that he's taking part in something approximating game action 15 days before Opening Day is a positive sign.

Crawford, acquired from the Phillies in an early-December trade, is hitting .240 with two extra-base hits (double, triple), two walks and three runs over 25 spring at-bats.

The 24-year-old has picked it up at the plate as spring has unfolded, as he'd hit safely in four straight exhibitions prior to rain wiping out Tuesday's Cactus League tilt versus the White Sox. Crawford could form the left-handed side of a shortstop platoon with veteran Tim Beckham this coming season, although the latter has the advantage of being a much more accomplished hitter at the big-league level. Crawford has scuffled with the bat in his two prior major-league stints, most recently slashing .214/.319/.393 over 137 plate appearances with the Phillies in 2018.

Chang was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Monday.

Chang is reportedly also carrying a minor finger injury, T.J. Zuppe of The Athletic reports. The young shortstop could earn his first callup at some point this season after hitting a decent .256/.330/.411 with 13 homers for Columbus last year.

Wendle went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in an 8-1 Grapefruit League win over the Red Sox on Sunday.

Wendle squared up against Red Sox starter Rick Porcello for his second round tripper of spring in the second inning. The versatile infielder's first Rays season in 2018 was a success, as Wendle slashed .300/.354/.435 across 545 plate appearances while contributing 46 extra-base hits (33 doubles, six triples, seven home runs), 61 RBI and 16 stolen bases. Looking ahead to the coming campaign, the 28-year-old profiles as the left-handed side of a platoon at second base with Daniel Robertson, but he can also fill in at shortstop, third base and left field as needed.

Velazquez was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Sunday, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

Velazquez had a strong start to spring training but ended up 4-for-21 with one double and four RBI in 11 games. The 24-year-old could make his way to the majors at some point this season and would likely serve in a utility role.

Bichette went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and a second run scored in Friday's split-squad game against the Pirates.

Seen as the Robin to Vlad Guerrero Jr.'s Batman in the Jays' prospect pipeline, Bichette is actually putting together a more impressive spring so far, slashing .368/.429/.684 with two home runs over 21 plate appearances. The 21-year-old will begin 2019 next to Guerrero on the left side of Triple-A Buffalo's infield after more than holding his own over 131 games with Double-A New Hampshire in 2018, and while Bichette's big-league debut will almost certainly come later in the year than Vladito's, he may not be all that far behind his more heralded organization-mate.