MLB Player News

Gordon hit a solo home run in a 6-4 exhibition victory over the Yomiuri Giants on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Gordon is hitting .192 across 26 at-bats in Cactus League play, so Saturday's round tripper was a pleasant surprise. The veteran speedster is back to his natural position at second base this spring following a roller-coaster 2018, when he also played center field. He'll look to move his offensive numbers back up after a slight downturn in several categories during his first Mariners campaign. Gordon saw a 40-point drop in batting average (.308 to .268) from his final season in Miami in 2017, although his strikeout and contact rates essentially remained the same. However, his walk rate fell all the way to a minuscule and career-low 1.5 percent, which, when combined with a 50-point drop in BABIP, helps explain why Gordon was simply on base a lot less frequently last season.

Mondesi (forehead) will bat second in the Royals' Cactus League game against the Brewers on Saturday.

Mondesi had fantasy managers holding their breath when he left Thursday's game following a head-first slide, but the Royals later relayed that the speedster's removal was merely precautionary after he suffered a small cut above his eye. After receiving a routine rest day Friday along with some treatment for the laceration, Mondesi will check back into the starting nine and look to continue his torrid spring. He's produced a .949 OPS to go with a 4:5 BB:K across 12 games.

Adrianza went 2-for-3 with two home runs and four RBI in Friday's spring game against Baltimore.

Adrianza slugged a pair of two-run homers on the day, one in the second inning and another in the sixth on the way to a 12-9 victory for the Twins. The 29-year-old shortstop continues to piece together a strong spring and is now 11-for-28 with two home runs, six RBI and seven runs scored.

Mondesi (forehead) is not in the lineup for Friday's spring game against the Rockies.

Mondesi was forced to exit Thursday's exhibition game after a hard head-first slide resulted in a cut above his eye. Manager Ned Yost indicated the 23-year-old was fine, and the issue shouldn't impact his status for Opening Day.

Mondesi is dealing with a minor cut above his eye, but will be fine after exiting Thursday's spring game, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Mondesi suffered the injury after a head-first slide into third base on a stolen-base attempt, but the Royals can breathe a sigh of relief as manager Ned Yost stated that his starting shortstop is just fine. Mondesi's status for Opening Day shouldn't be impacted by this minor issue.

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.