MLB Player News

The Blue Jays optioned Urena to their minor-league camp Sunday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Urena saw regular run with the Blue Jays as a September callup a season ago but managed a sickly .206/.270/.309 line across 75 plate appearances. The 22-year-old is regarded as little more than an average defender in the middle infield, so he'll need to raise his production at the plate at Double-A New Hampshire or Triple-A Buffalo this season before warranting another look from the big club.

Anderson batted seventh in the order Friday and could find himself in the lower third of the lineup this season, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Manager Rick Renteria was batting Anderson second during spring training, but feels the free-swinging shortstop is a better fit lower in the order. He's not much of a table-setter -- Anderson walked 13 times and had a .276 OBP in 2017 -- and Renteria feels the lineup can take advantage of Anderson's high batting average on balls in play (.347 for his career). "I don't want to change who he is," Renteria said. "Timmy puts the bat on the ball a lot and when he does it's a positive outcome. Not putting him in a situation where we're worrying about him getting on, as opposed to if guys are on base we know his ball in play is high and he's driving in a few more runs." Anderson was at his most productive last season when he hit seventh in the order (.730 OPS).

Tejada was reassigned to minor-league camp Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Tejada was a long-shot to grab an active roster spot out of spring training. His .171 batting average in 35 Grapefruit League at-bats essentially put the nail in the coffin. He'll head back to the minors to act as an organizational depth piece for Baltimore.

Mateo was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Mateo had a terrific game Tuesday against the Royals. The 22-year-old went 2-for-4, with both hits being home runs. However, with Jed Lowrie and Marcus Semien at second base and shortstop, respectively, it seemed likely that Mateo would return to the minors before the 2018 season got underway. After logging a .292/.333/.518 line over 30 games at Double-A Midland following his trade from the Yankees last season, Mateo will have his first chance to play at the Triple-A level.

Velazquez exited Tuesday's Grapefruit League game early after being hit in the head by a pitch, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Velazquez seemed to be fine while speaking with manager Kevin Cash after the incident, so it seems like the removal was simply precautionary. Look for a better grasp of the severity of the issue once the team medical staff has a chance to examine him.

Adrianza (calf) is listed as an available reserve for Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Adrianza has sat out the past week of exhibition play while recovering from a minor left calf strain. With the utility man progressing as anticipated, he should be called upon Tuesday to play a few innings in the infield or left field in relief of one of the Twins' regulars.

Vincej (quadriceps) appears to have returned to health and went 0-for-2 Sunday against the Reds.

Vincej missed some time due to quad tightness, but he seems good to go and has seen the field in every game since March 6. He's 2-for-13 and has struck out four times through nine spring training games. After coming into camp with a slim chance to make the team, Vincej will have to dramatically improve his performance to have any shot at the Opening Day roster.

Adrianza (calf) is expected to return for the Twins' spring game against the Orioles on Tuesday, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Adrianza tweaked his calf over the weekend, but it doesn't appear to be anything overly serious. Once he gets back into action officially, he should resume his role as a reserve utility player for Minnesota.

Mondesi is in the lineup for Monday's game against the Padres.

Mondesi has been sidelined with arm soreness and hasn't appeared in a game since March 1. He's still not expected to resume throwing for a few days, but the Royals are using him as a DH on Monday.

Noonan was reassigned to minor-league camp Sunday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chroniclereports.

Noonan appeared in 10 games this spring, recording two hits and two RBI in 15 at-bats. His .133 batting average wasn't enough to keep him with the major-league camp for long, so he'll be sent to the minor-league fields. Noonan is expected to start the season with Triple-A Nashville.