MLB Player News

The Rangers assigned Smith to Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, Chris Halicke of SI.com reports.

The assignment is an aggressive one for Smith, who received only 127 plate appearances at the Double-A level in 2021, all of which came after he joined the Rangers organization as part of the July trade that sent Joey Gallo to the Yankees. The 24-year-old passed the test in his limited sample of action with Double-A Hickory, slashing .294/.425/.431 with three home runs while going 7-for-9 stolen base attempts. Smith will likely be in line for a lengthier stay at Round Rock than he had at Hickory, but he could push his way on to the big-league roster at some point in the second half of 2022 if he continues to showcase the high-level contact, on-base and baserunning skills he demonstrated a season ago.

Perdomo went 2-for-2 with a solo home run in Wednesday's spring training game against the Rockies.

Perdomo entered the game in the seventh inning and finished out at shortstop, a position of interest after the Diamondbacks announced Nick Ahmed (shoulder) will not be ready for Opening Day. Sergio Alcantara started the game, one of three 40-man roster players to receive a start since Ahmed's shoulder started to bother him over last weekend. Josh Rojas is also in the mix, but he's already penciled in to start at third base. Perdomo is 5-for-21 with one home run, one double and six RBI through nine Cactus League games.

Bogaerts will remain the third batter in the order this season, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora outfitted a lineup and batting order Wednesday that looked like one that will take the field against right-handers this season. That means Bogaerts will bat third while the recently signed Trevor Story slots in at sixth in the order. Against lefties, Cora is expected to alter the order, but Bogaerts should remain third. Bogaerts is just 2-for-16 through seven Grapefruit League games, but the longest-tenured Red Sox player and team leader will be safely ensconced between Rafael Devers and J.D. Martinez against righties or Trevor Story and Devers against southpaws.

Story started at second base, batted sixth, and went 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI in Wednesday's spring training game against the Braves.

Story made his first appearance in a Red Sox uniform since he signed with the club last week. He had been expected to play this past weekend, but the 29-year-old left camp to attend the birth of a child. While he batted mostly third or cleanup last season with the Rockies, Red Sox manager Alex Cora envisions right-handed hitters Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez for those spots against right-handed starters, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. With lefty-hitting Alex Verdugo batting fifth, Cora can break up a run of righties. Story could slot higher in the order -- possibly second -- when the Red Sox face a lefty starter.

Mateo went 2-for-3 with a home run -- his second of the spring -- and a base hit Wednesday in the Orioles' Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.

Mateo was expected to compete for a utility role at the onset of camp, but he may have cemented himself as the frontrunner for the Orioles' Opening Day shortstop job by this point. According to Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com, manager Brandon Hyde said earlier Wednesday that he intended to stock the lineup with regular players for the final week of spring training, so Mateo's inclusion in the starting nine against the Blue Jays is seemingly a good sign of where he stands with the Orioles. Mateo, who entered Wednesday with an 1.035 OPS to go along with one stolen base through seven spring games, continued to build on that performance with another two-hit effort. Though Mateo committed his second error of the spring when he dropped a popout, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun notes that the 26-year-old atoned for the gaffe by making two potential run-saving plays in the field. Mateo has typically hit out of bottom half of the order in most of his starts this spring, but that shouldn't put too much of a limit on his running opportunities while he's part of an Orioles lineup that could struggle to generate runs.

Ahmed (shoulder) said Wednesday that he recently received a pair of cortisone shots, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Ahmed has been dealing with shoulder discomfort this week, and he'll be unable to throw or hit for 10 days following his cortisone shots. As a result, the 32-year-old won't be available for Opening Day, but it's not yet clear whether he'll wind up on the injured list to begin the season. Geraldo Perdomo and Sergio Alcantara should fill in at shortstop while Ahmed is sidelined.

Velazquez was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.

Velazquez was unable to land a depth role on the Angels' Opening Day roster, and he'll begin the year in the minors. Across 11 appearances in Cactus League games this spring, he hit .250 with a home run, a triple, a double, four RBI, three runs, a walk and nine strikeouts.

Crawford underwent a dental procedure Wednesday and is expected to be out for a few days, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

The shortstop's availability for Opening Day does not seem to be in question and he'll likely be back in the lineup before spring training comes to a close. Crawford has batted .250 this spring while adding a double and an RBI in 16 at-bats. He'll look to build off of his career-high nine homers, 54 RBI and .273 average from 2021 when the 2022 campaign gets started late next week.

Perdomo started at shortstop and went 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored in Tuesday's spring training game against the Cubs.

Perdomo got the start at short with Nick Ahmed (shoulder) unavailable for now. Thus far, Josh Rojas and Perdomo have filled in at short since Ahmed's injury was revealed. Perdomo should generate interest in drafts or auctions, given the productive second half he put up in 2021, including a promising 11-game stint in the majors.

Ahmed (shoulder) has not been ruled out for Opening Day, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

An MRI of the shoulder did not yield a clear diagnosis, so Ahmed is choosing to rehab the shoulder for now. The injury bothers him more hitting than it does throwing, and if it lessens, he could play Opening Day. The shoulder has been bothersome since 2020, and if that doesn't give fantasy managers pause, the news that it affects his swing should.