MLB Player News

Cruz was optioned to Double-A Altoona on Monday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Cruz played 35 games for Altoona last season, homering once and stealing three bases while hitting .269/.346/.412. Despite his unusual size for a shortstop (6-foot-7), the Pirates reportedly have no imminent plans for him to change positions.

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.

Arcia hit his fifth home run of the spring in Sunday's split squad game against the Angels.

Arcia homered in his second exhibition game appearance and has not slowed down, adding four more long balls to his tally. Despite the spring power surge, it is still tough to expect much from him offensively given his struggles at the plate for the larger part of his career, and, in particular, the .199 batting average he posted after the All-Star break last season. Still, Arcia knows he will be pushed for playing time this season by both Luis Urias (wrist) and Brock Holt, and he is responding thus far.

Ahmed went 1-for-2 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's spring game against the Rockies.

Ahmed, who hit a career-high 19 home runs in 2019, cranked out his first spring home run. The Diamondbacks made the soon-to-be 30-year-old shortstop a wealthier man during the offseason, inking Ahmed to a four-year extension. It's a payday earned by his improvements at the plate. All the advanced metrics (wRC+, contact rates, plate discipline, hard-hit percentage, barrels, etc.) indicate the improved bat is for real.

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.

Cruz, who went 1-for-3 with a run scored Wednesday, is batting .235 in 17 Grapefruit-League at-bats.

The 6-foot-7 shortstop hasn't looked out of place defensively thus far, even if he's expected to eventually move to another position. Cruz showed off a glimpse of his power potential with a tape-measure homer Sunday, stroking a prodigious shot over the center field wall. He's expected to start the season at Double-A and has done nothing to diminish his prospect tag in spring training, though a 0:7 BB:K throws up a hint of caution in his timeline.

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.