MLB Player News

New Royals manager Mike Matheny said Tuesday that Mondesi is progressing in his rehab from left shoulder surgery and is on schedule to be ready for Opening Day, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

When Mondesi underwent surgery at the end of last season, he was given a five-to-six month estimated recovery timetable, leaving Opening Day in doubt. It's great to hear that he's progressing well, though we still expect some limitations in spring training. While Mondesi's rate stats took a big step backward last season, he is only 24 with the rare combination of power and game-breaking speed. The dream is still very much alive for fantasy.

Velazquez signed a one-year contract with the Indians on Monday, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Velazquez saw limited chances during the 2019 season, going 2-for-23 with two doubles and a stolen base in 15 games. He figures to slot into a utility role with Cleveland in 2020.

Arcia signed a one-year, $2.2 million contract with the Brewers on Monday, avoiding arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

As things currently stand, Arcia and Luis Urias would handle the left side of the infield for the Brewers, but the offseason is still young, and it's quite possible he will enter the year as a reserve if Milwaukee is able to add another infielder or two. He struggled to a .223/.283/.350 slash line with 15 homers and 59 RBI over 152 games in 2019, but is only entering his age-25 season.

Adrianza signed a one-year, $1.6 million contract with the Twins on Monday, avoiding arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Adrianza posted a career-best .349 OBP over 84 games with the Twins in 2019 to earn him a raise prior to hitting free agency after the 2020 season. The versatile infielder is unlikely to carve out a starting role next year given the Twins' depth, but he could still see a relatively consistent role in order to provide load management for the starting infielders.

Cruz was added to the Pirates' 40-man roster Wednesday.

Cruz is one of the Pirates' top prospects, so it's no surprise to see the team protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The 21-year-old split 2019 between High-A and Double-A, posting a .298/.356/.475 slash line.

Turner underwent surgery on his index finger, the shortstop revealed on his personal Instagram page Saturday.

Turner fractured the finger in the fourth game of the regular season, though he returned in mid-May to play out the rest of the year. He didn't look as though he was playing injured, posting a .298/.353/.497 slash line and tying his personal best with 19 homers. Assuming no setbacks from the surgery, Turner could conceivably reach a new level next season with the injury fully behind him.

Bichette's offseason is going well, and he's no longer experiencing concussion symptoms, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Bichette's strong rookie season ended prematurely in mid-September after he was hit in the head by a pitch. He finished his first big-league campaign with a .311/.358/.571 line in 46 games, homering 11 times and doubling 18 more. He's expected to progress to full workouts soon and should have plenty of time to get up to full speed by the start of spring training.

Owings elected free agency Monday rather than accepting an assignment to Triple-A Pawtucket, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Owings had little reason to accept a minors assignment at this point rather than seeing what options were available to him this offseason. He's almost certainly going to be limited to minor-league offers this winter after hitting .139/.209/.233 in 67 games for the Royals and Red Sox this year.

Correa went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run Thursday in an 8-3 win over the Yankees in Game 4 of the ALCS.

While Correa has struggled so far in the postseason, slashing just .167/.167/.389, it's encouraging to see him pop two homers in the last three games after he battled back problems for much of the regular season. If the Astros can wrap up the series in Game 5, it would buy Correa a few additional days to rest his ailing back.

Diaz could earn a start against Yankees lefty James Paxton in the ALCS, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Diaz didn't start any of the five games in the ALDS against the Rays but received three plate appearances off the bench, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. He'd likely start in left field if he's in the lineup, pushing Michael Brantley to right and Josh Reddick to the bench. The Yankees haven't announced their rotation plans yet, but Paxton started the first game of the ALDS and is likely to do so again in the ALCS.