MLB Player News

Mateo (illness) is unlikely to be part of the Opening Day roster, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

The Padres expected Mateo to contribute to the big-league club right away when they acquired him in a trade at the end of June, but the 25-year-old subsequently tested positive for COVID-19 and has yet to be cleared to return. With Opening Day less than a week away, Mateo is unlikely to have enough time to get ready for the season even if he returns soon, though manager Jayce Tingler didn't close the door on the possibility completely. "He's probably going to need some baseball work," Tingler said. "But at the same time, he brings a lot of speed to the game. If we want to use that asset of his game, can we use that right away? Probably. But we'll wait and see." Jake Cronenworth is the most likely candidate to fill Mateo's projected spot if the latter remains out.

Owings will begin the season on the Rockies' major-league roster.

Manager Bud Black speculated earlier in the week that Owings could be on the Rockies' Opening Day roster as a second utility player, and he was officially informed of the decision Friday. The 28-year-old appeared in 67 games with the Red Sox and Royals last season, slashing .139/.209/.233 with three home runs and five stolen bases. Owings should serve as depth for the team, but he's unlikely to play a significant role for Colorado this season.

Swanson took Mike Foltynewicz deep for an opposite-field, three-run home run in Wednesday's intrasquad game, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Swanson's blast proved to be the decisive hit of the contest before the game was halted in the third inning due to rain. The 26-year-old is locked in as the Braves' everyday shortstop for the 60-game season, and now that he's healthy again, he could be a sneaky late-round value in fantasy drafts. Swanson posted an .822 OPS to go with 17 home runs and seven stolen bases in the first half of the 2019 campaign, but he struggled to regain his form at the plate upon returning from a foot injury that cost him a good portion of the second half. He slashed just .204/.315/.254 and struck out in 29.7 percent of his plate appearances after the All-Star break.

Mariners manager Scott Servais said Thursday he couldn't comment on why Gordon (undisclosed) was withheld from the team's intrasquad game a day earlier, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Seattle penciled Gordon in as their leadoff man for Wednesday's contest before he was a surprise scratch shortly before the game. His unexplained absence and Servais' unwilling to offer any specifics on the matter will likely fuel speculation that Gordon tested positive for COVID-19, which would put his availability for the July 24 season opener in Houston in jeopardy. The Mariners are planning on deploying Gordon as a super-utility man in 2020.

Rojas jammed his left pinkie finger and wrist attempting to field a groundball during Tuesday's intrasquad game, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

The injuries aren't considered serious, and Rojas could be back in action Thursday. The shortstop slashed .284/.331/.379 through 132 games last season with a modest five homers and nine steals.

Owings has a pretty good chance to make the Rockies' Opening Day roster as a second utility player, along with Garrett Hampson, particularly with the 30-man roster for the first two weeks, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

An interesting aspect of manager Bud Black's comments about Owings is how he equates him with Hampson. "You have two weapons -- two good weapons," Black said. "You have the speed weapon. You've got a sneaky power weapon. You've got two guys that play the game the right way. They can be pests, per se, to the opposition. So it's nice to have two of them. As the game rolls on, whether they're both starting whether one of them starting whether they're both on the bench. With the 30-man roster, it's advantageous. ... And for a 26-man roster, they might be advantageous, also."

Gordon was scratched from Wednesday's intrasquad lineup for an undisclosed reason, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Gordon was initially scheduled to play left field and lead off in Wednesday's intrasquad game, but he'll be held out instead. It's unclear what is preventing the 28-year-old from taking the field, and whether he'll miss additional time remains to be seen. Gordon is expected to serve as depth for the Mariners this season, but his defensive versatility could give him a fair amount of playing time if he's healthy.

Garcia could contribute in the majors this season, according to manager David Bell, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Bell noted how strong Garcia is coming on in camp, despite the fact he has never played above High-A. Another factor in Garcia's favor is that the Reds basically have nothing behind Freddy Galvis (who has been mentoring Garcia) at shortstop. This is a nice vote of confidence from Bell, but it would be borderline unprecedented for Garcia to skip over Double-A and Triple-A and be a quality big-league hitter in 2020 if he were forced into action due to his plus defense at shortstop.

The Red Sox will formally add Downs to their 60-man roster pool Tuesday or Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

The 21-year-old Downs is the Red Sox's top infield prospect, with most of his minor-league action to date coming at shortstop. With Xander Bogaerts entrenched at that position, however, Downs' most realistic path to a full-time role in the majors comes at second base, where Michael Chavis and Jose Peraza currently check in as the top options on the depth chart. Boston is likely content to proceed with that duo manning the position in 2020, but if Chavis, Peraza or Bogaerts ends up missing extensive time for whatever reason, Downs could get his first taste of the big leagues. Downs reached Double-A at the tail end of 2019 but spent most of the campaign in High-A, slashing .276/.362/.526 with 24 home runs and 24 stolen bases between both levels.

Manager Aaron Boone revealed Monday that Herrera is dealing with pain in both of his heels, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Herrera's heel issues started up at the end of spring training, but the problem has resurfaced and has kept him off the field since Thursday. The exact nature and severity of the injury are unclear. The 27-year-old impressed as a non-roster invitee during spring training this year, but he isn't expected to make much of an impact in the majors in 2020.