MLB Player News

Anderson is out of the White Sox's lineup for the third straight game Monday due to personal reasons, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

Although only the first absence was planned for, Hayes reported that it was nothing to worry about. Anderson enjoyed a nice debut with the White Sox last season, as the 23-year-old slashed .238/.306/.432 with nine homers and 10 stolen bases in 99 games. He'll look to improve on those numbers in his first full major league season in 2017.

Mondesi (back) will man second base and bat in the leadoff spot in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Cubs, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Mondesi had been out of action the last two days while dealing with lower-back tightness, but the Royals never viewed it as a long-term concern. With Mondesi back in action after the brief absence, he'll look to continue his stellar spring training, during which he's gone 13-of-30 (.433 average) with two homers and two doubles. Those excellent numbers may be enough to keep him ahead of Whit Merrifield and Christian Colon in the competition for starting duties at second base.

Rojas got the start at shortstop and went 3-for-3 with a stolen base during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.

He's picked the right time to heat up at the plate with the news that Martin Prado (hamstring) could miss the first month of the regular season. Rojas should handle the short side of a platoon with Derek Dietrich at third base while Prado is sidelined, and the 28-year-old might have a bit more upside at the plate than it seems at first glance given his career .274/.318/.384 line in 160 games at Triple-A with eight home runs and nine steals. His main fantasy value in deep NL-only leagues will come from his positional flexibility, however, as Rojas will carry eligibility at first base, second base and shortstop forward from 2016 in most formats.

Swanson is batting leadoff and playing shortstop during Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

Swanson has missed the past two weeks of major league camp with back tightness, but it appears that he's progressed well enough to return to live action for the Braves. The 23-year-old suited up in a minor league game Saturday, but did not play any defense. The fact that he's going to see time in the field today is a great sign.

Swanson (side) hit but did not play defense in a minor league game against the Tigers' Triple-A squad Saturday, going 2-for-3 with a home run, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. "That's a good sign," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "Hopefully they clear him and we get him in there (Sunday). But that was good. They said he had a really strenuous workout, the whole thing this morning, and then batting practice and all that. So, he's OK. That was good he got some hits."

The promising rookie shortstop has been out two weeks with the injury, which was originally described as back tightness, so the Braves elected to bring him along slowly rather than throw him right back into Grapefruit League action Saturday. Assuming Swanson has no setbacks Sunday morning, he's likely to be in the Braves' lineup for the afternoon against the Cardinals, but don't be too surprised if he's only the designated hitter. The 23-year-old is still on target to be ready by Opening Day.

Turner went 2-for-2 with a walk and a run scored in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

He also committed his second error of the spring, but for the most part, Turner's looked sound defensively at shortstop. His .222/.301/.343 line through 35 at-bats isn't impressive, but the 23-year-old seems locked in as the Nats' leadoff hitter and will be looking to prove his explosive rookie campaign was no fluke.

Rojas got the start at third base in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals, going 0-for-1 with a walk.

Martin Prado (hamstring) is suddenly questionable for Opening Day, which could open the door for Rojas to take the short side of a platoon with Derek Dietrich at the hot corner to begin the regular season. Rojas doesn't offer much fantasy upside, but he's hit well at Triple-A in his career, including a .301/.343/.430 line with New Orleans in 2015, so he could collect some hits and provide some value in NL-only formats early in the season if Prado is forced to the DL.

Gordon went 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and his first stolen base of the spring in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

He's had a rough start to the spring, slashing .219/.286/.406 through 32 at-bats, but Gordon's picked up four hits in his last four games and may be rounding into form at the plate. The 28-year-old speedster will be looking to bounce back this season to the level he displayed in 2015, when he hit .333 and stole 58 bases.

Swanson (back) will play in a minor league game Saturday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Swanson was expected to return to big league spring action Saturday, but the Braves will instead opt to use him in a minor league game at the team's training complex. "Progression, probably the smart thing," Swanson said Saturday morning. "We were talking yesterday. I was like, I want to play, but let's not be my stubborn, competitive, let's-just-go-out-and-do-it-again...We just decided this was probably the best option. I'll be going through full [batting practice] today and doing some extra BP and stuff on the backfield after regular BP." Swanson added that he hasn't sustained any sort of setback, so the expectation is that he'll be back on the field for the Braves within the next few days.

Urena was optioned to minor league camp Friday, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet.ca reports.

He was added to the 40-man roster in the offseason but that was for Rule 5 protection -- Urena has logged just 132 plate appearances above the High-A level. A top-five prospect in the Toronto farm system, he recorded eight hits in 28 plate appearances during his time in the Grapefruit League, although seven of the eight hits were singles. A full season at the upper levels of the minor leagues seems likely for the 21-year-old.