MLB Player News

The Red Sox plan to assign Mayer to Triple-A Worcester prior to Thursday's season opener versus the Rangers, Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reports.

Though manager Alex Cora didn't dismiss the possibility of Mayer breaking camp with the big club even in the latter stages of spring training, the 22-year-old infielder always appeared likely to begin the season at Triple-A. Mayer will be joined at Worcester by another elite prospect in outfielder Roman Anthony, while second baseman Kristian Campbell will be the first of the Red Sox's "Big Three" prospects to reach the big leagues. Though Mayer impressed with a .983 OPS in Grapefruit League play, the Red Sox will likely want the shortstop to find some success at the Triple-A level early on in the season before giving him the call to the majors. Mayer could also get some more exposure to second base and third base at Worcester in an effort to increase his versatility and potentially expedite his arrival to the majors.

The Cubs placed Brujan on the 10-day injured list Tuesday due to a right elbow sprain.

Brujan sustained the injury over the weekend, when he attempted to make a defensive play. He'll be eligible to come off the IL on Wednesday, though it's unclear if he'll be ready to play by then. Once activated, Brujan is projected to fill a utility role for the Cubs.

According to Angels' manager Ron Washington, Neto (shoulder) isn't ready for game action and has "no date" for his return, per MLB.com.

Neto hasn't necessarily had a setback -- it's long been expected that he'd open the season on the injured list -- but fantasy managers who are stashing the talented young shortstop will need to wait a bit longer to learn of a clear timeline for his return. It remains in play for Neto to return to big-league action at some point in April, especially since he was recently described as being "ahead of schedule" in his rehab from last November's right shoulder surgery, though Washington added that the 24-year-old will see some work in minor-league rehab games before making his season debut for the Angels. While Neto remains out, Kevin Newman, Tim Anderson, Nicky Lopez and Kyren Paris could all log time at shortstop for the Halos.

The Twins placed Lee (back) on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a lumbar strain.

Lee's back began to tighten up on him toward the very end of spring training, and he won't be able to make it back for Opening Day. Reps at third base will likely be handed down to Jose Miranda and Willi Castro while Lee and Royce Lewis (hamstring) are out, but Lee should be able to take over at the hot corner once he returns.

The Yankees reassigned Velazquez to minor-league camp Saturday.

Velazquez didn't see MLB action in 2024, but he stuck around in big-league camp longer than anticipated and logged 44 plate appearances in the Grapefruit League as he competed for a reserve gig. Ultimately, the Yankees elected to carry fellow non-roster invitee Pablo Reyes on the Opening Day roster as a utility player. Velazquez is expected to report to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and will likely spend the bulk of the season in the International League.

The Giants selected Koss' contract from Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday.

After a phenomenal spring that saw Koss slash .341/.426/.512 with five RBI and 12 runs scored across 47 plate appearances, Koss will be rewarded with a spot on San Francisco's Opening Day roster. The 27-year-old has spent most of his time at shortstop throughout his minor-league career but has experience at nearly every position, which helps his case for playing time. He'll be making his MLB debut whenever he gets into a game.

Seager (calf) took live batting practice Wednesday and is expected to be ready for Thursday's opener versus the Red Sox, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Seager was held out of the Rangers' final three exhibition contests because of a sore calf, but he doesn't seem to be in any danger of missing Opening Day. The shortstop has reached the 30-homer mark in all three regular seasons with Texas.

Mateo (elbow) will not be on the Orioles' Opening Day roster, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The Orioles had left open the possibility that Mateo could be ready even though he wasn't cleared for Grapefruit League games until mid-March, but the 29-year-old needs a little more time. Livan Soto is expected to fill a utility role while Mateo is out.

The White Sox claimed Jones off waivers from the Rockies on Wednesday and optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte.

Jones will join the third organization of his career after he was initially drafted by the Rays in 2019 before being dealt to the Rockies last March. He appeared in six games in the majors with Colorado in 2024 but otherwise spent the entire season at Triple-A Albuquerque, where he produced a .269/.346/.460 batting line to go with 16 home runs and 46 stolen bases over 406 plate appearances. Though he'll report to the minors to begin the upcoming season, Jones should be in the mix for playing time in Chicago at some point in 2025, given the lack of established talent on the big-league roster.

Betts (illness) said Tuesday that he'll be able to play in the Dodgers' home opener Thursday against Detroit, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Betts missed the Dodgers' first two regular-season games against the Cubs in Tokyo, Japan, due to an illness that caused him to lose nearly 20 pounds. However, he was able to participate in Tuesday's exhibition game against the Angels and went 0-for-3 while starting at shortstop. Betts said that making it through that contest was enough for him to be confident that he will be ready to play Thursday. Fantasy managers who roster Betts should thus plan to have him in their lineups, though it remains to be seen whether the illness will affect Betts' play to any extent in the early going.