MLB Player News

The Twins optioned Raya to Triple-A St. Paul on Monday.

Raya was one of nine players sent out of big-league camp in the Twins' latest round of roster cuts. The 23-year-old right-hander is entering his second season as a member of Minnesota's 40-man roster but is still waiting to make his MLB debut. After logging a 6.02 ERA and 1.63 WHIP across 98.2 innings in his 30 appearances (20 starts) for St. Paul in 2025, Raya is expected to serve as a full-time reliever for the Triple-A club during the 2026 season.

The Twins optioned Rodriguez to Triple-A St. Paul on Monday.

Rodriguez was one of nine players sent out of big-league camp in the Twins' latest round of roster cuts. The 23-year-old outfielder is entering his third season as a member of Minnesota's 40-man roster but is still waiting to make his MLB debut. He was slowed by injuries throughout the 2025 campaign, playing just 52 games at the Triple-A level while slashing .258/.429/.423 with six home runs and nine stolen bases across 212 plate appearances.

The Twins optioned Rojas to Triple-A St. Paul on Monday.

Rojas was one of nine players sent out of big-league camp in the Twins' latest round of roster cuts. Minnesota added the 23-year-old southpaw to the 40-man roster this offseason after he impressed across four levels between his time in the Blue Jays and Twins organizations in 2025, finishing with a 4.70 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 90:32 K:BB in 69 innings.

The Twins optioned Mendez to Double-A Wichita on Monday.

Mendez is already in his third organization after previously being traded away by the Brewers and Phillies and is entering his first season as a member of a 40-man roster, after the Twins opted to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft over the winter. The 22-year-old outfielder will head back to Wichita to begin the 2026 campaign but could be in line for a quick promotion to Triple-A St. Paul after he slashed a blistering .324/.461/.450 in 33 games for the Double-A club upon coming over in a July 31 deal that sent Harrison Bader to Philadelphia.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker indicated Monday that Smith will not be in a strict platoon at second base, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The left-handed-hitting Smith has hit only .223/.309/.322 against lefty hurlers in his career, but Schumaker plans to give Smith some starts at the keystone versus left-handed pitching. Smith entered play Monday slashing .333/.429/.542 with one home run and a 4:5 BB:K in his first 10 Cactus League contests.

Buxton (elbow) will start in center field and bat eighth in Monday's World Baseball Classic game versus Team Mexico.

Buxton was pulled from Friday's contest versus Team Brazil after being hit on the right elbow by a pitch. He did not play Saturday against Team Great Britain, but Buxton is fine and ready to roll for Monday's tilt.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker indicated Monday that Carter will be given some chances to start against left-handed pitching early on in the season, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The left-handed-hitting Carter is just 5-for-60 (.083) against left-handed pitching in his major-league career, but Schumaker likes how Carter has looked versus southpaws this spring. While it sounds like Carter will not be in a strict platoon, he will likely have to get off to a good start against lefties in order to avoid sitting versus them most days. Carter has a 1.159 OPS with two home runs and one stolen base in his first eight Cactus League contests.

Pederson, who will start at first base and bat second in Monday's game against the Padres, has gone 4-for-17 with one walk and four strikeouts through his first eight Cactus League contests.

Coming off a rough first season with Texas in which he posted a career-low .614 OPS over 305 plate appearances, Pederson decided against becoming a free agent over the winter and picked up his $18.5 million player option to remain with the Rangers for 2026, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. While Pederson is likely to maintain a regular spot in the lineup as the Rangers' primary designated hitter against right-handed pitching, he hasn't shown many early signs of reclaiming the power production that eluded him in 2025. All four of his hits so far in spring training have been singles.

White Sox manager Will Venable said Monday that Sandlin has contended with elbow soreness recently but is slated to resume throwing Tuesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Venable noted that Sandlin dealt with a back issue earlier in spring training prior to experiencing elbow soreness. The two injuries help explain why Sandlin never made an appearance in the Cactus League before the White Sox optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte on Monday. Sandlin is set to get back on a throwing program this week, but it's unclear if he'll have enough time to get fully built up before Charlotte begins its season in late March.

Alberto won't make a scheduled appearance Monday versus the Rockies due to back tightness, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.

Alberto is expected to be ready to pitch in a day or two, so he's not believed to be dealing with a significant setback. The 24-year-old is trying to win a bullpen spot with the White Sox after being plucked in the Rule 5 Draft. Alberto has yielded three runs with a 4:2 K:BB over five innings so far this spring.