MLB Player News

Ruiz started in center field for Triple-A Las Vegas in its win over Sugar Land on Wednesday, going 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts.

The uninspiring start to what Ruiz and his fantasy managers hope will be a brief stay on the farm does nothing to ease concerns about the outfielder's short-term outlook. Ruiz's recent demotion was a somewhat curious one, considering he'd opened the major-league season by going 3-for-7 with a double, a triple, an RBI, a stolen base and two runs over his first three games; however, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports the Athletics wanted Ruiz to continue getting consistent at-bats with the Aviators since Oakland was slated to face plenty of right-handers in coming weeks. Additionally, general manager David Forst noted that while Ruiz did display improvements in exit velocity this spring, he still needs to get on base on a more consistent basis against big-league arms in order to maximize his greatest asset, that being his electric speed.

Urias went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk in a loss to the Guardians on Wednesday.

The modestly successful day at the plate, which came in Urias' third start, snapped the infielder out of a season-opening 0-for-8 slump. The 26-year-old has split time at the hot corner with Josh Rojas thus far, and perhaps Wednesday's performance will help ignite his bat after he also cooled off over the latter portion of spring training following a hot start to Cactus League play.

Polanco went 1-for-4 in a loss to the Guardians on Wednesday and is hitting just .115 (4-for-26) with no extra-base hits over his first seven games.

The veteran's Mariners tenure could hardly be off to a more inauspicious start, and compounding the concern is the fact Polanco has also generated an alarming 42.9 percent strikeout rate in that sample of 28 plate appearances. The 30-year-old posted a career-high 25.7 percent strikeout rate with the Twins last season as well, so it remains to be seen if the poor contact rate early this season ultimately proves to be an extension of that troublesome pattern. Polanco does now have a single in three consecutive contests, a mildly encouraging development after he opened the campaign going 1-for-14 in his first four contests.

Taylor (elbow) is throwing to hitters in extended spring training and should join a low-level affiliate in May, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports.

The White Sox drafted Taylor in the second round of last year's draft while he was already on the mend from Tommy John surgery at LSU. Taylor's fastball was up to 98 mph and he flashed a new low-90s cutter before the injury. He will head to Single-A Kannapolis or High-A Winston-Salem once healthy.

Tredwell is building up in extended spring training and will make his pro debut for Single-A Fayetteville once he's ready, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports.

Callis doesn't note any injury for Tredwell, but he presumably was slowed by something early in camp. The 21-year-old righty was selected out of UCLA in the second round of last year's draft.

Ramirez went 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 8-0 victory over the Mariners.

Ramirez kicked off a three-run first inning for the Guardians with an RBI double before coming around to score on an infield single from Will Brennan. The third baseman would strike again in his third at-bat, sending home Steven Kwan with another double as Cleveland jumped out to a commanding 6-0 lead. Ramirez has recorded multiple hits in back-to-back games while also scoring two runs in each of those contests. He's now batting .385 through three games this month.

Robertson worked around two hits while striking out one over a scoreless inning in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Rays.

Robertson found himself with runners on the corners and one out before coaxing a shallow flyout off the bat of Yandy Diaz and an Amed Rosario groundout to get out of the inning unscathed. Robertson has been sharp in a setup role to start the season, allowing just three hits and three walks over four scoreless appearances. Meanwhile, Jose Leclerc has struggled early, allowing at least one run in each of his three appearances, leaving an opening for Robertson to work his way into the ninth-inning picture.

Sano went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Marlins.

Sano had gone just 1-for-10 in his previous three games to start the season. Wednesday's outing was a positive sign for the 30-year-old first baseman -- he made the Angels' Opening-Day lineup after signing as a non-roster invitee. Sano didn't play professionally in 2023 after batting just .083 with one homer in 71 plate appearances with the Twins in 2022. While Sano should still offer some power upside, he'll likely be limited to a short-side platoon role to start the year.

Altuve went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs scored Wednesday against the Blue Jays.

Altuve concluded an offensive barrage by the Astros, as his solo home run in the seventh inning put the team up 8-0. He now has three homers on the season, all of which have come in his last four games. Altuve has also begun the new campaign with a seven-game hitting streak, including three multi-hit performances.

Jax threw a scoreless eighth inning in Wednesday's win at Milwaukee while Steven Okert pitched a scoreless ninth inning. Okert would have be in line for a save had the Twins not scored in the top of the ninth inning. "At that point in the game, Okert with the experience was probably the answer," manager Rocco Baldelli told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Jax, who has Minnesota's only save with Jhoan Duran on the injured list, was used in the eighth inning against the heart of the Brewers' lineup. Jax is still likely to be the first option and get the most save chances with Duran out, but Wednesday's game shows that Baldelli may play matchups with his bullpen regardless of the save statistic.