MLB Player News

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay told reporters that Noda has been told he's made the Opening Day roster, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Noda was a Rule 5 draft selection by the Athletics from the Dodgers, and the Athletics have seen enough to carry him on their roster to begin the year. While he's hit just .167, Noda has drawn 11 walks over his 64 plate appearances, and four of his eight hits have gone for extra bases. Noda has potential to be an intriguing long-term play, but it's hard to see a path to relevancy in the 2023 season.

The Orioles reassigned Lester to minor-league camp Monday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Though he ultimately fell short in his bid for a reserve role on the Orioles' Opening Day roster, Lester stuck around in big-league camp longer than many anticipated heading into spring training. The 28-year-old Lester, who was able to make his MLB debut late in the 2022 season with Detroit after slugging 29 home runs for Triple-A Toledo, slashed .291/.339/.455 with five extra-base hits over his 23 Grapefruit League games this spring. Lester will likely settle into a near-everyday role at Triple-A Norfolk, seeing action at both corner-infield and corner-outfield spots.

The Orioles reassigned O'Hearn to minor-league camp Monday, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

O'Hearn hit well this spring when healthy, but he missed time with a knee injury and wasn't able to convince the O's he was worthy of a roster spot. He'll represent veteran depth at Norfolk.

Arias (hand) is listed as an available reserve option for Monday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Arias hasn't played in any games since Friday after suffering a right hand contusion, but he looks like he could get the chance to see action in the Guardians' penultimate contest of the spring. Even if the Guardians stay away from him Monday, Arias should be able to play in Tuesday's spring finale versus the Diamondbacks, putting him on track to head into Opening Day at full strength. He's expected to serve as a utility man for Cleveland and likely won't be in line for steady at-bats so long as all of the Guardians' core infielders are healthy.

Vaughn (back) is starting at first base and batting second Monday versus the Cubs.

Vaughn will be back in the lineup after dealing with back tightness for over a week. The 24-year-old is now all set for Thursday's Opening Day contest versus the Astros, barring any sort of setback.

Raley has made the Rays' Opening Day roster, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Raley has popped five home runs this spring and is out of options, so his spot on the Opening Day roster had seemed pretty secure. The 28-year-old might wind up playing a decent amount against righties as the Rays do their usual mixing and matching and his pop warrants attention in single-league formats and some deep mixed leagues.

The Rays optioned Aranda to Triple-A Durham on Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

With Opening Day right around the corner Thursday, Aranda is one of the final major-league roster cut-downs for the Rays this spring. The 24-year-old batted .192 with one homer, five RBI and two runs scored over 26 at-bats during spring training, failing to impress enough to crack the big-league roster. Considering his positional flexibility and his prior experience in the MLB from last season, Aranda seems like a top candidate to earn a call-up early this year.

The Red Sox optioned Dalbec to Triple-A Worcester on Monday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Dalbec's demotion likely confirms that Yu Chang has secured the final bench spot on the Red Sox's Opening Day roster as a utility infielder. Though he's long intrigued with his power potential, Dalbec's high strikeout rates and career-long struggles against right-handed pitching make it difficult to envision the 27-year-old serving as anything more than a short-side platoon man over the long haul.

Raley is likely to earn a roster spot out of spring training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Raley reworked his swing by lessening his leg kick, and he appears to have parlayed that into strong results this spring. Across 45 plate appearances in the Grapefruit League, he's delivered a .326/.396/.721 line. While that won't be replicable during the regular season, it is likely to be enough to earn him a bench spot on the roster -- and the fact that he's out of minor-league options also helps. Raley could back up Yandy Diaz at first base in addition to seeing action in the outfield.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora met with Casas on Sunday and informed the first baseman that he's made the Opening Day roster, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Heading into spring training, Casas was always viewed as a likely candidate to break camp with the big club, and a strong Grapefruit League solidified his standing with the big club. The 23-year-old enters Sunday's game against the Twins with a .360/.400/.640 slash line and three homers over 50 plate appearances in 17 games. Casas will have some growing pains in his first full season with the Red Sox, but the left-handed hitting first baseman offers significant offensive upside for 2023 and beyond.