MLB Player News

Fontana (shoulder) returned from injury by playing in a Triple-A game against the Brewers on Friday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register.

Fontana had missed the majority of spring training up until this point dealing with shoulder inflammation. With the Angels restocking their infield this offseason, there was little chance the 26-year-old would have made the Opening Day roster, even as a backup. It would likely take an injury to open up a spot for the utility infielder.

The White Sox reassigned Elmore to minor-league camp Friday.

Elmore signed a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training in February and saw only nine official at-bats. The 30-year-old seems likely to start the season with Triple-A Charlotte as organizational infield depth, assuming he remains with the White Sox.

Altuve and the Astros agreed to a five-year, $151 million extension Friday, Jon Heyman of FanRagSports.com reports.

The extension will cover the years from 2020 to 2024, taking Altuve through his age-34 campaign. The 27-year-old second baseman has been one of the best players in the game for the past four seasons and should remain at that level for a long time, though his productivity on the basepaths will more than likely tail off toward the back end of the deal. The contract will keep Altuve in Houston for the next seven seasons, and while there are certainly more hitter-friendly parks out there, any negative effects on that front are outweighed by the quality of the lineup that surrounds him.

Torres was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday.

With the recent signing of Neil Walker to play second base, this isn't all too surprising. Torres, the team's top prospect, is still viewed as a vital part of the Yankees' infield moving forward, but he'll now have some more time in the minors to smooth out any kinks (he was just 4-for-25 in Grapefruit League play prior to being optioned). It's still possible he could join the big club relatively early on if the Yankees feel he's ready.

The Angels reassigned Jones to their minor-league camp Saturday.

The toolsy Jones had earned an invite to his first big-league spring training after breaking out last season with a .282/.348/.446 line, 14 home runs and 27 steals across stops at Low-A Burlington and High-A Inland Empire. Look for the 20-year-old to open the 2018 campaign at the latter destination, with a promotion to Double-A Mobile likely in store for him by midseason if he's able to pick up where he left off in 2017.

Fontana hasn't participated in any Cactus League games since Feb. 27 while dealing with right shoulder inflammation, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The Angels are hopeful that Fontana will resume throwing soon, but it may be too late for the 26-year-old to make a run at a bench role on the Opening Day roster. At this stage in camp, Luis Valbuena and Kaleb Cowart look like the frontrunners to claim reserve gigs in the infield.

Barreto went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Monday's 6-5 Cactus League loss to the Giants.

Barreto's torrid spring continues, as he's now hitting .300 with six extra-base hits (one double, two triples, three homers) and seven RBI in 34 plate appearances across 12 games. The 22-year-old is making a strong case for being ready for a regular role, but there is not currently a starting spot open in the A's infield.

Lopez was sent to minor-league camp Monday, Rustin Dodd of The Athletic Kansas City reports.

Lopez went 3-for-17 with two RBI and one walk through nine spring training games. Expect the 22-year-old shortstop to begin his season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

Torres no longer looks like the leading candidate to open the season as the Yankees' primary second baseman after the team agreed to a contract with free agent Neil Walker on Monday, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports.

Terms of Walker's deal haven't yet been publicized, but it's believed the veteran agreed to a one- or two-year contract and isn't viewed as the Yankees' long-term solution at second base. After slashing .265/.362/.439 across 448 plate appearances with the Mets and Brewers last season, Walker still rates as a serviceable bridge option at the position until the Yankees are comfortable deploying the 21-year-old Torres, the organization's top prospect, in an everyday role in the middle infield. Since Torres had the bulk of his 2017 campaign wiped out by Tommy John surgery, he could probably benefit from logging additional at-bats in the high minors before joining the big club. Expect Torres, who has gone just 3-for-23 at the dish in Grapefruit League play, to report to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre once spring camp draws to a close.

Merrifield is 14-for-28 with two home runs and six RBI through 10 spring training games.

Merrifield had a solid 2017 season, slashing .288/.324/.460 along with recording 19 home runs and 78 RBI. He's been hot at the dish through the first weeks of spring training and will look to carry that momentum into the regular season. The future looks promising for the 29-year-old second baseman, who looks to have plenty of fantasy value this year.