MLB Player News

Gonzalez went 2-for-2 with a home run in Thursday's exhibition game against Columbia. He's hitting .571 (8-for-14) this spring. "He's done really well. He's been a pleasant surprise," the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Gonzalez would appear to be a long shot to win a big league job since he's 27 years old and has played just 17 games above Double-A. However, a strong spring could put him in position to be one of the first callups in the infield if the Twins need depth this summer.

Andrus (groin) faced live batting practice on practice fields of Rangers camp Thursday, Stefan Stevenson of the Star-Telegram reports.

Stevenson posted a video of Andrus taking hacks. It coincides with reports that the shortstop would be turning up the dial on his preseason exercises, and the speedster should return to game action this weekend. Of course, considering he's drafted mainly for stolen bases, his showing on the basepaths will go a long way to confirm the veteran's safety for mixed fantasy drafts.

Andrus (groin) is expected to increase his baseball activities and play in a spring game this weekend, Stefan Stevenson of the Star-Telegram reports.

The shortstop has only built up his work gradually this spring after November surgery to repair a sports hernia. How he responds in his first March games should go a long way to revealing how safely fantasy owners can buy him as a source of steals in mixed league drafts.

Semien went 3-for-3 with a pair of run-scoring singles, an RBI double, a run and a stolen base in Tuesday's 21-13 Cactus League win over the Diamondbacks.

Semien now has a team-high seven RBI and is slashing .333/.333/.611 over 18 at-bats. Based on early returns, the 26-year-old appears primed to build on a 2016 campaign in which he posted a career-high 27 homers and 75 RBI while boasting a personal-best .611 slugging percentage and .197 ISO.

Motter went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, two runs and a walk in Monday's 9-0 Cactus League victory over the Rangers.

Motter went deep for the first time this spring with a third-inning blast to center off A.J. Griffin. In his initial exposure to major league pitching last season with the Rays, the 27-year-old utlity man slashed just .188/.290./300 with three doubles, two homers and nine RBI. However, he barely registered a blip on the bases, a notable development considering Motter had swiped 127 bags over five-plus minor league seasons. Motter is currently battling Shawn O'Malley and Mike Freeman for a utility role, with his considerable versatility -- he played every position except catcher and center field last season -- enhancing his appeal. He'll presumably need to demonstrate improvement at the plate to ultimately prevail in the three-man race, and O'Malley (.333/.400./333 over 18 at-bats) has jumped out to an early advantage in that respect. Nevertheless, the Mariners see upside in Motter's past body of work, which includes 27 homers over 215 games at the Triple-A level. "You see it in batting practice," manager Scott Servais said of Motter's punch. "Sometimes with Taylor, it's working into good counts and getting good pitches to hit. He does have sneaky power. You look at him and don't really think it's there, but he can drive the ball."

Andrus (groin) said Sunday that he expects to make his Cactus League debut at some point during the week, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Andrus has been taking it easy in camp while recovering from November sports hernia surgery, but the Rangers don't seem to fear that the shortstop is at risk of missing the start of the season. He's steadily increased his activities since spring training opened, and after doing some more running, hitting and fielding drills in the next couple of days, he should be ready to see some game action.

Giavotella says he's completely fine after taking a line drive off his palm in Friday's Grapefruit League game, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

He stayed in the game after the incident and said it was pretty painful but "nothing I couldn't play through." Expect the veteran infielder to continue getting plenty of at-bats with the absences of Jonathan Schoop and Manny Machado, both of whom are competing in the World Baseball Classic. Giavotella is competing for a reserve infield spot on the Baltimore roster this spring.

Polanco went 2-for-3 with a double and home run in Thursday's tie with Baltimore, but also made his third error of the spring. "He's trying to find ways to get it done and stay accurate," manager Paul Molitor told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "It hasn't happened too much here early."

The Twins appear committed to beginning the season with Polanco at shortstop and there's been little talk of Eduardo Escobar challenging for the job. However, that could change if Polanco continues to struggle in the field as his glove has been the major concern about him playing shortstop instead of second base where he played at Triple-A.

Elmore, a non-roster invitee, is a legitimate contender for an Opening Day roster spot, Corey Long of MLB.com reports.

Elmore's ability to play several different positions has been attractive to the Blue Jays' coaching staff this spring. Manager John Gibbons said there's a lot of value in players like Elmore, who can sit for extended periods and be ready to fill holes in the lineup on short notice. Over his five MLB seasons, Elmore has played all nine defensive positions and logged at-bats from every spot in the order. The versatile 29-year-old has tallied 257 plate appearances over his last two campaigns with Tampa and Milwaukee, but his offensive numbers are brutal. If added to the 25-man roster, Elmore will be a defensive choice and therefore lack fantasy value -- regardless of format.

Semien went 1-for-3 with two-run home run in Tuesday's 5-4 Cactus League victory over the Indians.

The slugging shortstop took a Mike Clevinger pitch deep to right field with Jed Lowrie aboard in the first, his first homer of the spring. Despite a drop in batting average and OBP over the previous year, Semien exploded for a career-high 27 doubles, 27 homers and 75 RBI last season, which led to .435 slugging and .735 OPS figures that also represented high-water marks. His homer Tuesday served as his second hit over three spring contests, while also generating his first pair of RBI.