MLB Player News

Manager Terry Francona said Mathias suffered a dislocated left shoulder in Saturday's game, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.

This doesn't come as too much of a surprise for Mathias, who was carted off the field with an arm injury. No timetable has been set for his return, but it's expected that the 22-year-old will miss extended time with the injury.

Mathias was carted off the field Saturday with an injury he sustained while diving to make a catch, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.

Hoynes also noted the trainers were keeping his arm stable as they were carting him off, so it seems likely that is where he sustained the injury. The severity still isn't known, but his status will be updated when the Indians release more about his injury.

Andrus will start at shortstop and bat second in Saturday's Cactus League game, his first of the spring.

Andrus has been easing back into action this spring after undergoing sports hernia surgery during the offseason, but his long-awaited return appears to have arrived. Nonetheless, with less than a month until Opening Day, fantasy owners would be wise to monitor how he responds in his first action of the spring. Andrus is looking to build off a stellar 2016 campaign in which he posted career highs in both batting average (.302) and RBI (69).

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.