MLB Player News

The Rays selected Montes' contract from Triple-A Durham on Thursday and optioned him to Durham, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Montes had an upward mobility clause and was receiving interest from other teams, so the Rays either needed to add him to their 40-man roster or let him go. They chose the former, and he will provide infield depth at Durham.

The Astros selected Rodgers' contract from Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Rodgers will start in Thursday's season opener against the Mets, playing second base and batting eighth. Manager Joe Espada noted that Rodgers is not necessarily the starting second baseman, however, as Mauricio Dubon is also expected to see plenty of playing time at the position, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic.

The Red Sox selected Campbell's contract from Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports. He'll start at second base and bat sixth in Thursday's season opener versus the Rangers.

The top prospect didn't have a great showing during Grapefruit League play, finishing with a .576 OPS in 59 plate appearances. The Red Sox are convinced he's ready, however, and Campbell boasts five-category fantasy potential if he can hit the ground running.

The White Sox placed Rojas (toe) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Rojas is working his way back from a hairline fracture in his right big toe, an injury he sustained in mid-March. While Rojas is on the mend from the injury, the White Sox will likely turn to Lenyn Sosa and Brooks Baldwin to pick up most of the starts at second base.

Gimenez is starting at second base and batting cleanup in Thursday's opener against the Orioles.

He's an atypical cleanup hitter, but Gimenez's fantasy stock receives a boost while he's hitting behind Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero and Anthony Santander. The former Guardian slashed .252/.298/.340 with nine homers during the regular season for Cleveland in 2024.

The Royals selected Biggio's contract from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.

In addition to winning a spot on the Opening Day roster, Biggio will draw a start at first base and will bat eighth in Thursday's game against the Guardians while Vinnie Pasquantino is limited to the designated-hitter spot. Biggio will fill a reserve role once Pasquantino is fully healthy.

Julien is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game in St. Louis, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

The Cardinals are starting a righty in Sonny Gray, but the left-handed hitting Julien finds himself on the bench for the opener. The Twins are going with Willi Castro at second base, Trevor Larnach in the designated-hitter spot and Harrison Bader in left field.

The Athletics placed Gelof (wrist) on the 10-day injured list Wednesday.

Gelof underwent surgery Monday to address a fractured hamate bone in his right wrist, and while an official timeline hasn't been provided by the team, procedures of this sort typically entail a 6-to-8-week recovery, per Jason Burke of SI.com. His injury clears the way for 2021 first-round pick Max Muncy to be included on the Opening Day roster, though it's not clear if the 22-year-old will step in as Gelof's direct replacement at second base. The Athletics could also use Max Schuemann at the position.

Moore has been assigned to Double-A Rocket City to begin the season, MLB.com reports.

Moore had an opportunity early on in Angels camp to win the starting second-base job, but he struggled in Cactus League play, collecting a .616 OPS and 32.7 percent strikeout rate. The top prospect also struck out at nearly a 30 percent rate in his 23 games with Rocket City last season, so he still has work to do in the minors even while he was productive in 2024 with a .984 OPS over two levels. The Angels don't have many roadblocks at second base and are typically aggressive in promoting their prospects, so Moore still has a good chance to make an impact at the big-league level in 2025 if he can get off to a nice start at Rocket City.

Bazzana will begin the season at Double-A Akron, MLB.com reports.

The first overall selection in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, Bazzana did not receive an invitation to the major-league side of spring training with the Guardians but still saw action in seven games, going 2-for-12 with a home run and a 4:4 K:BB. Bazzana made his pro debut at High-A Lake County last season and will move up to Akron to begin the 2025 campaign. The Guardians' second-base job is wide open, and Bazzana has a chance to claim it at some point this season.