MLB Player News

Julien worked in the offseason to limit his front shoulder from flying open during swings against lefties, the Bobby Nightingale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "I changed a couple of things in my swing to adjust to the slider and be able to hit the fastball against lefties," he said earlier this week. He's 6-for-10 with a walk in four games this spring and 2-for-5 against left-handed pitching. He went 2-for-3 with a home run in Friday's Grapefruit League win over Boston.

Julien had an outstanding rookie season with a .381 OBP and drew walks at a near league-leading 15.7 percent clip. However, he hit just .195 with a .447 OPS against left-handed pitching. Julien will become the primary starter at second base after the trade of Jorge Polanco but will likely be platooned with Kyle Farmer. If Julien can show improvement against left-handed pitching, he could take over everyday duties.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Friday that Norby (side) is 3-to-4 days away from his Grapefruit League debut, Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun reports.

Norby had previously expressed optimism that he would be ready for game action this weekend, but he's not quite ready for that yet. The 23-year-old could still have time to get ramped up for Opening Day, but he's expected to begin the season back at Triple-A Norfolk.

Urias (shoulder) will do some throwing in infield drills Friday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

He will still be somewhat limited, but it's a step forward as he works his way back from right shoulder inflammation. Urias is still serving as a designated hitter in Cactus League games -- he went 1-for-2 with a triple and a run against the White Sox in that capacity Thursday -- but he will probably require an injured list stint if he's not able to play the field by Opening Day.

The Yankees claimed Jones off waivers from the Brewers on Wednesday.

The Yanks deem Jones a better fit for their roster than Jordan Groshans, who was designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Jones has a career .460 OPS in 90 plate appearances across parts of three major-league seasons.

Wong agreed to a minor-league contract with the Orioles on Wednesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Danielle Allentuck of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

The Orioles are already flush with infield depth, but Wong will do his best to convince them he's worthy of a spot on their Opening Day roster. Wong posted an ugly .183/.256/.263 batting line in 87 games between the Mariners and Dodgers last season but did have an .853 OPS at the latter stop.

Rengifo (hamstring) will do some hitting and defensive drills Wednesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Rengifo is ready to ease back into workouts after dealing with some left hamstring tightness. He will need to go through some other baseball activities -- most notably running -- before being cleared for game action, but the super utility player looks to be trending in a positive direction.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said recently that hitting coach Chad Mottola has been working with Caballero on pulling the ball in the air, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old had a recent batting practice that featured a handful of wind-aided homers, with Cash saying afterward of the approach that Caballero is "letting it loose" and "seems to be taking to that." Caballero hit just four home runs in 104 games last season with the Mariners and has never gone deep more than nine times in any professional season. However, the Rays have been able to squeeze the most out of players with limited power before with a pull-heavy approach, most recently with Isaac Paredes. Caballero -- who is expected to be Tampa Bay's Opening Day shortstop -- could boost his draft stock if he shows a power uptick this spring.

Stefanic (quadricep) was cleared to resume baseball activities Wednesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Stefanic had been resting for the previous three days after he suffered a left quad strain in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Dodgers. Given the brevity of his shutdown period, Stefanic likely won't require too much time to get ramped back up, so he could rejoin the spring lineup within the next few days.

Biggio (shoulder) has been hitting off a pitching machine regularly, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

It's not clear when Biggio might be cleared for Grapefruit League action, but the Blue Jays don't seem overly worried about his status at the moment. He's working his way back from tendinitis in his left shoulder.

Urias (shoulder) could require a stint on the injured list to begin the season, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports.

Urias is currently limited to light tossing from about 70 feet as he works his way back from right shoulder inflammation, suggesting that he's probably not close to being cleared to play third base in a game. Divish also writes that Urias showed up to camp "in less-than-stellar shape" following a poor showing in the Mexican Pacific Winter League. The plan has been to platoon Urias and Josh Rojas at third base, but if Urias isn't ready, Dylan Moore and/or Sam Haggerty could be used some at the hot corner. Seattle also recently signed Brian Anderson as a non-roster invitee, a move that may or may not have been directly related to Urias' situation.