MLB Player News

Torres is starting at second base and hitting seventh Saturday against the Red Sox, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

Aaron Hicks is the odd man out Saturday, with Aaron Judge starting in center field. The Yankees have nine everyday-caliber players for eight spots, so when they are at full health, Torres, who sat on Opening Day, will sit more often than his fantasy managers may have anticipated. The Yankees seem intent on getting Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the lineup at shortstop for his defense.

Arroyo pinch hit for Jackie Bradley and stayed in the game to play right field in Friday's 6-5 extra-innings loss to the Yankees.

After striking out as a pinch hitter, Arroyo remained in the game to patrol right field for the Red Sox. It marked the first time the utility infielder played the outfield in a regular-season game. The right-handed hitting Arroyo was exposed to right field during spring training and could start in place of Bradley when the Red Sox face a left-hander.

Altuve went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in a 13-6 victory over the Angels on Friday.

Altuve set the tone with a leadoff home run and later knocked in the go-ahead run in the fifth inning. It's encouraging to see the former MVP on track following a lackluster Opening Day performance as he looks to surpass his 31 home runs from 2021, a mark that tied his career high.

Arraez will sit against lefty Robbie Ray and the Mariners on Friday.

Arraez has a career .662 OPS against southpaws compared to an .814 OPS against right-handers. His exact role this season remains to be seen, but it's likely he sits frequently against lefties while starting around the diamond against righties. Gio Urshela will start at third base, Arraez's primary position last year, on this occasion.

Altuve went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Thursday's win over the Angels.

Altuve delivered a largely unremarkable Opening Day line, as he struck out three times. However, he made the most of his lone time on base by recording his first steal of the season. This is notable given the decline in Altuve's stolen base attempts in recent seasons, coupled with his claim that he planned to run more in 2022. While Opening Day performances aren't always a sign of things to come, it certainly seems possible that Altuve will reach double-digit stolen bases this season for the first time since 2018.

Torres isn't in the starting lineup for Friday's Opening Day matchup against the Red Sox.

It's not a major surprise, but the 25-year-old is nonetheless the odd man out in the Yankees infield after a significant reshuffling during the offseason. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will start at shortstop with DJ LeMahieu at second base and Josh Donaldson at the hot corner, leaving Torres to come off the bench against right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. It remains to be seen exactly how much playing time Torres will receive after posting a .697 OPS last year, but for now he'll be starting the 2022 campaign on the bench.

Edwards has been diagnosed with a shoulder impingement, but the Rays hope he can return to the field by late April, Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline reports.

Edwards suffered the injury in early March, which kept him out of game action for all of spring training. His absence will now extend into the minor-league regular season, though the team plans for him to return to the lineup with Triple-A Durham in the next few weeks. Edwards is a strong prospect based on an above-average hit tool and excellent speed, but he is blocked by the likes of Wander Franco and Brandon Lowe at the big-league level.

Merrifield and the Royals agreed to a restructured contract Wednesday, which includes the team exercising his $6.75 million club option for 2023 while adding an $18 million mutual option for 2024, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Merrifield hasn't missed a game of the past three seasons and is now officially locked in with Kansas City through the 2023 campaign. The 33-year-old had a .277/.317/.395 slash line with 10 home runs, 97 runs, 74 RBI and 40 stolen bases last year and is poised to operate as the Royals' primary right fielder in 2022.

Andrus, who underwent a pair of surgeries for a fractured fibula this offseason, finished Cactus League play with a .281 average (9-for-32), two doubles, a triple, a home run and four RBI.

The veteran shortstop was able to get a good tune-up in for the regular season and build confidence in his surgically repaired leg in the process. Andrus is particularly trending in the right direction at the plate as Opening Day approaches, as he finished Cactus League play with a four-game hitting streak after a slow start.

Acuna is expected to open 2022 at High-A Hickory, according to Baseball America.

He got off to a terrible start last season, so his final batting line (.266/.345/.404) at Low-A doesn't jump off the page. That said, Acuna was only 19, and he ended up hitting 12 homers and swiping 44 bases, with his 10.4 percent walk rate offering some promise as well. He'll likely never develop the power that his brother, Ronald, has shown off in the majors, but Luisangel is flashing plenty of promise in his own right. It's not unreasonable to think that a big 2022 could get him on the radar for a promotion sometime in 2023.