MLB Player News

Barreto (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

The 25-year-old was shut down for 4-to-6 weeks March 22 with right elbow inflammation, and the move to the 60-day IL will guarantee he misses the first two months of the season. Barreto was competing for a utility role in camp and likely won't return until June.

Manager Mike Matheny said Lopez would start at shortstop in the Royals' season opener Thursday against the Rangers, Josh Vernier of 610 Sports reports.

Texas is bringing a right-hander (Kyle Gibson) to the mound Opening Day, so the lefty-hitting Lopez looks on track to at least occupy the strong side of a platoon at shortstop while Adalberto Mondesi (oblique) is sidelined to begin the season. Per Vernier, Matheny said that he expects Mondesi to miss "a couple of weeks" with the injury, so Lopez could be in store for a near-everyday role until around at least mid-April. With a .228 lifetime average and three home runs and one stolen base across 159 career games, Lopez shouldn't be counted on to deliver much fantasy value even if he receives steady at-bats.

The Royals recalled Lopez from their alternate training site Wednesday.

Lopez initially appeared set to miss out on joining the Opening Day roster, but Kansas City chose to bring him back following Adalberto Mondesi's surprising placement on the 10-day injured list due to an oblique strain. The severity of Mondesi's injury isn't yet known, but Lopez could end up filling the strong side of a platoon at shortstop with Hanser Alberto for however long Mondesi is sidelined. While handling a near-everyday role for Kansas City the past two seasons, Lopez provided little fantasy value with a .228 average, three home runs, one stolen base, 59 runs and 43 RBI in 159 games.

Chavis failed to control the strike zone throughout spring training, which was a factor in the Red Sox sending him to the alternate camp, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Chavis lost out on the final roster spot to Christian Arroyo. Having minor-league options while Arroyo did not likely factored into the decision, but Red Sox manager Alex Cora spoke to Chavis chasing pitches. "We talk about a few things that he needs to do to be the complete hitter we know he can be. I think at the end, he didn't control the strike zone. He was very aggressive chasing pitches out of the zone," Cora said. Chavis had a 1.129 OPS over the first 18 spring games, but the infielder went just 2-for-17 with eight strikeouts over the final seven contests. He'll start the season at Triple-A Worcester and work on understanding the upper edge of the strike zone and driving pitches in the zone.

Mendick was optioned to the White Sox's alternate training site Tuesday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Mendick seemed to have a shot to break camp as a bench infielder, but the signing of Jake Lamb may have bumped him off the roster. He'll likely be one of the first names called up when the team needs an extra infielder, but the White Sox would have to suffer a few key injuries for him to see regular playing time.

Arroyo secured a spot Tuesday on Boston's Opening Day roster, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Arroyo won the battle for the remaining reserve infield job over Michael Chavis, who was optioned to the Red Sox's alternate site Tuesday. Marwin Gonzalez will likely be first in line to enter the starting nine should a regular infielder go down with an injury, so Arroyo doesn't appear set to earn much playing time early on during the season.

The Red Sox optioned Chavis to their alternate site Tuesday.

Chavis impressed at the plate this spring with an .892 OPS, but the fact that he had two minor-league options remaining likely worked against him in his bid for the Opening Day roster. With the likes of Enrique Hernandez, Marwin Gonzalez and Christian Arroyo all offering the ability to play multiple positions, Chavis' defensive versatility was also less valuable to Boston than it might have been to another club.

Lopez was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Sunday.

Lopez appeared to be the favorite to start at second base to begin camp, but he struggled during spring training and will begin the season at Triple-A Omaha as a result. The 26-year-old hit just .118 with one double, four RBI and 13 strikeouts in 16 Cactus League games. Whit Merrifield could now shift to second base to begin the year with Jarrod Dyson potentially starting in center field.

Manager Alex Cora confirmed Sunday that Hernandez would begin the season as the Red Sox's leadoff hitter, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Mainly a short-side platoon player for the Dodgers over the past six seasons, Hernandez will not only be on tap for an everyday role in his debut campaign in Boston, but he'll also be setting the table against both left- and right-handed pitching. The Boston lineup doesn't look like the top-to-bottom juggernaut it was earlier this season, but batting in front of Alex Verdugo, J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers should still be fertile ground for Hernandez. The 29-year-old looks like a worthy target late in drafts for fantasy managers looking for a boost in the runs category.

Lopez could lose playing time at second base due to a poor spring as Whit Merrifield has seen the most time at second base recently, MLB.com reports. Lopez is hitting just .118 (4-for-34) this spring.

Lopez hit just .201 with a .552 OPS last season, so he'll need as strong start to the season to remain a starter. It's possible he could move to a platoon or reserve role if the Royals decide to give a prospect like Kyle Isbel playing time in right field or call up top prospect Bobby Witt early in the season.