MLB Player News

Polanco went 2-for-3 in Sunday's spring training win over Boston. He's hitting .333 (6-for-18) this spring with five walks and one strikeout.

Polanco has moved to second base after the Twins signed Andrelton Simmons. Polanco has had some ups and downs at second base, but he should improve as he adjusts to the new position, which he played frequently in the minors. Polanco is showing his bat could bounce back from last year's subpar performance (.258 with a .658 OPS) simply from improved health. Polanco underwent surgery in October to remove a bone spur and a small bone chip from his right ankle, which bothered him last year.

Altuve is one of the candidates to bat leadoff for the Astros in 2021, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Manager Dusty Baker said batting the 30-year-old leadoff is something he'd "consider," and he previously named Carlos Correa and Myles Straw as candidates to hit atop the order. George Springer dominated that spot in the order over the past number of years, and his departure during the offseason leaves a hole in the lineup for the Astros. Altuve operated as Houston's primary leadoff man during 2014 and 2015, but he hasn't seen regular action in that spot since 2016. He's also looking for a rebound campaign after struggling with a .219/.286/.344 slash line and career-high 18.6 percent strikeout rate in 2020.

Arraez started in left field and went 0-for-3 in Saturday's spring training win over Tampa Bay. It was the first time he's played in the outfield this spring. Arraez is hitting .222 (4-for-18) with three walks this spring.

Arraez will move to a utility role this season with the Twins signing Andrelton Simmons to play shortstop and moving Jorge Polanco to second base. Early in camp manager Rocco Baldelli said Arraez would focus on second base and third base, but Saturday's start shows he could factor into the left field mix early in the season if Alex Kirilloff begins the season in the minors. Despite the slow start at the plate, the more important development is Arraez looks healthy after knee and ankle issues limited him to 32 games last season.

Short (COVID-19 protocols) returned to camp Saturday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Short was away from the team for several days due to COVID-19 protocols, although the 25-year-old didn't violate any rules. Manager A.J. Hinch said that Short is scheduled to play in the late innings during Sunday's spring game against the Orioles. Assuming all goes well, Short should be available for the Tigers going forward.

Kemp (hip) won't play in Friday's spring game against the Padres, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Kemp left Thursday's spring game against Texas in the bottom of the second inning after he was hit by the first pitch of the contest. Manager Bob Melvin said that Kemp's hip tightened up after being hit by the pitch, but there's still hope that he'll be able to get back in the lineup Saturday.

Kemp was removed in the second inning of Thursday's Cactus League game against the Rangers after being hit in the back by a pitch in his lone at-bat, Jacob Rudner of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Kemp was able to take his base after being hit by the pitch and proceeded to play left field in the bottom half of the first inning before leaving in the bottom of the second. The Athletics may have just removed him for precautionary reasons, but Kemp will need to be viewed as day-to-day for the time being.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Chavis won't be considered an option in the outfield "for now," Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

With Franchy Cordero's status for Opening Day in question due to his delayed start to camp while waiting to clear the COVID-19 protocols, the Red Sox could have an opening in left field to begin the season. Chavis apparently won't warrant any consideration to replace him, with Cora instead naming Marwin Gonzalez as the top candidate to fill in for Cordero if needed. While Chavis still would offer the ability to play three infield spots, his chances of winning a utility role with Boston don't appear to be high with Gonzalez, Enrique Hernandez, Danny Santana and Christian Arroyo all offering similar or better defensive versatility. In addition, Chavis has minor-league options remaining, which also figures to work against him in his bid for an Opening Day roster spot.

Gimenez may be emerging as the favorite for Cleveland's starting shortstop job, as Amed Rosario is expected to begin working out at other positions, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Gimenez and Rosario looked set to battle for playing time with the Mets, and that battle continues in Cleveland after both came over in the Francisco Lindor trade. The way Rosario is being used suggests the team views Gimenez as the better option at shortstop, but he's not exactly a proven MLB talent, so winning the job on Opening Day doesn't guarantee he'll keep it all year. Gimenez looked decent enough in his 49-game debut last season after skipping Triple-A, hitting .263/.333/.398 with three homers and eight steals.

Rosario will start taking flyballs in center field within the next week, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Rosario has been almost exclusively a shortstop over his four big-league seasons, with the only exception being a three-inning stint in left field in 2019. He hasn't graded out as a particularly strong defender despite the fact that defense was considered one of his carrying tools as a prospect. His bat would seem to fit best in a utility role, as he's a career .268/.302/.403 hitter. The fact that the team is looking to improve Rosario's versatility may suggest that Andres Gimenez has moved ahead of him on the shortstop depth chart.

Altuve went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's spring game against the Marlins and is batting .143 in Grapefruit League play.

Altuve has been working hard to put his disappointing 2020 season behind him. Per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle, he stayed in Wednesday's game to get an extra at-bat and launched a 99.4 mph flyout to center field. "I've been feeling good," Altuve said. "It was particular today that I wanted that extra at-bat because I was feeling good. I actually hit the ball hard in the last one. I'm just trying to do everything I can to get ready every day." The results have not been there for Altuve, but like most hitters, he preaches process over results.