MLB Player News

The Shortcode="annotation" data-id="306" data-text="Tigers" data-canon="Detroit Tigers" data-type="SPORTS_OBJECT_TEAM" data-league-abbreviation="MLB" data-team-abbreviation="DET">Tigers optioned Short to Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday.

Short was one of six Tigers demoted as the organization reduced its contingent at big-league camp to 42 men. The 25-year-old shortstop is expected to handle an everyday role at Toledo in 2021.

Polanco left Tuesday's game against the Pirates with left adductor tightness and is considered day-to-day, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The adductor is a muscle by the groin/thigh area, and if the tightness turns out to be a strain, Polanco's status for Opening Day would be in doubt. For now, it sounds like a day-to-day issue. His injury opens up more playing time for Luis Arraez in the short term.

The Rays optioned Brujan to Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Brujan was among the 10 Rays sent to minor-league camp as Tampa Bay looks to narrow its active roster down to 26 ahead of Opening Day. Though he's overshadowed by organization mate Wander Franco, Brujan could be the first of the two to get the call to the big leagues thanks to his versatility. Brujan has prior experience at both middle-infield spots and third base, and he also dabbled in center field earlier in spring training.

Chavis went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's spring game against the Rays.

Chavis went deep in the second inning for his fourth Grapefruit League homer and is 8-for-29 with five extra-base hits and seven RBI over 12 spring games. Boston manager Alex Cora praised Chavis' ability to lay off pitches outside the zone, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports. If that were to continue, it'd improve his chances of claiming the final bench spot. Smith also noted that Chavis will likely make the Opening Day roster if Franchy Cordero opens the season on the injured list. Cordero began camp on the COVID-related IL and only recently began working out with the team. If he lands on the IL to start the season, Marwin Gonzalez would be the likely starter in left field.

Barreto is competing for a utility role this spring, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, and has helped his candidacy with a .353/.421/.529 slash line in 11 Cactus League contests.

Barreto is out of minor-league options, which could give the Angels extra motivation to include him on the Opening Day roster. The fourth-year pro struggled mightily last season, collecting only two hits and striking out 15 times in 27 at-bats, but has swung a hot stick this spring. However, Barreto has struck out seven times in his 17 spring at-bats, so he doesn't appear to be past the contact issues that have dogged him throughout his professional career.

Kemp (hip) will start in left field and will bat seventh in Monday's Cactus League game against Cleveland.

Kemp checks back into the starting nine for the first time since exiting last Thursday's game against the Rangers after he was hit in the hip by a pitch. He appeared as a reserve second baseman in Sunday's loss to the White Sox, and after experiencing no setbacks with his hip, Kemp will presumably play a few more innings Monday.

Arroyo went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's spring game against the Twins.

Arroyo has homered in each of his last two games and is angling for the final bench spot. He's 8-for-23 with two homers, four RBI and three runs scored in 10 Grapefruit League games. He and Michael Chavis are competing for that final roster spot, but Chavis has minor-league options remaining, which works to Arroyo's benefit.

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.