MLB Player News

Lowe recently revealed on a podcast appearance that he's tweaked his swing by adding a heel tap, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lowe elaborated on the adjustment to Neil Solondz of Rays Radio, explaining that he picked up the heel tap from former teammate Avisail Garcia last season. Lowe saw Garcia hit a career-high 20 home runs with that approach in 2019, which likely made a strong impression on the emerging 25-year-old. Lowe has been able to engage in batting practice regularly at home while spring training has been suspended, and he'll enter a potential 2020 season with high expectations after hitting .350 during Grapefruit League action before play was paused.

Jones is a candidate to earn big-league playing time in 2020 if the season takes place with expanded rosters, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Jones slashed .250/.250/.450 with a home run and a double across 20 Cactus League plate appearances before play was suspended. He was optioned to Triple-A in March and was expected to open the season there. However, with the minor-league season in limbo and a potential major-league campaign likely to include expanded rosters and a 20-man taxi squad, Jones could feasibly find his way to the Angels at some point during the campaign.

Rengifo may make the big-league club if the 2020 season takes place with expanded rosters, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Prior to the suspension of play, Rengifo was expected to open the season in the minor leagues. That could change with expanded rosters, particularly given his ability to fill in at multiple infield spots and be used as a pinch runner. Though Rengifo succeeded in only two of seven stolen base attempts last season, he displayed more encouraging baserunning skills with 41 thefts in 57 tries as a minor leaguer in 2018.

Semien, who is due to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason, may find it difficult to maximize his earnings with the Athletics or another team due to the depressed financial climate expected from an abbreviated or canceled 2020 campaign, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Semien is already guaranteed to receive a full year of service time for 2020 under any circumstance as part of an agreement reached between MLB and MLBPA in late March. However, his original $13 million salary for the delayed regular season will be significantly depleted due to the reduction in games expected, and Semien's ability to begin making up for lost income with his next contract could also be compromised. Slusser reports the veteran shortstop is already a longshot to re-sign with the Athletics on a multi-year deal due to the organization's goal of retaining at least one of Matt Chapman and Matt Olson, but she adds that they could even struggle to extend him a qualifying offer that is still likely to be in the $18 million range due to financial hardship.

Espinal and fellow Blue Jays minor leaguer Forrest Wall have been staying in Florida with Bo Bichette during the shutdown, Gregor Chisholm of The Toronto Star reports.

Bichette's father, four-time All-Star Dante Bichette, has a gym and batting cages near his home, giving Espinal all the facilities he needs to stay in shape. The 25-year-old had already been optioned to Triple-A Buffalo when spring training was put on pause, but his impressive Grapefruit League showing (.417/.462/1.000 and seven extra-base hits in 26 plate appearances) and strong defense mark him as the most likely internal replacement at shortstop should anything sideline Bichette during the regular season, and Espinal could still find a spot on an expanded big-league roster.

Lowe is getting regular batting practice in at home while spring training remains suspended with the help of his wife Madison, a former college softball player, Karen Loftus of WFLA-TV reports. "I thank God every day to have someone that understands everything that I'm going through on a daily basis and to have someone that I can confide in and stuff like that," Lowe said. "She can actually have a good conversation about what she sees when she's in the stance or I can come up to her and say can you give me some front toss or can we go outside and throw?"

Madison Lowe was a pitcher at Maryland, where Brandon played college baseball. In addition to getting in his swings, the versatile 25-year-old is working out in a personal garage gym that he recently showed off via his personal Twitter account. Lowe, who hit an impressive .350 (7-for-20) before Grapefruit League play was suspended, is expected to primarily handle second-base duties whenever the regular season does get underway.

Torres assessed his performance in Grapefruit League play as "not really good," Pete Caldera of NorthJersey.com reports.

Torres had a mildly disappointing spring at the plate -- he hit .200/.241/.360 with a home run and six RBI in 29 plate appearances -- but defense was his primary struggle as he committed five errors in 23 total chances. Per Caldera, Torres has kept in touch with ex-teammate Didi Gregorious, taking tips from the team's starting shortstop last season in an attempt to solidify his own mechanics on the field. Torres remains locked in as the Yankees' everyday shortstop, and the team will no doubt practice patience with his defensive development as long as he continues to produce offensively.

Semien will be credited with a full year of service time even if the 2020 season is canceled outright, keeping him on track to become a free agent next offseason, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Semien's impending free-agent status, along with that of teammates such as Liam Hendriks, Mike Fiers and Yusmeiro Petit, was secured as part of a multi-faceted agreement reached last Thursday between MLB and the MLBPA. There's still a stronger likelihood the 2020 regular season is played in some form as opposed to being canceled outright, but this provision gives Semien some peace of mind. If there's ultimately no 2020 campaign, the veteran shortstop will potentially head into the open market on the strength of a career-best 2019 season that saw him slash .285/.369/.522 with 83 extra-base hits (43 doubles, seven triples, 33 home runs) and 92 RBI across 747 plate appearances while appearing in all 162 games.

Kemp, who hit .345 (10-for-29) over 10 Cactus League games before spring training was suspended, appears to have secured a platoon role at second base alongside Franklin Barreto to open the 2020 season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Kemp entered camp with good odds of securing that exact role, and his performance in Cactus League action served to definitively strengthen his job prospects. The 28-year-old forged a versatile stat line during exhibition play, recording a double, a home run, two RBI, four walks, a stolen base and seven runs. The left-handed hitting Kemp is slated to see time versus right-handed pitching, against which he slugged seven of his eight home runs last season and 13 of his 14 overall in the last three campaigns.

The Red Sox may have the roster flexibility to carry Arauz, a Rule 5 draft pick, if MLB expands rosters from 26 to 29 players for the first month of an abbreviated season, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

As a Rule 5 pick, Arauz must remain on Boston's active roster all season (barring an IL stint) or be offered back to the Astros. Under normal circumstances, it's unclear that Arauz would claim one of the 26 spots to start the regular season. But a shortened season -- where teams can carry 29 players for the first month and expanded 28-man rosters for the final month -- makes it easier for the Red Sox to keep the 21-year-old Arauz. His glove is major-league ready, but Arauz still needs to develop as a hitter.