MLB Player News

The Blue Jays declined Solarte's 2019 club option Wednesday.

Solarte doesn't have six full years of major-league service time yet, so he'll remain on Toronto's 40-man roster as an arbitration-eligible player. The Blue Jays will now have until Nov. 30 to either tender Solarte a contract, trade him, or cut him loose. The 31-year-old hit just .226/.277/.378 with 17 homers in 122 games in 2018.

Andrus will not exercise the opt-out clause in his contract with the Rangers this offseason, Jon Heyman of FancredSports.com reports.

The shortstop has until Wednesday to inform the Rangers of his decision, but this seems like a no-brainer. Andrus is coming off a down year and has $58 million remaining on his contract. He missed more than two months after suffering a right elbow fracture in April, and the power simply never returned.

Altuve's knee injury which caused him trouble throughout the season was an avulsion fracture, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

An avulsion fracture occurs when a small piece of bone attached to a ligament or tendon gets pulled away from the rest of the bone. He had surgery to fix the problem Friday and is expected to be fully recovered by the start of spring training. The second baseman's numbers took a step back across the board following his MVP campaign in 2017, with his slash line falling from .346/.410/.547 to a still excellent .315/.385/.449. His homers dropped from 24 to 13, while he stole 17 bases after swiping 32 bags the season before. Given the severity of his knee injury, however, the dip appears to be very understandable, and there's reason to believe he'll bounce back next season.

Altuve had surgery on his right knee Friday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Altuve dealt with lingering knee issues throughout the season, so the procedure was likely just a simple cleanup. More news on a timetable for his recovery figures to surface in the coming days, but he should be ready to go for spring training.

Altuve is starting at DH and hitting second in Game 3 of the ALCS against the Red Sox on Tuesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Altuve will get the night off from fielding as the Astros look to rest his bothersome knee, which he tweaked during the ALDS against the Indians earlier in the month.

Petit was outrighted to Triple-A Rochester on Thursday.

Petit slashed .246/.313/.279 over 61 at-bats with the Twins this season after signing a minor-league deal last December. The 33-year-old is able to elect free agency and will likely pursue another minor-league deal for next season.

Altuve injured his right knee but remained in Saturday's game against the Indians, Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Altuve stumbled out of the batter's box on a grounder and beat out an errant throw. He limped noticeably, prompting a visit from manager A.J. Hinch and a trainer, but Altuve said the pain was already subsiding. That all said, it's worth noting that issues with the right knee cut into Altuve's production for a good chunk of the season.

Barreto went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in a loss to the Angels on Sunday.

Manager Bob Melvin pulled multiple regulars early in anticipation of Wednesday's wild-card game against the Yankees, and Barreto was one of the beneficiaries of such a strategy. The 22-year-old saw sparse action during his September stay with the Athletics, and the home run was his first at the big-league level since Aug. 1. While Barreto's .233 average this season was nothing to write home about, he enjoyed more success against major-league arms than his initial cup of coffee in 2017 (.197/.250/.352).

Merrifield went 1-for-4 with a stolen base Sunday against the Indians.

Merrifield wasn't particularly productive at the plate in the regular-season finale, but he managed to record his 45th stolen base. He was extremely aggressive on the basepaths to close the season, stealing 10 bags in his last 10 starts. Though he's not much of a power producer, he hit for a good average (.304) and scored plenty of runs (88), while supporting his 2017 breakout and making his case to be considered a top-50 fantasy player, at least in rotisserie leagues, entering 2019.

Solarte is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.

Solarte will hit the bench for the second straight game and third time in the last four games as he is 5-for-35 in September. The Blue Jays continue to prioritize giving starts to their younger assets, with Aledmys Diaz at third base and Richard Urena at shortstop. Solarte has a .226/.277/.378 slash line and 17 home runs in a disappointing 2018 season.