MLB Player News

Rodriguez has been shut down at the Dominican Winter League due to a shoulder issue, Emily Waldon of The Athletic reports.

The severity of the injury is not yet clear. Rodriguez projected to enter the season as a utility man. Dawel Lugo and Brandon Dixon could benefit should he wind up not being ready to go by Opening Day.

Lopez was invited to the Royals' major-league camp Tuesday.

Lopez is at best a long shot to break camp with the Royals, but the invitation indicates that the team likes Lopez and wants to give him a chance to work with the big-league coaching staff. He reached Triple-A for the first time in the middle of last season, posting a 109 wRC+ in 57 games for Omaha with an impressive 27:29 BB:K. With a little more seasoning in the minors, he could be knocking on the door sometime this summer.

The Athletics have discussed Barreto more as an outfield option than a middle-infield piece in recent weeks, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "We still have really high expectations for Franklin," general manager David Forst said Friday. "The one difference is we'll probably move him around a bit more than we have in the past...I think you'll see him take on more of a utility role. He's going to be a valuable guy for us, his bat is going to play. We'll try to get him a little bit everywhere starting in spring training."

The Athletics' decision to trade for Jurickson Profar adds fuel to the notion that Barreto wasn't being viewed as a viable candidate to replace free agent Jed Lowrie at second base, at least not to open 2019. The top prize in the 2014 trade that sent Josh Donaldson to Toronto, Barreto's prospect sheen has worn off a bit after he slashed just .215/.252/.424 while striking out in 41.1 percent of his 151 career plate appearances in the big leagues. Still just 22, Barreto has plenty of time to improve his long-term outlook, but the lack of a clear path to consistent playing time during the upcoming campaign puts a damper on his fantasy utility in redraft formats.

Fontana signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Wednesday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Fontana spent most of the 2018 campaign with Triple-A Salt Lake, hitting .234/.397/.414 in 45 games. He also saw some brief action with the Angels, though he hit just .091/.167/.364 in 12 plate appearances. Fontana figures to serve as organizational infield depth for the Rangers.

Renda signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox on Friday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Renda was designated for assignment at the start of November but will remain in the Red Sox organization for now. The 27-year-old slashed .318/.373/.453 between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket, and will continue to provide organizational depth at second base as Dustin Pedroia continues his recovery from his knee issues.

Altuve (knee) feels good and expects to be completely healthy for the start of spring training, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Altuve underwent surgery on his knee early in the offseason, but he's had no issue with his recovery thus far. "He's doing very well. All reports are that he feels good and our doctors say he's progressing well. No problems at all. He's going to be 100 percent for spring training," stated Houston's general manager Jeff Luhnow. Expect Altuve to be good to go come February.

Bostick agreed to a minor-league contract with Baltimore on Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Bostick will provide additional depth in the corner-outfield and middle-infield spots within the Orioles' system. He spent most of the 2018 season at the Triple-A level, hitting .295/.354/.414 with four home runs and 38 RBI. After being designated for assignment by Pittsburgh in early August, the 25-year-old latched on with Miami and finished the season playing in 15 major-league games. Though a path to playing time isn't exactly blocked in Baltimore, it seems likely that he'll be back at Triple-A next year.

Rengifo was promoted to the 40-man roster by the Angels on Tuesday.

Rengifo received Rule 5 draft protection along with Jose Suarez and Luis Madero. Rengifo made it to Triple-A Salt Lake in 2018, slashing .272/.358/.421 with three homers, 27 RBI and six stolen bases across 46 games with the Bees.

Chavis had his contract selected from Triple-A Pawtucket on Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

As expected, Chavis was added to the Red Sox's 40-man roster in order to protect the top prospect from the Rule 5 draft. The 23-year-old appeared in just 46 games between Pawtucket and Double-A Portland in 2018 thanks to a suspension, but he held his own at both stops, hitting a combined .298/.381/.538 with nine homers. He'll likely head back to Triple-A to start the 2019 season, though he should be in line for a promotion if he continues to impress on the farm.

Altuve (knee) is walking with a hinged brace on his knee under his own power, without any help from crutches, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

That minimal progress from Altuve is good, though he hasn't begun the more substantive part of his rehab yet. He's still optimistic that he'll be ready for spring training.