MLB Player News

General manager Erik Neander said Lowe is in the mix of outfielders competing for a spot on the Rays' Opening Day roster, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lowe's chances of making the Opening Day roster seem to have improved after Mallex Smith was traded to the Mariners on Thursday. Tommy Pham, Kevin Kiermaier (foot) and Austin Meadows are expected to open the season as starters, but Lowe will battle it out with newly acquired Guillermo Heredia for the fourth outfield spot. The 24-year-old prospect made his major-league debut in 2018, hitting .233/.324/.450 with six homers and two stolen bases across 43 games for the Rays.

Renda was outrighted to Triple-A Pawtucket on Thursday.

This move takes Renda off the club's 40-man roster, which will free up a spot for the Red Sox to protect a younger prospect from the Rule 5 draft. Renda split time between Double- and Triple-A this past season, slashing a combined .318/.373/.453 with five home runs, 27 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He did play in one game for the big-league team, making his Boston debut as a pinch runner versus the Yankees in early August. Renda will remain in the Red Sox's system as additional infield depth for the time being.

Johnson was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

Johnson was cast off the team's 40-man roster in order to free up space for prospects in need of protection from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. The 28-year-old spent most of the 2018 campaign on the farm, hitting a combined .251/.345/.409 across 66 games with Salt Lake and Double-A Mobile. Johnson also appeared in 10 games with the big club, though he went hitless with four strikeouts in 10 at-bats.

Chavis has been taking ground balls at second base and could receive some reps in left field in order to provide defensive versatility within the Red Sox's system moving forward, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

This shouldn't come as any surprise considering Chavis is basically blocked at third base by Rafael Devers in the big leagues. The top prospect spent some time at first base in the Arizona Fall League last year and should benefit from gaining more experience at different positions this winter. Unfortunately, he missed 80 games this season due to a suspension following a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, which took him out of the running for a potential big-league promotion in September.

Joseph was sent outright to Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday.

The Orioles dropped Joseph from their 40-man roster in order to free up space for prospects who need to be protected ahead of the upcoming Rule 5 draft. The 30-year-old appeared in just 14 games for the Orioles in 2018, hitting .222/.263/.278 with three RBI and a 5:1 K:BB in 19 plate appearances.

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.