MLB Player News

Castro figures to work in a utility role for the Tigers this year and his versatility could be particularly helpful during the condensed season, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Before play was suspended, Castro was already looking at a utility role, but Stavenhagen notes that such a role could be especially valuable in a year that could feature some unique lineups as teams cram in 60 games. Castro posted a solid .291/.305/.384 slash line in 2019, and if he can parlay his success into more playing time, he could be a sneaky fantasy contributor in 2020.

The Blue Jays placed Drury on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to an unspecified issue.

Drury was one of four Blue Jays placed on the IL, with no explanation given for any of the transactions. The move is retroactive to June 30, so if deemed healthy, Drury would be eligible to return from the IL before the Blue Jays begin their season July 23 or 24. Drury is expected to serve as a utility man for Toronto in 2020 after batting .218 with 15 home runs and 41 RBI over 447 plate appearances last season.

Rojas will likely make the active roster when the 2020 season begins in late July, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Rosters will be expanded to 30 players early on, which creates space for a few players that were competing for the final available roster spots. Players such as Rojas, Jon Jay and Ildemaro Vargas can be carried for the first two weeks before rosters are cut to 28 for the subsequent two weeks. Rojas' ability to play outfield and infield should give him a leg up when the rosters are eventually dropped to 26.

Forsythe will be part of the Phillies' 60-man roster.

Forsythe saw his 2019 campaign with the Rangers cut a bit short due to a rib injury, but he received a camp invite to Philly and went 8-for-23 with three homers this spring before the shutdown. While he isn't on the 40-man roster yet, Forsythe still put himself in position to break camp and provide the Phillies with infield depth at all positions. Should he prove able to outduel the likes of Neil Walker and Josh Harrison for a final roster spot, he'd also give the team another solid right-handed bat, as he owns a career .761 OPS against southpaws. Rosters expanding to 30 players will give him a better shot to carve out a role.

The Pirates announced Sunday that Bae will be included as one of 19 players on the team's taxi squad for the 2020 season, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Bae is one of several top prospects from the organization that will report to the Pirates' alternative training site at their Double-A facility in Altoona when teams resume workouts in July. While Bae's inclusion on the taxi squad and the Pirates' 60-man roster pool will make him eligible to join the big club in 2020, Pittsburgh is presumably more interested in overseeing his development in a team setting rather than rushing him to the majors. He spent the 2019 campaign at Low-A Greensboro, posting an .825 OPS and 31 stolen bases across 380 plate appearances.

Mayfield was added to the Astros' 60-man player pool Sunday.

Mayfield can play second base and shortstop, but the Astros are entrenched in the middle with Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa. Additionally, Aldemys Diaz is a multi-positional infielder who is the primary backup in the middle. Mayfield made his MLB debut in 2019 and looked overmatched at the plate, batting .156/.169/.328 over 65 plate appearances.

Wall will be a part of the Blue Jays' 60-man roster.

Wall advanced to Triple-A in 2019 and was able to work as a non-roster invitee this spring before play was suspended. The 24-year-old went 7-for-23 with five runs, three RBI and three stolen bases during spring training, and he could compete for a reserve role with the major-league club while he's with the 60-man player pool.

Solarte will be a part of the Braves' 60-man roster, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Solarte reached an agreement to play in Japan over the second half of 2019, but he signed a minor-league contract with the Braves in January as a non-roster invitee. He hit .182/.240/.227 with a double and two RBI this spring before play was suspended. Given his lackluster results in recent seasons, it's unlikely that he'll see significant major-league playing time during the abbreviated 2020 campaign.

Haggerty is part of the Mariners' 60-man player pool that will report to the team's summer camp, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The utility asset dealt with a bout of elbow soreness before spring training was suspended, a condition that should certainly be behind him at this point. Haggerty had acquitted himself well by hitting .357 (5-for-14) over eight Cactus League games, and it remains to be seen if the expanded 30-man roster in place for the first two weeks of the season will help afford him a big-league opportunity to start the 2020 campaign.

Tomlinson was released by the Rockies on Monday, Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors reports.

He signed a minor-league deal with Colorado over the offseason and it's not surprising that the two sides parted ways after Tomlinson was excluded from the 60-man roster. It's possible Tomlinson could catch on elsewhere, as most teams have not announced a full 60-man roster just yet.