MLB Player News

Drury will start at third base and bat leadoff in Thursday's game against the Tigers.

After slashing .315/.373/.574 in spring training, Drury will be rewarded for his performance with a spot atop the lineup to begin the season. The assignment won't come with much job security, however, so Drury may need to get off to a hot start in order to avoid dropping down in the lineup. While the leadoff duties should provide a temporary boost to Drury's fantasy stock, his season-long outlook is still somewhat hazy given the expectation that top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (oblique) will eventually settle in as the Jays' everyday third baseman.

Albies, who is hitting sixth Thursday against the Phillies, will lead off against lefties this season, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Albies hit .335/.357/.548 against southpaws last year, so it was already assumed he'd bat somewhere high in the order against lefties this year. Ender Inciarte will lead off against righties.

Polanco (arm) will start at shortstop and bat second Thursday in the Twins' season opener against the Indians, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Polanco dealt with arm fatigue in the latter stages of camp but will get the green light to enter the Opening Day lineup after experiencing no setbacks coming out of a minor-league game Tuesday. It's possible the Twins may give him an extra off-day or two early in the season for precautionary reasons, but the 25-year-old should still be expected to handle the overwhelming majority of starts at shortstop.

The Rangers selected Forsythe's contract Thursday and will include him on the Opening Day roster.

Forsythe was one of three non-roster invitees to break camp with the Rangers, joining reliever Jeanmar Gomez and outfielder Hunter Pence. The 32-year-old is projected to serve as a utility infielder for Texas this season.

Torres will start at shortstop and hit eighth Thursday in the Yankees' season opener against the Orioles.

The low placement in the batting order isn't ideal for Torres, but in a New York lineup packed with talent from top to bottom, it certainly won't be a death blow to the youngster's fantasy value. While occupying a spot in the bottom half of the order for most of his rookie season, Torres still managed 77 RBI and 54 runs in 123 games.

Hoerner will open the year at Double-A Tennessee, Evan Altman of CubsInsider.com reports.

Hoerner, the Cubs' top prospect, was the rare player who played in the Arizona Fall League the same year he was drafted (2018) and the Cubs will continue to give him aggressive assignments. He is not a great defender, but is a very advanced hitter and appears to be on a fast track to the majors.

Lowe will serve as the Rays' designated hitter and bat out of the cleanup spot in Thursday's Opening Day game against the Astros, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lowe's role was somewhat uncertain heading into the spring, but the Rays' decision to sign him to a six-year, $24 million contract indicates the team plans to deploy the versatile 24-year-old in at least a pseudo-everyday role this season. Though he'll settle in at DH in the opener, Lowe is a candidate to see action at first and second base as well as the corner-outfield spots, which aids his chances of gaining multi-position eligibility. It's less certain if he'll be a regular fixture in the cleanup spot, but if that ends up being the case, it would undoubtedly help Lowe's run-producing opportunities.

Barreto will likely open the season in the minors after the A's acquired Kendrys Morales from the Blue Jays, Julian McWilliams of The Athletic reports.

Barreto was poised to break camp with the A's before Wednesday's trade. Now Morales will cover first base in Matt Olson's (hand) absence, pushing Jurickson Profar back to everyday duties at the keystone and leaving no playing time for the 23-year-old Barreto, who will head to Triple-A for everyday opportunities for the time being.

Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey said the Twins have "every expectation" that Polanco (arm) will be ready to go for Thursday's season opener against the Indians, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Polanco has been battling arm fatigue recently, but it doesn't sound like the issue will force him to miss any time to start the season. The shortstop hit .303/.343/.394 with four RBI and a stolen base in 11 spring games.

Urias will begin the 2019 season at Triple-A El Paso, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

The Padres are electing to have top prospect Fernando Tatis open the season in the majors, making Urias the odd man out. The team has been weighing its options heavily all spring, but until this point Tatis was still expected to start in the minors before likely being promoted midseason. Unfortunately for Urias, the offseason acquisitions of Manny Machado and Ian Kinsler leave no additional room in the infield. Urias remains one of the Padres' top prospects, but the team likely doesn't want him in the majors if he isn't going to see the bulk of the playing time.