MLB Player News

Motter was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.

The Mariners kept Motter around in case Ichiro Suzuki wasn't ready to go for the start of the season, but with Suzuki being cleared to return, Motter will open the season in the minors. The 28-year-old utility man hit an impressive .350/.427/.640 across 117 plate appearances with Tacoma last season, but he failed to translate that success to the majors, hitting just .198/.257/.326 across 280 plate appearances with the Mariners. Given his versatility, he'll likely be back with the big club at some point in 2018.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Tuesday that Ngoepe secured a spot on the team's Opening Day roster, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The Blue Jays haven't announced as much, but Ngoepe's inclusion on the team likely means that Danny Espinosa will be reassigned to minor-league camp, if not released. Ngoepe, who debuted last season with the Pirates and appeared in 28 games, is regarded as a glove-first utility man, so he wouldn't attract much interest in the fantasy realm if he ends up falling into semi-regular at-bats at any point.

Manager Clint Hurdle revealed Tuesday that Frazier would serve as the Pirates' designated hitter and leadoff man in the team's season opener Thursday in Detroit, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Frazier, who will reprise the super-utility role he filled last season, is expected to be deployed at the top of the order in most of his starts this season. Playing time may be a little more difficult to come by when the Pirates are at full strength and don't have the DH spot available, but Frazier's multi-position versatility should at least afford him two or three starts per week.

Barreto was optioned back to Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday, Julian McWilliams of The Athletic reports.

Though Barreto was making a strong push to be included on the Athletics' 25-man roster, the club decided to send its top-tier prospect back to Nashville since there isn't a clear-cut position for him in the majors at the moment. The infielder was able to leave quite the impression on manager Bob Melvin, and remains a prime candidate for a call-up in the not-too-distant future. Over 25 games with Oakland in 2017, Barreto hit .197/.250/.352 with two home runs and six RBI during his first cup of coffee in the major leagues.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday that Tomlinson claimed a spot on the Opening Day roster as a utility man, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Tomlinson faced competition from Josh Rutledge for the utility role during spring training, but the former entered camp as the heavy favorite for those duties and never relinquished his early edge in the job battle. With left-handed hitters in Brandon Belt, Joe Panik and Brandon Crawford atop the depth chart at three of the four infield spots, Tomlinson projects to receive regular starts against southpaws early on in the season.

Semien may split leadoff duties with Matt Joyce this season, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Semien was expected to handle the role of leadoff hitter for the 2018 season, but manager Bob Melvin indicated he likes Matt Joyce at the top of the order against right-handed starters and Semien for left-handers. The A's starting shortstop struggled against southpaws in 2017 with a .224/.303/.367 slash line in 109 plate appearances, although he missed nearly half the season with a wrist injury and his career numbers (.275/.323/.468) may more accurately reflect his expected splits.

General manager Neal Huntington said Sunday that Frazier will likely bat leadoff whenever he's slated to start, AT&T SportsNet reports.

Huntington made his comments during Monday's television broadcast. Frazier, who will begin 2018 as a backup to both second base and left field, is expected to serve as the team's designated hitter for the season's first three games in Detroit. He may be Pittsburgh's best pure hitter, but he'll have to wait for injuries to strike to see regular playing time (aside from interleague play).

Beckham has signed a minor-league contract to return to the Mariners, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports Monday.

Beckham was released by the Mariners last week, but has opted not to test the free-agent market and instead will remain in the organization. The 31-year-old mustered just a .262/.313/.393 slash line for Triple-A Tacoma last year and will serve as veteran organizational depth capable of playing multiple infield positions.

Semien, who went 0-for-3 in Sunday's 5-1 Bay Bridge Series exhibition loss to the Giants, is expected to provide a unique mix of power and speed out of the leadoff spot in 2018, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

The versatile shortstop has made a case for a potentially explosive 2018 this spring with a .309 average, a pair of doubles, one home run and four RBI. Now fully recovered from the wrist surgery that cost him 74 games last season, Semien will look to up his OBP for a third straight campaign and put a dent in his 22 percent strikeout rate while serving as both table-setter and long-ball supplier at the top of the Athletics' lineup.

Solarte has gone 10-for-48 (.208 average) with a home run and five RBI across 17 Grapefruit League games.

Due to his ability to play all over the infield in addition to starting shortstop Troy Tulowitzki's (heel) expected absence for at least the first few weeks of the season, Solarte should be in store for at least semi-regular at-bats to kick off his first campaign in Toronto. However, Solarte's poor spring may result in Aledmys Diaz garnering the Opening Day nod at shortstop, as Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com projects. Diaz has only been marginally better than Solarte at the plate during Grapefruit League action, so it could be a case where manager John Gibbons rotates both players in at shortstop at the start of the season before ultimately settling on the hotter bat of the two.