MLB Player News

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Friday that Norby (side) is 3-to-4 days away from his Grapefruit League debut, Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun reports.

Norby had previously expressed optimism that he would be ready for game action this weekend, but he's not quite ready for that yet. The 23-year-old could still have time to get ramped up for Opening Day, but he's expected to begin the season back at Triple-A Norfolk.

Urias (shoulder) will do some throwing in infield drills Friday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

He will still be somewhat limited, but it's a step forward as he works his way back from right shoulder inflammation. Urias is still serving as a designated hitter in Cactus League games -- he went 1-for-2 with a triple and a run against the White Sox in that capacity Thursday -- but he will probably require an injured list stint if he's not able to play the field by Opening Day.

Bote went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Rockies.

Bote now has two home runs, four RBI and a 1.317 OPS across six Cactus League games. The veteran utility man spent last season with Triple-A Iowa, where he clubbed 14 long balls and posted an .811 OPS across 99 contests. With the Cubs adding depth to the infield in recent years, Bote seems to be on the outside looking in for a roster spot, though he does give the team an experienced depth option.

Villar will play in his fifth Cactus League game of the spring Thursday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Villar is getting plenty of playing time so far, and he's gone 2-for-7 with a pair of doubles and a run scored over his first four spring games. The 27-year-old is projected for a utility role if he makes the major-league roster out of camp. That said, he has no clear path to playing time with more established options at both corner infield spots and second base, his three most likely positions. Villar also bats right-handed, as are all but two (LaMonte Wade and Brett Wisely) of the Giants' infield options, so there's not much chance of Villar earning a favorable platoon situation.

Donovan revealed Thursday that his surgery last August was to repair a partial UCL tear in his right elbow, not the flexor tendon as had been previously reported, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Donovan did deal with a flexor strain last season, but the operation he ultimately had was an internal brace procedure to correct his UCL. The 27-year-old has been limited to second base so far in camp as the Cardinals monitor his throwing, but he's played a couple Grapefruit League games and shouldn't be under any restrictions by the time the season begins.

The Yankees claimed Jones off waivers from the Brewers on Wednesday.

The Yanks deem Jones a better fit for their roster than Jordan Groshans, who was designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Jones has a career .460 OPS in 90 plate appearances across parts of three major-league seasons.

Wong agreed to a minor-league contract with the Orioles on Wednesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Danielle Allentuck of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

The Orioles are already flush with infield depth, but Wong will do his best to convince them he's worthy of a spot on their Opening Day roster. Wong posted an ugly .183/.256/.263 batting line in 87 games between the Mariners and Dodgers last season but did have an .853 OPS at the latter stop.

Rengifo (hamstring) will do some hitting and defensive drills Wednesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Rengifo is ready to ease back into workouts after dealing with some left hamstring tightness. He will need to go through some other baseball activities -- most notably running -- before being cleared for game action, but the super utility player looks to be trending in a positive direction.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said recently that hitting coach Chad Mottola has been working with Caballero on pulling the ball in the air, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old had a recent batting practice that featured a handful of wind-aided homers, with Cash saying afterward of the approach that Caballero is "letting it loose" and "seems to be taking to that." Caballero hit just four home runs in 104 games last season with the Mariners and has never gone deep more than nine times in any professional season. However, the Rays have been able to squeeze the most out of players with limited power before with a pull-heavy approach, most recently with Isaac Paredes. Caballero -- who is expected to be Tampa Bay's Opening Day shortstop -- could boost his draft stock if he shows a power uptick this spring.

Stefanic (quadricep) was cleared to resume baseball activities Wednesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Stefanic had been resting for the previous three days after he suffered a left quad strain in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Dodgers. Given the brevity of his shutdown period, Stefanic likely won't require too much time to get ramped back up, so he could rejoin the spring lineup within the next few days.