MLB Player News

The Blue Jays reassigned Capra to minor-league camp Tuesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Capra is expected to begin the season at Triple-A Buffalo after missing out on his bid for a bench role on the Blue Jays' Opening Day roster. With Toronto also optioning Otto Lopez to Buffalo on Tuesday, outfielder Nathan Lukes appears to have clinched the final reserve spot on the big club's season-opening squad.

The Astros optioned Bannon to Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Bannon was battling for a spot on the Astros bench in spring training, but the 26-year-old will begin the season with Sugar Land instead. He has a shot to be up with Houston this summer as a bench option, but he's unlikely to be a regular with the club in 2023 or beyond.

Bae has made the Pirates' Opening Day roster, Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review reports.

Bae is set for super-utility duties as a player who can back up second base, shortstop and center field. He has good speed but will need regular playing time to make it count, and that is difficult to project at the moment.

Gimenez and the Guardians agreed Tuesday on a seven-year, $106.5 million contract extension that includes a $23 million club option for 2030, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The buyout on the option is $2.5 million, so Gimenez is guaranteed at least $109 million and could get as much as $128 million if the option is picked up and he hits all incentives. The long-term deal starts in 2023 and covers Gimenez's last pre-arbitration year, all three arbitration years as well as three and potentially four free agent years. The 24-year-old made his first All-Star team and won a Gold Glove in 2022 with Cleveland, collecting a .297/.371/.466 batting line with 17 home runs and 20 stolen bases along the way. The Guardians are also discussing a contract extension with Amed Rosario, among others, so they could lock up their middle infield for a while.

Gimenez and the Guardians are finalizing a long-term contract extension, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The particulars of the deal aren't known at this time. Gimenez is coming off a season which saw him bat .297/.371/.466 with 17 home runs and 20 stolen bases, winning a Gold Glove and posting a 7.4 bWAR in the process. The 24-year-old is currently not yet arbitration eligible and is under team control through 2026.

Hoerner agreed to a three-year, $35 million contract extension with the Cubs on Monday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The Cubs clearly liked what they saw out of Hoerner in 2022 after he slashed .281/.327/.410 with 10 homers, 55 RBI, 20 stolen bases and 60 runs scored in his first full season of big-league action (135 games). The club now has the middle of the infield locked up for the next few years, as Chicago signed Dansby Swanson to a seven-year deal in December, and the team now has Hoerner under contract until his age-29 season.

Astros general manager Dana Brown told reporters Monday that Altuve (thumb) could be placed on the 60-day injured list, Michael Connor of 790 Sports Houston reports.

Brown told reporters that they will decide if Altuve will head to the 60-day IL on Tuesday. The infielder is going to miss at least two months after undergoing surgery on his fractured right thumb, and a placement on the 60-day list would open up a 40-man roster spot for Houston. It would also mean that he can't come back until June, but that seems like Altuve's most likely ETA to rejoin the Houston lineup.

The Tigers optioned Short to Triple-A Toledo on Monday.

Short will miss out on a spot on the Opening Day roster, with Detroit seemingly set to begin the season with Ryan Kreidler and the newly acquired Zach McKinstry as its reserve infielders. The 27-year-old Short, who posted a .730 OPS in Grapefruit League action, should be able to play on a near-everyday basis in Toledo.

Polanco (knee) will do some hitting in front of trainers Tuesday before the Twins determine his next step, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Polanco is going through baseball activities without limitations but hasn't done any live hitting since he had a little setback with his surgically-repaired left knee in mid-March. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli notes that he's hopeful that Polanco could play soon, but that it has taken longer than expected for the fluid and soreness associated with the injury to leave the knee. He will remain in extended spring training while the club heads north and it's not clear at this time how long he might be sidelined.

The Orioles reassigned Westburg to minor-league camp Monday, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

Westburg fared well this spring but ultimately there wasn't a spot yet for him on the major-league roster. The 24-year-old should make his debut at some point in 2023, though, and his ability to play shortstop, second base and third base helps him in that regard.