MLB Player News

Manager Joe Maddon said Rendon (oblique) will sit out Wednesday's exhibition finale against the Padres, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Maddon termed Rendon as day-to-day while the third baseman continues to deal with oblique tightness, leaving his availability up in the air for Friday's season opener against the Athletics. If Rendon is on the bench for Opening Day or is forced to the injured list as a result of the oblique issue, David Fletcher and Matt Thaiss would be the next men up for reps at the hot corner.

Moncada had no ill effects Tuesday after playing five innings during an exhibition game against the Cubs on Monday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Moncada, who arrived at summer camp last Thursday after testing positive for COVID-19, has been working hard to get himself ready to play Opening Day. He responded well during Tuesday's workout and could bat second and play third base when the White Sox kick off the regular season at home against the Twins on Friday. The White Sox have yet to officially activate him from the COVID-19 injured list, but that merely looks to be a formality at this point.

Duffy was reassigned to the Yankees' alternate training site Tuesday.

Duffy was in contention for a major-league roster spot with DJ LeMahieu's (illness) status in question, but Duffy will head to alternate camp as LeMahieu looks to be on track to return soon. The 29-year-old could be in consideration for a spot on the 30-man roster if injuries pile up in the infield this season.

Devers is expected to bat second in the order, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Devers developed into a dangerous hitter in 2019, when then-manager Alex Cora moved him to the two hole. Devers slashed .334/.379/.653 with 19 homers and 63 RBIs in 335 plate appearances when batting second. Current manager Ron Roenicke is expected to have Andrew Benintendi bat leadoff, followed by Devers. It's not the most conventional lineup to have two left-handers at the top, but the manager is mulling over using that duo in Friday's opener against Baltimore left-hander John Means.

Manager Joe Maddon is unsure if Rendon (oblique) will be ready for Friday's season opener against the Athletics, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The veteran third baseman was still dealing with oblique soreness Monday and is unlikely to play in either of the Angels' upcoming exhibition games Tuesday or Wednesday. David Fletcher and Matt Thaiss are likely candidates to fill in at third base if Rendon is unavailable to begin the season.

Moncada will bat second and play third base in Monday's exhibition game against the Cubs.

Moncada's availability for Opening Day has been in some doubt, as he only just arrived at camp Thursday after testing positive for COVID-19. He reportedly didn't experience many symptoms and is seemingly in decent shape as he's set for game action just four days later. Whether or not he'll be ready for an everyday role beginning with the first game of the regular season Friday against the Twins remains to be seen.

LeMahieu (illness) is starting at second base and leading off in Monday's exhibition game against the Mets.

Although LeMahieu missed the first couple weeks of camp due to testing positive for COVID-19, he'll be included in the team's exhibition lineup for the second consecutive night. The 32-year-old has been optimistic about being ready for Opening Day, and his leadoff status in back-to-back games would suggest that's a fairly realistic possibility. Even if he isn't ready for the team's season opener, he's said that he expects to be available "pretty soon thereafter."

Rivera was reassigned to the Rangers' alternate training site Sunday, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Rivera was thought to be a strong candidate to begin the season on the team's 30-man roster when camp started, but he'll instead work at the team's alternate training site. Given the 28-year-old's abilities as a utility infielder, he could be one of the team's top options to fill in as depth if injuries occur on the major-league squad. Rivera hit .183/.258/.217 with three RBI and two stolen bases over 34 games with the Marlins last year.

The Tigers plan to proceed slowly with Paredes due to the time he's missed over the spring and early summer, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Back in late February, Paredes missed some time in camp due to a sore right shoulder. The 21-year-old also has missed time since the team started summer camp, and he acknowledged that was due to a positive COVID-19 test. He was cleared to rejoin the team Friday and said he's feeling better, but the team won't rush him along. "He's missed a lot of time," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We're going to let him ease back into this thing. He needs to get back into baseball shape, so we don't expect him to do too much here." Parades has yet to appear above Double-A, so he was unlikely to debut in the majors this year anyway, but his lost offseason should pretty much guarantee that he won't see MLB action until 2021 at the earliest.

LeMahieu (illness) is starting at second base and batting leadoff in Sunday's exhibition game against the Mets.

The 32-year-old said Saturday he hadn't ruled out the possibly of playing Opening Day but understood it may not be realistic, yet he still finds himself batting leadoff a day later. LeMahieu joined the team Friday after missing the first couple weeks of camp due to testing positive for COVID-19, and his quick introduction to game action is a positive sign for his potential availability. According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, manager Aaron Boone will try to get him 2-to-3 innings Sunday and hopes he'll be good to play again Monday. Even if he's not game ready for Thursday's season opener, he expects to be good for regular-season action "pretty soon thereafter."