MLB Player News

Devers went 2-for-2 with a walk, a home run, two RBI and three runs scored in Tuesday's game against the Pirates.

There's no doubting Devers will hit in the majors. He's mashed spring pitching, slugging .735 with three homers, three doubles, a triple and eight RBI over 43 at-bats. The long-term question about Devers is his defense, and if he can prevent a move to designated hitter or first base. He showed off his improving skills a couple of times Tuesday, something manager Alex Cora attributed to him being in better position before the ball is hit. "Well, [last season] the ball was getting to the hitting zone and he was in the air," Cora told Ian Browne of MLB.com. "You have to have your feet on the ground. Just like a sprinter. You have to be on the ground and you go. It got to the point that he was late, reacting late and he was always getting that in-between hop."

Alvarez's chances of cracking the Orioles' Opening Day roster improved with Mark Trumbo (quadriceps) expected to open the season on the disabled list, Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Trumbo is projected to serve as the Orioles' primary designated hitter this season, so if the team is looking for another power-minded bat to fill in while he's likely sidelined through early-to-mid April, Alvarez may make for a more attractive alternative than Danny Valencia, Craig Gentry or Alex Presley, who are also jockeying for bench roles. Alvarez's defensive shortcomings are well known, so if he opens the season with the big club, it's difficult to envision him sticking around for long once Trumbo returns. Alvarez, who spent the bulk of the 2017 campaign at Triple-A Norfolk and slugged 26 home runs and 31 doubles across 595 plate appearances, has gone 10-for-42 at the dish with three extra-base knocks this spring.

Valencia (calf) claimed that he could've played in Monday's Grapefruit League game if it was the regular season, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

The veteran infielder is seemingly being extra careful with his injury since it's still spring training, but it's good to hear that there is little concern about the issue. Expect Valencia to return to game action sometime in the next couple days.

Urshela left Monday's game with right hamstring tightness, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.

Urshela suffered the injury while running to second base on a double. Until further notice, consider Urshela day-to-day. The injury comes at an unfortunate time for Urshela, as he's compiled an impressive .500 batting average and 1.369 OPS over 18 games this spring while competing with Erik Gonzalez for a reserve infield spot with the big club.

Urshela left Monday's game against the Giants with an undisclosed injury, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Urshela had to be pulled from Monday's game after appearing to hurt himself while running to second and picking up a double. Heading into Monday's game, Urshela had gone 20-for-41 (.488) with three home runs over 17 outings this spring. Additional information regarding his status should be available in the near future.

White Sox manager Rick Renteria said Sunday that Moncada would open the season as the club's leadoff hitter, Bruce Levine of 670 The Score Chicago reports.

Moncada will probably remain a sinkhole in batting average until he dramatically curbs his 34.3 percent career strikeout rate, but his willingness to draw walks props up his on-base percentage and makes him an ideal fit in the leadoff spot. With the top-of-the-order role should come more involvement in the run game, an area where the speedy Moncada has lagged more than anticipated since reaching the majors. Moncada swiped 45 bags at a 78.9 percent success rate in the minors in 2016, suggesting he has some untapped potential as a base stealer after notching only three steals in five attempts across 251 big-league plate appearances to date.

Ramirez is in the lineup for Monday's game against the Giants.

Ramirez was pulled from Saturday's game against the Cubs with a right ankle contusion. The issue didn't appear to be serious and Ramirez is back in the lineup after missing just one day.

Valencia is unavailable for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins due to minor calf soreness, Rich Dubroff of PressBoxOnline.com reports.

Valencia is battling for a bench role with the Orioles this spring. He hit .256/.314/.411 in 130 games for the Mariners last season and is 6-for-29 with two homers so far in Grapefruit League play. His injury appears to be minor and shouldn't impact his chances of making the Opening Day roster, though the exact details remain unclear.

Escobar is expected to be Minnesota's starting shortstop for Opening Day, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Escobar had been in line to open the year in a reserve role for the Twins. However, Jorge Polanco was suspended 80 games Sunday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, moving Escobar to the top of the team's depth chart at shortstop. Last season, Escobar hit .254/.309/.449 over 129 games with the Twins.

Manager Terry Francona said Ramirez (ankle) would return to the Indians' Cactus League lineup Monday against the Giants, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

As anticipated, the Indians aren't worried about Ramirez's health. The infielder exited Saturday's game against the Cubs with a right ankle contusion when he was struck by an errant throw. After taking Sunday off to rest, Ramirez should be ready to go Monday and head into the regular season with no limitations.