MLB Player News

Seager (groin) could get at-bats during exhibition games against the Red Sox next Monday and Tuesday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Seager has been taking live batting practice since March 18, and the Rangers aren't ruling out the shortstop for Opening Day. He had a couple of injuries in 2023 and returned quickly from each. Seager only played in three games with Double-A Frisco during a rehab assignment after a hamstring strain and did not require a rehab assignment after a thumb sprain.

The Angels optioned Soto to minor-league camp Friday.

Soto was briefly off the Angels' 40-man roster this offseason and never had a realistic chance of making the Opening Day roster. He had a .736 OPS in 79 games at Triple-A Salt Lake last season and will likely return to the affiliate to begin 2024.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt announced Friday that Brayan Rocchio will begin the season as the club's primary shortstop, pushing Arias into a utility role, Tom Withers of the Associated Pressreports.

Arias had a chance to win the shortstop job but posted a .623 OPS across 37 plate appearances during spring training. The 24-year-old will still make the roster as a utility option, but he likely won't see enough playing time to be relevant in most fantasy formats.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said Friday that Rocchio will begin the season receiving the "bulk" of the playing time at shortstop, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.

The 23-year-old is one of Cleveland's top prospects and had a decent showing during spring training with a .270/.308/.459 slash line in 13 games. Rocchio hit just seven home runs in 116 games at Triple-A Columbus last season, but he hit .280, stole 25 bases and had a 60:66 BB:K, so he could get on base enough to provide fantasy managers some value on the basepaths.

Hamilton was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Thursday.

Hamilton made a brief big-league debut in 2023 and struggled to a .121/.256/.182 line across only 39 plate appearances. He's been a prolific base stealer at every minor-league level, which makes him a name to monitor should he get another chance in Boston.

Mateo was informed Thursday he will be a member of the Orioles' Opening Day roster, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Mateo will be a part of the major-league roster to open the 2024 campaign according to manager Brandon Hyde. The shortstop produced an impressive .343 average with two homers, eight RBI, six runs and a stolen base over 35 at-bats in 14 games this spring. With Gunnar Henderson likely to handle the majority of the work at shortstop this season, Mateo will seemingly operate as a utility option to begin 2024.

Lee was removed from Thursday's Grapefruit League game versus the Nationals due to a lower-back spasm, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Lee grounded into a double play in his lone plate appearance before exiting. Consider the young infielder day-to-day for the time being. Lee is expected to begin the season at Triple-A St. Paul.

The Guardians optioned Tena to Triple-A Columbus on Thursday.

Tena didn't hit well in 18 major-league games last season, and his struggles have followed him into spring training with a .219/.289/.281 slash line. Tena has played in just 20 Triple-A games in his career, so perhaps spending more time in the minors to develop will help establish himself at the plate.

Clement appears to have won a spot on the Blue Jays' Opening Day roster following the trade of Santiago Espinal to the Reds on Wednesday, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Clement was likely in the lead for an infield utility role anyway, but shipping out Espinal clarifies the roster picture for Toronto. The 27-year-old has been stunningly productive this spring, batting .375 (15-for-40) with three homers, two triples, two steals and only one strikeout, but his career .231/.279/.299 slash line through 364 big-league plate appearances is probably a better reflection of his fantasy appeal. It's also not clear just how much playing time Clement will get given that the Jays already have a number of players with versatile defensive portfolios, including Cavan Biggio and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, but Espinal faced similar competition in 2023 and still saw 254 PAs over 93 games.

Franco is expected to be moved off the 40-man roster by Opening Day and placed on either the restricted list or administrative leave, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Franco was released from a Dominican Republic jail in January after a judge decided Franco would face a lesser charge stemming from his alleged relationship with an underage girl. He is still facing the possibility of prison time. The Rays don't seem to have any intention of bringing him back to the team even if he avoids time behind bars.