MLB Player News

Correa will start at shortstop and bat cleanup in Thursday's opener against the Rangers, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Correa will return to his familiar spot in the heart of the lineup after batting .300 with three home runs and 11 RBI across 60 at-bats during spring training. A thumb injury cost Correa nearly two months last season, but the 23-year-old still finished as one of the top fantasy producers at shortstop with 24 home runs, 84 RBI, 82 runs and a .315 average. With Houston retaining most of its core contributors from last season's run to the World Series, Correa is well positioned to set career highs across all those aforementioned counting-stats categories if he can avoid any extended trips to the disabled list.

Anderson (shoulder) will hit seventh and play shortstop for Thursday's season opener against the Royals.

Anderson had been dealing with minor shoulder soreness during the past couple days, but the shortstop doesn't appear to be facing any limitations heading into the beginning of the regular season. In 2017, he slashed .257/.276/.402 with 17 home runs, 56 RBI and 15 stolen bases over 146 appearances.

Anderson (shoulder) has been replaced by Tyler Saladino in the lineup for Monday's exhibition game against the Charlotte Knights.

Anderson was originally scratched Sunday with minor shoulder soreness. He was listed in Monday's lineup but has been scratched again with the same shoulder issue. The reports on Sunday indicated that his availability for Opening Day wasn't likely to be threatened. It's possible he's had a setback, but this could just be the team being careful and delaying his return by one more day.

Anderson (shoulder) is in the lineup for Monday's exhibition game against the Charlotte Knights.

Anderson was scratched from Sunday's game with minor shoulder soreness, but the issue appears to be very minor as he's already back in the lineup. He should be good to go by Opening Day, barring any setbacks.

Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro said Friday that Bichette will open the 2018 season at Double-A New Hampshire, TSN.ca reports.

He'll be joined in the Eastern League by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., giving New Hampshire the most highly regarded pair of hitting prospects of any affiliate across the minors. While splitting time between Low-A Lansing and High-A Dunedin last season, Bichette captured the minor-league batting title with a .362 average and accumulated 59 extra-base hits (14 home runs) and 22 steals across 499 plate appearances. The 20-year-old will appear in exhibition games with the Blue Jays in Montreal on Monday and Tuesday before reporting to New Hampshire ahead of his second year of full-season ball.

Diaz is projected to receive the starting nod at shortstop over Yangervis Solarte in the Blue Jays' season opener Thursday against the Yankees, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports.

The two players have been competing in spring training for the gig since Troy Tulowitzki was officially ruled out for the start of the season in mid-March due to a bone spur in his heel. There haven't been any reports that Tulowitzki is close to playing in rehab games, so with an extended absence potentially on tap, Diaz and Solarte could both end up seeing semi-regular starts early on in the season. Diaz presumably has the leg up on Solarte due to his superior spring at the plate, but neither player has been particularly effective during Grapefruit League action. Manager John Gibbons could end up riding the hot bat at the position until Tulowitzki is available, affording Diaz little job security to begin the campaign.

The Orioles reassigned Sardinas to minor-league camp Sunday, Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com reports.

Sardinas earned an invitation to spring training to complete for the role of utility infielder, which was won by Danny Valencia. The 24-year-old has struggled in the majors with a career .229/.278/.293 slash line in 480 plate appearances and should return to Triple-A Norfolk to start the season.

White Sox manager Rick Renteria said Anderson will be held out of Sunday's Cactus League game against the Brewers due to minor soreness in the shortstop's left shoulder, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Anderson picked up the injury while diving in the field for a ball Friday against the Mariners. The shoulder issue likely won't threaten Anderson's availability for the start of the season. Anderson is slated to serve in an everyday role at shortstop this season, though he'll likely slot near the bottom of the order after delivering a woeful .276 on-base percentage across 606 plate appearances in 2017.

The Mariners reassigned Vincej to their minor-league camp Sunday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Vincej was a long shot to crack the Opening Day roster with Andrew Romine and Taylor Motter viewed within the organization as superior utility options. After spending most of the 2017 campaign with Triple-A Louisville in the Reds organization, Vincej is expected to get his first taste of the Pacific Coast League this season while playing primarily with Triple-A Tacoma.

Mondesi (shoulder) will play second base and bat seventh against the Diamondbacks on Saturday.

Mondesi has been battling a shoulder impingement since early March, but was able to begin throwing this week and should be nearing full health as Opening Day approaches. Unless the Royals feel as though he needs a little more time to recover, expect the 22-year-old to be active for Thursday's regular-season opener against the White Sox.