MLB Player News

Adrianza will begin the season as the only backup infielder on Minnesota's 25-man roster, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

With the release of Erick Aybar and Jorge Polanco out 80 games due to a PED suspension, Adrianza becomes the primary backup at three positions with Eduardo Escobar set to start at shorstop. If Miguel Sano receives a suspension from a current MLB investigation into an alleged 2015 sexual assault, Adrianza could start at shortstop with Escobar moving to third base.

Mondesi (shoulder) said he began throwing from 90 feet Tuesday, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Mondesi has been dealing with a shoulder impingement for the past two weeks, which has limited him to designated hitter duties in Cactus League action. While he's making positive strides in his throwing program, it appears Mondesi may not have enough time to get back up to speed before the start of the season, which could lead to him opening the year at extended spring training.

Wendle, who's hitting .353 over 38 spring plate appearances, continues to push for a left-handed platoon role at second base with his consistency at the plate, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

Already a proven performer at the Triple-A level for multiple seasons while with the Athletics organization, Wendle was a December acquisition that flew somewhat under the radar, but that had the air of a possible steal for the Rays. Wendle's resume includes 58 home runs and 327 RBI over a 641-game minor-league career, and he's been able to produce with both the bat and glove at every stop that he's spent an appreciable amount of time in. That's carried over to his first spring in Tampa, where manager Kevin Cash has taken note of how well-rounded and consistent the 27-year-old's game is. "I think our guys got it right when we acquired him," Cash said. "They said he's a very consistent player, solid defender, and gets his hits. He's quietly had a pretty good spring at the plate. Seems like he's getting a hit a day. Just very steady. And sometimes you don't want to see surprising, you just want to see consistency, and that's what he's shown."

Velazquez is in the lineup for Monday's game against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Velazquez has been out since Tuesday after getting hit in the head by a pitch. The 23-year-old has yet to reach Triple-A and hit .235/.297/.374 in 414 plate appearances for Double-A Montgomery last year.

Bogaerts is Boston's likely No. 5 hitter to start the season, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

The hope was that Bogaerts would get to join Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi and J.D. Martinez in the top four of Boston's lineup, but Hanley Ramirez is expected to open the season as the team's No. 3 hitter, pushing Bogaerts down to fifth in the order. While this obviously would result in slightly fewer plate appearances, fewer runs and possibly a bump in RBI, a lot can change over the coming weeks/months, and it would not be surprising if Bogaerts earned a higher spot in the lineup as the season goes on. He is hitting .323 with one home run in 31 spring at-bats.

The Blue Jays optioned Urena to their minor-league camp Sunday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Urena saw regular run with the Blue Jays as a September callup a season ago but managed a sickly .206/.270/.309 line across 75 plate appearances. The 22-year-old is regarded as little more than an average defender in the middle infield, so he'll need to raise his production at the plate at Double-A New Hampshire or Triple-A Buffalo this season before warranting another look from the big club.

Anderson batted seventh in the order Friday and could find himself in the lower third of the lineup this season, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Manager Rick Renteria was batting Anderson second during spring training, but feels the free-swinging shortstop is a better fit lower in the order. He's not much of a table-setter -- Anderson walked 13 times and had a .276 OBP in 2017 -- and Renteria feels the lineup can take advantage of Anderson's high batting average on balls in play (.347 for his career). "I don't want to change who he is," Renteria said. "Timmy puts the bat on the ball a lot and when he does it's a positive outcome. Not putting him in a situation where we're worrying about him getting on, as opposed to if guys are on base we know his ball in play is high and he's driving in a few more runs." Anderson was at his most productive last season when he hit seventh in the order (.730 OPS).

Tejada was reassigned to minor-league camp Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Tejada was a long-shot to grab an active roster spot out of spring training. His .171 batting average in 35 Grapefruit League at-bats essentially put the nail in the coffin. He'll head back to the minors to act as an organizational depth piece for Baltimore.

Mateo was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Mateo had a terrific game Tuesday against the Royals. The 22-year-old went 2-for-4, with both hits being home runs. However, with Jed Lowrie and Marcus Semien at second base and shortstop, respectively, it seemed likely that Mateo would return to the minors before the 2018 season got underway. After logging a .292/.333/.518 line over 30 games at Double-A Midland following his trade from the Yankees last season, Mateo will have his first chance to play at the Triple-A level.

Velazquez exited Tuesday's Grapefruit League game early after being hit in the head by a pitch, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Velazquez seemed to be fine while speaking with manager Kevin Cash after the incident, so it seems like the removal was simply precautionary. Look for a better grasp of the severity of the issue once the team medical staff has a chance to examine him.