MLB Player News

Manager Terry Francona reported Wednesday that Lindor will likely bat leadoff for the Indians again in 2018, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.

Lindor secured an everyday spot at the top of the lineup in early August last season and finished the 2017 campaign with a .281 average, 18 home runs and 47 RBI in his 68 games as the team's leadoff man. Francona made it clear that he has no reason to move Lindor out of that spot this season and that he especially likes the idea of having a switch-hitter batting first. The 24-year-old will look to eclipse the 100-run threshold in 2018 after crossing home plate exactly 99 times in each of the past two seasons.

Gordon, who went 0-for-3 in Wednesday's 7-3 Cactus League loss to the Athletics, nevertheless made a positive impact when he cut down Mark Canha trying to advance to third base, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The converted infielder has already utilized his elite speed to make several nice running catches in the gaps this spring, but Wednesday marked his first truly challenging throw with a man trying to advance. The second-inning play came after Mariners starter Marco Gonzales had overthrown a pickoff attempt that Gordon had alertly backed up. He then put all of his 170 pounds into a picture-perfect laser to Gordon Beckham at third that nailed Canha and left the former Marlin sprawled at his center field spot momentarily. The throw, along with another in the sixth that had plenty of juice but not enough accuracy to get a tagging Franklin Barreto at third, were deemed sensational but not surprising by manager Scott Servais, who's been raving about his offseason acquisition's baseball IQ since camp opened. "Dee made a great throw, and that was awesome to see," Servais said. "He's got plenty [of arm strength] and very accurate. He almost got the other guy, too, if it had been down just a hair. He's an exciting player. Obviously the speed, but the arm, the bat, it's the whole package."

Mateo (knee) went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts in Tuesday's 5-3 Cactus League win over the Rangers.

The young speed merchant's long-awaited Cactus League debut was ultimately a dud from a statistical perspective, but all that matters is that he's back on the field. Mateo entered the game at shortstop for Marcus Semien in the fifth and promptly went down on strikes in both the seventh and eighth innings. The 22-year-old is likely to see plenty of reps during the duration of the exhibition slate, assuming there are no further issues with the knee.

Adames is in the competition for the Rays' second-base job alongside Daniel Robertson, Joey Wendle and Micah Johnson, Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reports.

Manager Kevin Cash said that the recent trade of Ryan Schimpf to the Braves on Monday opened up a little more competition at the keystone, paving the way for Adames to receive more reps in the Grapefruit League. Adames has gone 6-for-15 with one home run, five RBI and one double in seven outings this spring, The 22-year-old is likely a shortstop long term due to his plus arm strength and excellent hands, but second base is seemingly his only path to early-season playing time.

Wendle is competing for the Rays' second-base job alongside Daniel Robertson, Micah Johnson and Willy Adames this spring, Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reports.

Manager Kevin Cash said that the recent trade of Ryan Schimpf to the Braves on Monday opened up a little more competition at the keystone, paving the way for Wendle to receive more reps in the Grapefruit League. The 27-year-old has only appeared in 36 major-league games over the course of his career, hitting .266/.305/.339 with two home runs and 16 RBI in 109 at-bats.

Mondesi will be sidelined for a couple days due to arm soreness, Rustin Dodd of The Athletic reports.

Manager Ned Yost said that the injury was nothing serious and that Mondesi should be back in action by the weekend. Thus far, Mondesi has played in five Cactus League games, going 4-for-13 with one home run, four RBI and one triple while competing for a job in the Royals' infield.

Mateo (knee) will enter Tuesday's spring game against the Rangers at shortstop to replace Marcus Semien, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Further solidifying that the infield prospect's knee issue is behind him, Mateo is listed as an available player on the Athletics' lineup card for Tuesday's bout. Mateo aggravated a left knee sprain in late February and missed the first batch of spring games. He'll now be able to play uninhibited with the big-league club before heading back to Double-A for the regular season.

Mateo (knee) is scheduled to make his Cactus League debut Tuesday against the Rangers, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

The promising prospect has been slowed by the injury in the early going of spring training, but he's apparently well enough to make his long-awaited debut. Mateo's blinding speed is a subject of considerable intrigue among the coaching staff and his teammates, yet despite his superior physical gifts, the 22-year-old is expected to begin the regular season at Triple-A Nashville. Mateo hit .292 with four home runs and 20 RBI while also stealing 13 bases with Double-A Midland following his arrival from the Yankees in the Sonny Gray trade last summer. According to executive VP of baseball operations Billy Beane, he could potentially find his way to the big-league club at some point in 2018.

Anderson (personal) went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts Sunday against the Padres.

Anderson's brief absence from the team to tend to a personal matter came to an end, as he returned to action Sunday. Through this point, Anderson is hitting .188 over 16 at-bats this spring.

Mateo (knee) ran the bases without issue Saturday and is scheduled for another workout Monday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Mateo has a chance to be in the lineup for Tuesday's spring game, but that is slightly dependent on the outcome of Monday's workout. The minor-league infielder has been dealing with the knee issue for nearly two weeks, but this will likely end up a blip on the radar when the 22-year-old makes his major-league debut further down the road.