MLB Player News

Urena could break camp with the Blue Jays as a reserve infielder if Troy Tulowitzki (heel) is unavailable Opening Day, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Aledmys Diaz and Yangervis Solarte are set to open the year as the Blue Jays' reserve infielders, but if Tulowitzki remains sidelined through Opening Day, the team could choose to carry additional infield depth. Urena, who struggled to a .206/.270/.309 slash line in his first taste of the majors last season (21 games), would likely battle it out with Gift Ngoepe for Toronto's final bench spot if Tulowitzki ultimately isn't ready for the start of the 2018 campaign. Even if Urena were able to break camp with the Blue Jays in a reserve role, he would likely head down to the minors once Tulowitzki returns, leaving him off the fantasy radar in redraft leagues.

Anderson said he wants to steal more bases in 2018, telling Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-TImes that he wants to reach at last 25 stolen bases. "I'll say over 25. In that 20s range is good," Anderson said before taking the field for Friday's Cactus League opener. "I'll take more, though."

Anderson was a prolific basestealer in the minors, but put that part of his game on hold since being promoted to Chicago. That all changed last September when he went 9-for-9 on stolen-base attempts. That's 60 percent of the 15 steals he recorded in 2017. Anderson dealt with some personal off-field setbacks last season which contributed to a poor start and lingered well into the season before his production ticked up noticeably in August and September. The 24-year-old shortstop, who hit a three-run homer in Friday's spring training game, bashed 17 homers in 2017 and is poised to be a 20-20 player if he follows through on his plan to steal more bases.

Mondesi will officially be known as "Adalberto" going forward, Josh Vernier of 610 Sports reports.

It's unclear what prompted the name change for Mondesi. The well-regarded 22-year-old is competing for a job in spring training, but ultimately may open the year at Triple-A Omaha with Alcides Escobar and Whit Merrifield currently holding down the middle of the infield. If the team decides to move Merrifield around, there could be an opportunity for Mondesi.

Anderson worked on "everything" during the offseason and reported to spring training prior to Monday's deadline for position players, the Chicago Tribune reports.

"He actually looks very, very relaxed - he looks very happy," manager Rick Renteria said. "The situation he had going on last year takes hold of you a little bit and tugs at your emotions when you have a loss of a friend that you consider almost a brother. This year he's able to come in (with a) fresh mind to compete and do the job he ended up doing the latter part of the season." Anderson has struggled to draw walks at every level since High-A, and his 2.1-percent walk rate last season was a step down from the 3.0 percent mark he posted as a rookie in 2016. The subsequent low OBP generated by the lack of free passes makes him an unlikely candidate for a spot near the top of the order, though he was used as a leadoff option at times down the stretch last season. Despite his struggles, Anderson will get plenty of chances to build upon the .257/.276/.402 line he posted last season, which included 17 homers, 56 RBI, 72 runs and a 15-for-16 mark as a basestealer. For his career, Anderson is 25-for-28 on the basepaths over 245 games with the White Sox, and his path to improvement on that front will require a more refined eye at the plate.

Mateo will be limited at the start of spring training after aggravating a left knee sprain, Julian McWilliams of The Athletic Bay Area reports.

The injury doesn't appear to be too serious, though it may cause him to lose some at-bats in the first few spring training games. Acquired from the Yankees last season in the Sonny Gray trade, Mateo is a highly rated shortstop prospect who has a chance of reaching the big leagues later this season. The 22-year-old hit for a .296/.357/.521 line in 60 Double-A games with Trenton and Midland last season.

Noonan will attend the Athletics' spring training as a non-roster invitee, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Noonan has seen time with five different organizations over the past three seasons, most recently with Triple-A Colorado Springs within the Brewers' farm league. The 28-year-old has appeared in just 83 big-league games during his 11-year professional career and offers very little value at the plate. He'll look to crack the Athletics' Opening Day roster as a reserve utility infielder but will most likely open the 2018 campaign in the minors.

Tejada will attend Orioles' spring training as a non-roster invitee, Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com reports.

Tejada, who played 41 games for Baltimore last season, returned to the team on a minor-league contract. He'll have the chance to compete for a utility role at spring training. During his time with the club in 2017 he hit .230 with a .576 OPS.

Sardinas was invited to Orioles spring training, Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com reports.

It had been expected that Sardinas would compete for a utility role in the upcoming season, so his invitation to spring training doesn't come as much of a surprise. Sardinas has experience in the outfield as well as first base, second base, third base and shortstop. However, he hasn't been very productive at the plate. Over 174 games in the Show, Sardinas has hit .229/.278/.293.

Mondesi will compete for a job in spring training, but may open the year at Triple-A Omaha following Friday's signing of Alcides Escobar, 610 Sports Radio reports.

There are few intriguing fantasy options on the Royals, but Mondesi was lining up to be one of them, as a potential power/speed shortstop with a slick glove. However, general manager Dayton Moore said Escobar will play shortstop for the Royals and Mondesi will compete at second base in spring training. Of course, Whit Merrifield would either need to be traded or moved to third base for Mondesi to win the starting job at the keystone. An Escobar/Mondesi double-play duo might be the best defensive pairing in the majors if it came to pass, but Moore's comments about Mondesi are awfully troubling. For now it seems safe to discount Mondesi quite a bit in drafts, as he now carries a lot more playing time risk than it initially seemed he would.

Anna signed a minor-league contract with the White Sox on Monday, according to his personal Twitter account.

For the second season in a row, the 31-year-old utility man spent all year in the minors, hitting .285/.364/.376 across 112 games for Triple-A Omaha. Anna hasn't made it back to the majors since he appeared one game for the Cardinals back in 2015; he owns a paltry .130/.192/.302 career slash-line across 13 major-league games. He'll be viewed as an organizational depth piece in 2018.