MLB Player News

Bichette has gone 4-for-23 (.174) without an extra-base hit through 10 Grapefruit League games.

It's a shaky start to the spring, particularly for a player who set records for his extra-base prowess as a rookie in 2019, but Bichette's 5:6 BB:K indicates he's seeing the ball well and just hasn't gotten his swing entirely in sync yet. There's little reason to worry about a 23-year-old with a .307/.347/.549 slash line to begin his big-league career, and Bichette is poised to increase his RBI and run production this year thanks to the additions of George Springer and Marcus Semien to the Jays' lineup.

Ahmed (personal) will bat second and play shortstop Thursday against the Dodgers.

Ahmed hasn't played a Cactus League game in 12 days, missing time first with knee soreness and then due to a personal issue. With Opening Day still two weeks away, however, he should have enough time to continue his spring buildup and get up to full speed or close to it by the start of the regular season.

The Blue Jays optioned Lopez to their minor-league camp Thursday.

Lopez was one of 25 players the Blue Jays sent to minor-league camp in the organization's latest round of roster cuts. The 22-year-old infielder is likely to begin the 2021 campaign at Double-A New Hampshire or High-A Vancouver.

Anderson batted leadoff and went 0-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored in Tuesday's spring game against the Padres.

Anderson is 6-for-29 with a .475 OPS over 10 Cactus League appearances, but those numbers shouldn't scare off fantasy owners. He had subpar spring training in 2020 then posted a career-high .886 OPS. He possess a combination of power and speed that should be useful even if last season's high BABIP (.383) regresses.

Bogaerts (shoulder) will start at shortstop Wednesday for the first time this spring, Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald reports.

Bogaerts has been limited to DH duty since making his spring debut last Friday, but he is set to see his first action in the field in Wednesday's contest. Barring any setbacks over the next couple weeks, expect Bogaerts to occupy the starting shortstop spot come Opening Day.

General manager Dayton Moore said Tuesday that the Royals are open to putting Witt on the Opening Day roster, Jim Bowden of The Athletic reports.

The 20-year-old never seemed to have much of a chance of opening the season in the majors given that he has yet to see professional game action above rookie ball, but he's made an incredible impression so far in spring training. Witt has a .333/.379/.667 slash line with three home runs, seven RBI and nine runs through 11 Cactus League contests. The second overall pick of the 2019 draft primarily plays shortstop, but Moore made clear that Witt can also play second base, third base and center field. Kansas City's decision could get more difficult if he continues to perform well over the final two weeks of camp.

Cruz was optioned off the active roster Tuesday.

Cruz could make a push for his big-league debut at some point this season, but it's no surprise he won't be on the Opening Day roster. The 22-year-old shortstop has yet to advance beyond Double-A and has gone just 1-for-20 at the plate in Grapefruit League action so far this spring. He's expected to spend some time in center field as he looks to expand his versatility, which could give him more paths to the major-league roster.

Lindor went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, a walk and two runs scored against the Astros on Tuesday.

He'd been off to a bit of a slow start with the bat this spring, as the home run was Lindor's first extra-base hit of Grapefruit League play. It was a wonderful sight to behold for both Mets fans and those who've invested fantasy capital in the 27-year-old shortstop, as he turned on a fastball down and in, absolutely crushing it well over the right-field fence. Coming off the worst season of his career, Lindor has a lot to prove, so it'll be interesting to see how the Mets handle the pending free agent's contract negotiations.

Ahmed was removed from the lineup Tuesday against the Athletics due to a personal issue, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic reports.

Ahmed was scheduled to return to the lineup after missing nine days with knee soreness. It's good news that his absence isn't due to a knee setback, though it's unclear when he'll be back in the lineup.

The Brewers reassigned Reyes to their minor-league camp Tuesday.

Reyes had been in contention for a utility role on the Brewers' Opening Day roster, but Milwaukee evidently felt that Daniel Robertson and Jace Peterson were better candidates for that job. The 27-year-old previously saw action at the big-league level with the Pirates in 2018 and 2019, posting a .664 OPS across 220 career plate appearances.