MLB Player News

Mondesi (shoulder) won't get into games until next week at the earliest, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Last weekend the hope was that he might be ready for Cactus League games this week, but he is still not ready. Mondesi is coming back from the same shoulder procedure (labral repair) that resulted in ineffective seasons from Gregory Polanco and Michael Brantley in their first years back from surgery, and it is still not a lock that he will be ready for Opening Day.

Bogaerts (ankle) will start at shortstop and bat third Thursday in the Red Sox's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Boston initially planned to have Bogaerts serve as its designated hitter for the second day in a row, but the team changed course and cleared the 27-year-old to make his first start in the field of 2020. Now that Bogaerts is back to manning his normal position, his sore left ankle doesn't look to be anything that will impact him heading into Opening Day.

Bogaerts made his spring debut Wednesday, going 0-for-2 while serving as the designated hitter in a game against the Tigers.

Bogaerts had been dealing with a sore ankle early in camp, prompting the Red Sox to bring him along slowly. There's still plenty of time for Bogaerts to get plate appearances in preparation for the regular season.

Cruz, who went 1-for-3 with a run scored Wednesday, is batting .235 in 17 Grapefruit-League at-bats.

The 6-foot-7 shortstop hasn't looked out of place defensively thus far, even if he's expected to eventually move to another position. Cruz showed off a glimpse of his power potential with a tape-measure homer Sunday, stroking a prodigious shot over the center field wall. He's expected to start the season at Double-A and has done nothing to diminish his prospect tag in spring training, though a 0:7 BB:K throws up a hint of caution in his timeline.

Mateo went 3-for-4 with three base hits, two RBI and a stolen base Tuesday in the Athletics' 6-5 Cactus League win over the White Sox.

With Marcus Semien getting the day off, Mateo took his spot at shortstop and at the top of the batting order and didn't look out of place. The 24-year-old put his premium wheels on display immediately, legging out an infield single on his first at-bat, then claiming his third stolen base of the spring. Mateo is competing with a host of players for the starting job at second base, but even if he fails to win the job battle, his high-end speed might be enough for him to crack the 26-man Opening Day roster as a utility man. The fact that Mateo has no minor-league options remaining and would likely be claimed if exposed to waivers helps his case for breaking camp with the A's.

Bogaerts (ankle) will make his spring debut Wednesday, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

Bogaerts has been brought along slowly this spring after reporting to camp with a sore ankle, but he is finally ready to play, and will serve as Boston's DH on Wednesday. With three weeks until regular-season games begin, he should have plenty of time to tune up his swing before Opening Day.

Wendle, who's competing for an infield utility role this spring, is hitting .400 (6-for-15) with two doubles, one home run, two RBI and five runs over his first six Grapefruit League games.

The versatile 29-year-old endured the worst offensive season of his career in 2019, slashing a pedestrian .231/.293/.340 across 263 plate appearances over 75 games. Wendle struggled with hamstring and wrist injuries last season, which certainly played a part in his subpar performance. However, he reported to camp at full health, and despite the modest sample, his early work at the plate suggests Wendle may be returning to the form that saw him generate an impressive .300 average and .354 on-base percentage during his first Rays campaign back in 2018.

DeJong, who went 2-for-3 with a run in a Grapefruit League win over the Astros on Tuesday, is hitting .571 with a double, three home runs, seven RBI, a walk and five runs across his first six spring games.

DeJong's exhibition slate has been a rousing success early, as he now has a five-game hitting streak and homered both Sunday and Monday. Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports the 26-year-old vowed to simplify his approach at the plate this season by focusing on laying off any pitches that are down and away, the culprit for many of his career-high 149 strikeouts in 2019. DeJong is hoping that by establishing a zone and sticking to it, he'll also improve his situational hitting after slashing an unsightly .193/.297/.277 with runners in scoring position last season, including slugging only one of his 30 homers with a runner on second or third base.

Bogaerts (ankle) hit in the batting cage Tuesday and said afterward that he feels "pretty close to 100 percent" and anticipates playing in spring training games later this week, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Bogaerts' comments about his sore left ankle seemingly run counter to what interim manager Ron Roenicke said about the matter Sunday, when he indicated the shortstop was "still a ways away" from playing in spring games. That said, Roenicke indicated that he didn't feel Bogaerts was in any real danger of missing Opening Day, a sentiment that both player and manager align on. At this point, the 27-year-old probably shouldn't be downgraded much -- if at all -- in fantasy drafts, as he'll probably only need to play in a handful of games this spring to guarantee his availability for the season opener.

Camargo will most likely be sent back to Triple-A Gwinnett if he doesn't win the starting third base job this spring, Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

While Camargo and Austin Riley, his competition for the starting spot, each have experience playing other positions, the organization would rather see both get consistent playing time rather than hurting their development in a bench role. "I don't know that realistically, can you get both guys (ample playing time)? No, I don't know that you can do (them) justice. If you're not playing every day, you're not going to do justice with things. You talk about it, it sounds good, but in reality, it's not that easy to do," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Sunday. Camargo is currently considered the favorite to win the big-league job.