MLB Player News

Crawford is dealing with an illness and isn't starting Saturday's Cactus League opener against the Dodgers, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The veteran shortstop's 2020 spring debut will wait a few days as he recovers from the ailment. Crawford still figures to join the lineup sometime in the next week.

Lindor and manager Terry Francona might have a discussion this spring about possibly moving Lindor out of the leadoff spot, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.

Francona cautioned that nothing was imminent about a batting order change. "I'm not trying to move him out of that spot," said Francona. "I want to be open to what could be our best lineup. I don't think anybody knows that until you have a better idea of what your team is going to look like." If Lindor were to move down to second or third in the order, he would have more RBI opportunities, perhaps at the expense of fewer plate appearances along with fewer chances to run.

Camargo will be in the lineup on an every-other-day basis in the early parts of spring training, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Camargo is competing with Austin Riley for the starting job at the hot corner in Atlanta, so the team will give long looks to both players early on in the exhibition season. After a down year in 2019, Camargo has reportedly focused on his conditioning and fitness with an eye towards bouncing back in 2020.

Manager Rick Renteria said he's leaning towards hitting Anderson first or second in the order, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Anderson and Yoan Moncada are tentatively expected to fill the top two spots in Chicago's lineup, in any order, though nothing is set in stone. The 26-year-old is coming off a career year in 2019 during which he hit .335/.357/.508 with 18 home runs and 17 stolen bases in 123 games.

Manager David Ross said there are no lingering issues with Baez's thumb, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. "He's told me no. I've asked him that. I asked him that a while back with the training in the offseason, and I haven't heard anything from our training staff on that subject. So as far as I know, he's 100 percent."

A hairline fracture in Baez's left thumb kept the 27-year-old sidelined for the majority of September last season, but it doesn't sound like there are any concerns regarding the injury heading into the 2020 season. Baez, who avoided arbitration by signing a one-year, $10 million contract with the Cubs earlier in the offseason, hit .281/.316/.531 with 29 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 138 games in 2019.

Gordon (personal) is expected to report to the Mariners' camp Friday, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Gordon's arrival to the Mariners' spring facility in Arizona has been delayed while he awaited the birth of his daughter, Demi. After taking the last few days off to spend time with his wife and the newborn, Gordon looks like he'll be ready to return to work over the weekend. The 31-year-old is expected to fill a super-utility role for Seattle in 2020 when the team is at full strength, though Mitch Haniger's (back/core muscle) expected absence for most of the first half of the season could open up regular reps for Gordon in the outfield.

Reyes was dealt an 80-game suspension without pay Wednesday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Reyes was not invited to spring training after being outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis on January 16. The 26-year-old struggled to produce offensively for the Pirates in 2019, slashing .203/.274/.322 with 39 runs scored and 36 RBI throughout 157 plate appearances.

Diaz will make $2.6 million this season after winning his arbitration case, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Diaz struggled to find a rhythm during his first season in Houston because of different trips to the injured list due to hamstring tightness and dizziness spells. The 29-year-old finished the year hitting .271/.356/.467 with 40 RBI and 36 runs scored throughout 247 plate appearances. Diaz is expected to open the season where he left off, namely, as a utility infielder who is a valuable pinch-hit option due to superior plate discipline that led to him drawing 26 walks while striking out just 28 times last season.

Urena was designated for assignment by the Orioles on Wednesday.

Urena was plucked off waivers from Toronto in late December but won't wind up making it to Opening Day on the Orioles' 40-man roster. Andrew Velazquez was claimed off waivers from Cleveland in a corresponding move.

Velazquez was claimed off waivers by the Orioles on Wednesday.

In Baltimore, Velazquez seems to find himself in a situation where at-bats will be easier to come by than they were in Cleveland. That's not to say Velazquez is a favorite to play a significant role for his new club, or even to make the roster, as he's slashed .152/.222/.242 across just 36 big-league plate appearances to date. Richard Urena was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.