MLB Player News

Rojas is slated to serve as the Marlins' Opening Day shortstop, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Rojas will likely have to settle for short-side platoon duty at shortstop once J.T. Riddle (shoulder) is back to optimal health -- perhaps in early-to-mid-April -- but he should get a look in a full-time role over the Marlins' first handful of games. Though he has held his own at the plate with a .340 on-base percentage in spring training, Rojas' marginal power and career .256 batting average make him ideally suited for a utility role in the infield.

Anderson (shoulder) is in the lineup for Monday's exhibition game against the Charlotte Knights.

Anderson was scratched from Sunday's game with minor shoulder soreness, but the issue appears to be very minor as he's already back in the lineup. He should be good to go by Opening Day, barring any setbacks.

Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro said Friday that Bichette will open the 2018 season at Double-A New Hampshire, TSN.ca reports.

He'll be joined in the Eastern League by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., giving New Hampshire the most highly regarded pair of hitting prospects of any affiliate across the minors. While splitting time between Low-A Lansing and High-A Dunedin last season, Bichette captured the minor-league batting title with a .362 average and accumulated 59 extra-base hits (14 home runs) and 22 steals across 499 plate appearances. The 20-year-old will appear in exhibition games with the Blue Jays in Montreal on Monday and Tuesday before reporting to New Hampshire ahead of his second year of full-season ball.

Diaz is projected to receive the starting nod at shortstop over Yangervis Solarte in the Blue Jays' season opener Thursday against the Yankees, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports.

The two players have been competing in spring training for the gig since Troy Tulowitzki was officially ruled out for the start of the season in mid-March due to a bone spur in his heel. There haven't been any reports that Tulowitzki is close to playing in rehab games, so with an extended absence potentially on tap, Diaz and Solarte could both end up seeing semi-regular starts early on in the season. Diaz presumably has the leg up on Solarte due to his superior spring at the plate, but neither player has been particularly effective during Grapefruit League action. Manager John Gibbons could end up riding the hot bat at the position until Tulowitzki is available, affording Diaz little job security to begin the campaign.

The Padres are expected to place Cordoba (concussion) on the 60-day disabled list, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Cordoba is still suffering from concussion-like symptoms following a mid-February car accident, with manager Andy Green indicating last week that the 22-year-old is "not getting better at all" in his recovery. With Cordoba's return to baseball activities not imminent, the Padres will shut him down for the next two months and open up an extra spot on the 40-man roster in the process. After slashing just .208/.282/.297 across 227 plate appearances with the Padres last season as a Rule 5 pick, it's expected that Cordoba will report to the minors once he progresses to the point of playing in games.

The Orioles reassigned Sardinas to minor-league camp Sunday, Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com reports.

Sardinas earned an invitation to spring training to complete for the role of utility infielder, which was won by Danny Valencia. The 24-year-old has struggled in the majors with a career .229/.278/.293 slash line in 480 plate appearances and should return to Triple-A Norfolk to start the season.

White Sox manager Rick Renteria said Anderson will be held out of Sunday's Cactus League game against the Brewers due to minor soreness in the shortstop's left shoulder, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Anderson picked up the injury while diving in the field for a ball Friday against the Mariners. The shoulder issue likely won't threaten Anderson's availability for the start of the season. Anderson is slated to serve in an everyday role at shortstop this season, though he'll likely slot near the bottom of the order after delivering a woeful .276 on-base percentage across 606 plate appearances in 2017.

The Mariners reassigned Vincej to their minor-league camp Sunday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Vincej was a long shot to crack the Opening Day roster with Andrew Romine and Taylor Motter viewed within the organization as superior utility options. After spending most of the 2017 campaign with Triple-A Louisville in the Reds organization, Vincej is expected to get his first taste of the Pacific Coast League this season while playing primarily with Triple-A Tacoma.

Castro was reassigned to minor-league camp Sunday, Jenny Cavnar of AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain reports.

Castro saw an opening to crack the Opening Day roster when shortstop Pat Valaika suffered an oblique injury during camp. With Valaika returning to action last week, Castro unfortunately saw his chances dwindle. He'll likely begin the 2018 season with Triple-A Albuquerque but could make his way back to the majors as a utility piece if an injury occurs.

Owings went 0-for-3 with a walk in Friday's 6-1 loss to the Indians, dropping his on-base percentage to .311 during Cactus League action.

The underwhelming spring numbers won't affect Owings' bid for the Opening Day roster, as his spot is secure with Arizona planning to use him as the club's top utility man. With Steven Souza (pectoral) slated to open the season on the disabled list and likely to be sidelined through mid-May, Owings could see most of his action in the corner outfield initially, perhaps working on the soft side of a platoon with Jarrod Dyson. Owings' experience in the middle infield could also afford him a start or two per week if manager Torey Lovullo wants to give a day of rest to either Ketel Marte or Nick Ahmed.