MLB Player News

Mondesi (knee) will undergo follow-up tests Monday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

The goal of the tests is simply to get a better idea as to how Mondesi's recovery from a torn left ACL is going. The infielder has been hitting and taking grounders lately, although not on an everyday basis. Mondesi is not expected to be ready for Opening Day, but we could find out more regarding his timetable following Monday's tests.

Lopez is projected to secure the final spot on the Blue Jays' bench for Opening Day, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Toronto already has plenty of versatility on the infield with Santiago Espinal and Cavan Biggio all but locked into roster spots, but Lopez would provide added flexibility. The 24-year-old has only 11 big-league plate appearances over the last two seasons, but he slashed .297/.378/.415 through 91 games with Triple-A Buffalo in 2022 while playing second base, shortstop, center field and left field, and he's stolen double-digit bases in each of the last four minor-league campaigns. Lopez isn't hurting his chances of breaking camp on the 26-man roster either, going 7-for-15 to begin his spring with a 2:2 BB:K.

Ahmed (forearm) is starting at shortstop and batting sixth Monday versus the Royals.

Ahmed will make his spring training debut Monday after experiencing some inflammation in his right forearm, forcing him to miss the first week-and-a-half of action. The 32-year-old only played in 17 games last season while dealing with injury, producing a .231 average with three homers, seven RBI and seven runs scored over 52 at-bats.

Velazquez is starting in center field for the Angels in Monday's Cactus League contest versus the Guardians, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Velazquez has played the outfield a decent amount in the minors, but his major-league experience is almost exclusively on the infield. However, the 28-year-old's best chance to be useful to the Angels is as a super utility player so he's going to see some action all over the field this spring.

Smith, who went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 10-3 Cactus League loss to the Padres, is now hitting .353 (6-for-17) across seven Cactus League contests.

Smith has hit safely in three of the last four exhibitions, and he also notably got Cactus League play off to a rousing start with a two-hit, three-RBI day against the Diamondbacks on Feb. 25. On the other hand, he has a 0:8 BB:K so far this spring after posting a 27.8 percent strikeout rate in the majors in 2022, and a 30.0 percent rate at Triple-A. The 26-year-old struggled to a .180/.216/.302 slash line across 151 plate appearances at the big-league level last year, but he's put up impressive power/speed numbers at every minor-league stop and can potentially fill in at shortstop, third base, designated hitter and the corner outfield spots.

Ahmed (forearm) will most likely start at shortstop Monday, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Monday would be Ahmed's debut after he missed the first week-and-a-half of Cactus League action with a forearm/wrist injury. He entered camp coming off shoulder surgery, but that was not considered a major issue prior to the latest injury.

Pena is likely to drop down in the Astros' everyday lineup, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Pena hit second for most of the 2022 season for the Astros, but Houston manager Dusty Baker has stated that a healthy Michael Brantley will hit second when in the lineup in 2023. While the Astros have strong depth, a drop in the lineup could result in fewer run-scoring opportunities for the second-year player, though it also could lead to more chances to drive in runs for the defending World Series champions. In his first year of MLB action, Pena slashed .253/.289/.426 with 22 homers, 11 steals and 63 RBI in 136 games.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone indicated Saturday that Volpe has a chance to break camp with the Yankees, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

Coming into the spring, it was generally presumed that Volpe would open the 2023 campaign at the Triple-A level, but the 21-year-old may be changing that narrative with his strong play thus far. Through five Grapefruit League contests, he has gone 5-for-15 with two doubles, a home run and two stolen bases, prompting Boone to say that the club is "paying attention" in regard to Volpe's chances of making the Opening Day roster. Volpe has logged some time at second base this spring, but he's played mostly shortstop throughout his time in the minors, and both Oswald Peraza and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are also vying to start at that position for the Yankees this season. Boone acknowledged that Volpe's lack of professional experience could come into play when final roster decisions are made, saying, "That's part of his case and case against and story. Yeah, it's all part of the equation that you gotta make a decision on at some point."

Smith should benefit from the Rangers' decision to designate Mark Mathias for assignment Saturday, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Mathias was bumped from the 40-man roster to create space for reliever Will Smith, who was signed by the Rangers on Saturday. Weaver goes into great detail as to what the transaction means for several players on the roster, including Smith, who was in a battle to make the team in a utility role. While he can't provide the right-handed bench bat that Mathias did, Smith's ability to play shortstop gives the Rangers insurance that Mathias could not supply. Smith, who came to Texas in the Joey Gallo trade, posted a .197/.307/.249 line over 253 plate appearances in 2022.

De La Cruz tripled against the Royals' Aroldis Chapman on Saturday, and later homered in the Reds' spring training loss, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

De La Cruz hit the triple from the right-hand side and then later hit the homer left-handed. He's not going to make the Reds out of spring training most likely, given his age and lack of experience, but if he comes out firing right out of the chute, he could push for a midseason promotion.