MLB Player News

The Red Sox plan to assign Mayer to Triple-A Worcester prior to Thursday's season opener versus the Rangers, Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reports.

Though manager Alex Cora didn't dismiss the possibility of Mayer breaking camp with the big club even in the latter stages of spring training, the 22-year-old infielder always appeared likely to begin the season at Triple-A. Mayer will be joined at Worcester by another elite prospect in outfielder Roman Anthony, while second baseman Kristian Campbell will be the first of the Red Sox's "Big Three" prospects to reach the big leagues. Though Mayer impressed with a .983 OPS in Grapefruit League play, the Red Sox will likely want the shortstop to find some success at the Triple-A level early on in the season before giving him the call to the majors. Mayer could also get some more exposure to second base and third base at Worcester in an effort to increase his versatility and potentially expedite his arrival to the majors.

The Twins placed Stewart (hamstring) on the 15-day injured list Thursday.

Stewart departed his final Grapefruit League appearance March 15 with a left hamstring strain, he's since returned to action, most recently throwing 20 pitches in a minor-league game Saturday. He could return from the injured list in the first half of April.

The Red Sox plan to assign Anthony to Triple-A Worcester prior to Thursday's season opener versus the Rangers, Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reports.

Though Boston has yet to make any formal transaction with Anthony after he took part in big-league camp and posted a .715 OPS in Grapefruit League play, the 20-year-old's chances of making the Opening Day roster likely evaporated after Wilyer Abreu was able to overcome a gastrointestinal issue before the end of spring training. Anthony will thus head back to Triple-A, but he might not have to wait long to make his MLB debut if he continues to mash at Worcester like he did following his promotion from Double-A Portland last August. Over his 164 plate appearances with Worcester to close out the 2024 minor-league season, Anthony slashed .344/.463/.519 with three home runs and five stolen bases.

According to Angels' manager Ron Washington, Neto (shoulder) isn't ready for game action and has "no date" for his return, per MLB.com.

Neto hasn't necessarily had a setback -- it's long been expected that he'd open the season on the injured list -- but fantasy managers who are stashing the talented young shortstop will need to wait a bit longer to learn of a clear timeline for his return. It remains in play for Neto to return to big-league action at some point in April, especially since he was recently described as being "ahead of schedule" in his rehab from last November's right shoulder surgery, though Washington added that the 24-year-old will see some work in minor-league rehab games before making his season debut for the Angels. While Neto remains out, Kevin Newman, Tim Anderson, Nicky Lopez and Kyren Paris could all log time at shortstop for the Halos.

Casas (hand) is expected to be ready to play Thursday against the Rangers, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

X-rays were negative after Casas attempted to field a bad hop with his bare hand Monday. Manager Alex Cora noted after Tuesday's exhibition that Casas was sore but feeling "a lot better," while the decision to hold him out Tuesday was described as precautionary. With that, Casas appears to be in line to bat cleanup against right-hander Nathan Eovaldi on Opening Day, though fantasy managers may want to confirm his status before first pitch.

The Angels optioned Lugo to Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.

The Angels' recent history of aggressively promoting prospects coupled with the release of Mickey Moniak on Tuesday fueled speculation that Lugo might break camp with the big club, but Los Angeles instead elected to carry Kyren Paris as a fourth outfielder on the Opening Day roster. The 23-year-old Lugo shouldn't have to wait long to make his MLB debut, especially if he continues to produce well at the plate with Salt Lake early on in the season after he held his own during spring training. Though he struck out at 29.5 percent clip and had a 3.3 percent walk rate over 61 plate appearances in the Cactus League, Lugo hit .293 with seven extra-base hits (four doubles, three triples) and two stolen bases.

The Angels optioned Noda to Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.

Noda batted .182 this spring, but 15 walks in 49 plate appearances helped him finish the Cactus League with an .813 OPS. Despite his display of plate discipline and ability to play first base and the corner outfield, he'll have to work his way back into the majors by maintaining success at the Triple-A level.

The Angels optioned Robinson to Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.

After slashing .154/.371/.192 across 36 spring plate appearances, Robinson will head back to Triple-A to begin 2025, leaving Logan O'Hoppe and Travis d'Arnaud as the Halos' big-league backstops. Robinson owns just a .364 OPS across 136 plate appearances in his MLB career, so he'll likely need a drastic turnaround in Salt Lake to have any hope of returning to Anaheim in 2025.

The Twins placed Lee (back) on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a lumbar strain.

Lee's back began to tighten up on him toward the very end of spring training, and he won't be able to make it back for Opening Day. Reps at third base will likely be handed down to Jose Miranda and Willi Castro while Lee and Royce Lewis (hamstring) are out, but Lee should be able to take over at the hot corner once he returns.

The Angels placed Bachman on the 15-day injured list Wednesday due to thoracic outlet syndrome, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Bachman previously had shoulder surgery in the fall of 2023, and he's now tending to a new health concern that prevented him from making any appearances during the Cactus League. According to Bollinger, Bachman isn't expected to require surgery to address the condition, leaving the Angels optimistic that he might be able to avoid a stint on the 60-day IL and return within the next two months.