MLB Player News

Kansas City optioned Misner to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.

Misner was traded from the Rays to the Royals in November. The speedy outfielder stole 22 bases in 30 attempts with Tampa Bay last season but posted a poor .618 OPS and 31.8 percent strikeout rate. Misner has intriguing speed and power, but his struggles making contact could be an obstacle to him spending much time in the majors.

The Rays optioned Melton to Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Acquired from the Astros in a three-team trade over the winter, Melton was pushing for the fourth outfielder job with the Rays but will instead start the season at Triple-A. The 25-year-old Melton made his MLB debut last season with Houston and posted a .419 OPS with one extra-base hit, seven RBI, seven runs scored, seven stolen bases and a 6:29 BB:K across 78 trips to the plate.

Butler (knees) is batting third as the designated hitter in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the White Sox.

It's the first game action of spring training for Butler, who was brought along slowly early in camp after he underwent surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee in October while also receiving a PRP injection for tendinitis in his left knee around the same time. The 25-year-old is expected to play the outfield later this week, assuming there's no issues in his first spring action as a DH.

Montgomery will begin the 2026 season with Double-A Birmingham.

Montgomery hit .348 with one home run, six strikeouts and zero walks in 24 spring plate appearances. He also logged a 1.161 OPS in 12 Arizona Fall League games after slashing .272/.364/.416 with one home run and a 28.7 percent strikeout rate in 34 games at Double-A last year. Montgomery is a hulking 6-foot-2, 220-pound slugger who may not require more than a month or two at Double-A before getting the bump to Triple-A.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said Monday that Valera (calf) is feeling better but will not play for a few more days, MLB.com reports.

Valera has what the manager termed is a "mild" calf strain. He's resumed hitting and throwing but is not yet running.

The Blue Jays optioned Clase to Triple-A Buffalo on Monday.

Clase was a longshot candidate to make the Blue Jays' Opening Day roster. The 23-year-old will start the season in the minors but would be a top candidate for a major-league call-up if Toronto requires additional depth in the outfield. Clase appeared in 34 regular-season games for the Blue Jays in 2025, with most of those appearances taking place between early May and late June. He posted a .588 OPS with three steals, two home runs and nine RBI in 112 major-league plate appearances last year.

Butler (knees) is expected to start at designated hitter in Tuesday's Cactus League contest against the White Sox and could resume playing the outfield in a game as soon as Thursday versus the Mariners, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Butler is on the cusp of making his spring debut, after the Athletics have eased him along slowly in camp following his October surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. Around the same time, he also received a platelet-rich plasma injection to treat tendinitis in his left knee, but Butler appears to have avoided any setbacks with either knee so far during camp. He hasn't faced any restrictions with his hitting during the spring, and he looked to be moving at full speed when he ran the bases in a pregame workout Sunday. Butler has presumably been increasing his participation in defensive drills over the last few days as well, so assuming his knees check out fine after he makes his start at DH, he could be ready to play center or right field a couple days later.

Thomas started in right field and went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's Cactus League loss to the Guardians.

Thomas opened the scoring, blasting a solo homer off Tanner Bibee that left the bat at 110.2 mph. Through 15 Cactus League appearances, he's hitting .250/.270/.472 with two doubles, two homers and eight RBI. Coming off a rookie campaign in which he slashed .225/.267/.417 with five doubles, six homers and 19 RBI in 49 games, Thomas is battling for a spot on the Athletics' bench as a reserve outfielder alongside Carlos Cortes.

Arozarena went 0-for-2 with a pair of walks and a run scored in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Reds.

It was Arozarena's first appearance with the Mariners since the World Baseball Classic, where he went 2-for-13 with a double and a stolen base with Team Mexico. In 2025, Arozarena slashed .238/.334/.426 with a career-high 27 homers, 76 RBI and 31 steals across 613 regular-season plate appearances.

Loperfido is in the mix to start the season in Houston's Opening Day outfield, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Loperfido has put together a strong spring since rejoining the Astros, batting .333 (10-for-30) with an .896 OPS, a home run and two stolen bases across 13 games. Loperfido has seen some time in center field with Jake Meyers reportedly on the trading block. If Meyers does ultimately start the year in Houston, the lefty-batting Loperfido would likely occupy the strong side of a corner outfield platoon.