MLB Player News

Kim could see time in the outfield in 2021, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Kim has not logged any time in the outfield during his professional career, but he is blocked at his usual position (shortstop) by Fernando Tatis and won't see frequent time at third as long as Manny Machado is healthy. The Padres are most likely to deploy Kim at second base, though they consider him an option in the outfield if the need arises. Jake Cronenworth is also being discussed as an outfield option, and each player may ultimately end up bouncing around the field a bit during the campaign.

Mayfield was designated for assignment by Atlanta on Wednesday.

Mayfield was claimed off waivers in November, but he'll now be cast off the 40-man roster after the team claimed outfielder Guillermo Heredia off waivers Wednesday. Mayfield appeared in 21 games for the Astros last season and hit .190 with three RBI.

Manager Craig Counsell said Monday that the Brewers will give Urias a chance to compete for the starting shortstop job during spring training, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

After the Brewers added two-time Gold Glove winner Kolten Wong earlier in the offseason to handle everyday duties at second base, Urias will turn his focus to earning a role on the left side of the infield. Orlando Arcia was the Brewers' primary starter at shortstop in 2020, and though he finished with a career-best .733 OPS, he's hardly entrenched at the position. To that end, Counsell noted Wednesday that Arcia will also see a "substantial amount" of use at third base this spring, per Haudricourt, as the Brewers look to keep both Urias and Arcia prepared to fill a utility role in the event non-roster invitee Travis Shaw emerges as the Opening Day starter at the hot corner. Urias will likely need a good spring to earn a regular starting job ahead of Arcia and/or Shaw, as he posted an underwhelming .239/.308/.294 slash line over 120 plate appearances in 2020 while missing time due to wrist surgery and a positive COVID-19 test.

Rodgers (shoulder) is fully healthy to begin spring training and could compete for time at second base, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Rodgers missed the final month of the 2020 season due to what was considered a minor right shoulder strain, but he felt healthy during the offseason and continued to add muscle. He'll compete for the starting job at second base with Garrett Hampson this spring, and he could enter Cactus League play as the favorite for the role with Ryan McMahon shifting to the hot corner, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports. He'll also take grounders at shortstop and third base and could take over as the starting shortstop if the team trades Trevor Story this season. The 24-year-old has been limited by shoulder injuries in each of his first two major-league seasons and slashed .196/.235/.227 with nine home runs and a 32.4 percent strikeout rate over 32 games across the past two years.

Hoerner will compete for the starting job at second base this spring, though he's also a candidate to begin the year at Triple-A Iowa, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Hoerner and David Bote are the top candidates for the everyday job at second, and whoever loses that battle may end up serving as a utility infielder. However, if Hoerner loses out, the organization may decide to get him regular at-bats at Triple-A Iowa rather than have him play sporadically in the majors, with Ildemaro Vargas likely taking the utility role in that scenario. Hoerner disappointed with a .571 OPS in 2020, but the 23-year-old still has plenty of potential and could seize a prominent role with a strong spring.

Frazier was named the Pirates' starting second baseman Monday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Frazier started 40 games at second base last season as well as 13 more in left field. His .230/.297/.364 slash line was rather unimpressive, but the Pirates aren't exactly loaded with talent at the big-league level right now. Erik Gonzalez, Kevin Newman and Cole Tucker are the team's top alternatives at second base, with someone among that group likely to start at shortstop in most games.

Peguero wasn't present Monday for the Pirates' first workout for position players at spring training while he contends with visa issues, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

In addition to Peguero, fellow infielders and Dominican countrymen Erik Gonzalez and Wilmer Difo were absent from camp while they look to resolve their respective immigration statuses. Whenever he arrives at camp, the 20-year-old Peguero will get the opportunity to train with some of the Pirates' MLB players and higher-level minor-leaguers, but he's not a serious candidate to break camp with the big club. Look for the shortstop to open the 2021 campaign at the Low-A or High-A level.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo and general manager Mike Hazen have discussed lineup permutations depending on what position Marte plays, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

The Diamondbacks envision the flexibility Marte affords them, bouncing between center field and second base, but the decision-makers want to get the player's input first. "The luxury it affords us is that it allows us to be even more creative with how we feel we're putting the best eight hitters on the field on a given day," Hazen said. "The downside to that is what impact does that have on Ketel, because he's always the guy who has to make the adjustment." If outfielder Tim Locastro or catcher/outfielder Daulton Varsho have good springs, Marte could play second base; if infielders competing for a spot -- Josh Rojas, Josh VanMeter, Asdrubal Cabrera, Wyatt Mathisen or Andy Young -- impress this spring, then Marte could make center field his primary spot. But it all starts with Marte buying into such an arrangement.

Vargas was invited to the Dodgers' major-league spring training Tuesday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Vargas looked good at the Low-A and High-A levels in 2019, hitting .308/.380/.440 while stealing 13 bases, but the canceled minor-league schedules last year prevented him from continuing up the ladder. He'll need to prove himself in the upper minors before pushing for a roster spot.

Stott will join the Phillies at spring training as part of the team's minor-league mini-camp.

Stott won't technically be part of big-league camp but will get to be around the major-league team for a few weeks. He's still a year or two away from joining the team on a permanent basis, however, as he's played just 48 professional games, none of which have come in full-season ball.