MLB Player News

Vargas could ascend to Double-A by the start of the 2020 minor-league season but is more likely to begin with High-A Rancho Cucamonga, Howard Cole of Sports Illustrated reports.

Vargas has demonstrated excellent hitting acumen in his first two minor-league seasons, slashing .314/.387/.447 with a 78:119 BB:K over 788 plate appearances. However, his power has thus far been limited to doubles, as he has 53 two-baggers versus only nine home runs as a professional. Defensively, Vargas may be better suited to play first base considering his limited range and average arm, per Baseball America.

Albies has continued to fine tune his swing mechanics while the season is suspended, particularly from the left side, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The young switch hitter has been better from the right side in his big-league career to date, but Albies showed improvement from the left side of the plate in 2019, boosting his OPS from .696 to .778 as he made an effort to pull the ball less often. As Bowman notes, Albies is one of only three switch hitters in major-league history to hit .275 or better with 50 or more homers and an OPS of .800 or better through his age-22 season, joining Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray.

Lux has been staying sharp during MLB's hiatus by working out at a friend's gym and taking batting practice at his high school field, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Lux has been slowed but not stopped by the suspension of play as he continues to work out for about two hours per day in order to stay ready for a potential resumption of play. When he isn't able to make the long drive to the gym (his friend has lent Lux a key so that he can work out alone) or hit outdoors (Lux lives in Wisconsin, where April can include harsh weather), the 22-year-old works out using dumbbells in a makeshift home gym. While Lux is not guaranteed to make the Dodgers' Opening Day roster, he's expected to play a major role on the squad at some point during the 2020 campaign.

Hoerner could land himself a role in the majors and regular playing time whenever the regular season is able to begin, Tim Stebbins of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Before play was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, Hoerner was likely looking at starting the year at Triple-A Iowa to get more regular playing time. However, if rosters are expanded and the schedule gets compacted as expected, the 22-year-old might stick in the majors from the start. The thinking is that with fewer off days, teams will need to rotate players more, and that could get Hoerner the requisite at-bats at the MLB level. He certainly looked the part of a big-league player when he made his debut last season, posting a .282 batting average and three home runs in 20 games.

Miller is expected to open the 2020 campaign with Triple-A El Paso and could be considered for a big-league callup at some point during the season, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Miller fared well at the Double-A level last season, slashing .290/.355/.430 with 13 home runs and 68 RBI in 560 plate appearances. That makes a promotion to Triple-A logical, with an opportunity to reach the big leagues within reach if Miller is able to continue his two-year run of minor-league success. While the 23-year-old is labeled as a shortstop, Sanders reports that he is seen as a "Swiss Army knife player," having complemented his work at shortstop with time at second and third base. He also began practicing at first base this spring. Miller's versatility is especially important since Fernando Tatis appears destined to be San Diego's starting shortstop for the foreseeable future.

Gimenez is a likely beneficiary if big-league teams are allowed to use expanded rosters to accommodate a shortened or compacted schedule, Deesha Thosar of The New York Daily News reports.

Proposals have been floated that would see a 29-man roster in MLB for at least the first month of a shortened season. In that scenario, Gimenez -- the Mets' No. 6 fantasy prospect -- could find a home on the bench, giving the club extra insurance at second base in case Robinson Cano is unable to return to form. The 21-year-old's bat still appears to be behind his glove, however, so expectations for Gimenez's offensive production should be kept in check if he does get playing time in the majors this season.

Garcia spent the spring working on his hitting mechanics to use his lower half more and drive the ball, Byron Kerr of MASN Sports reports. "That's how we started it the first day," Nationals minor-league hitting coordinator Troy Gingrich said this week. "We went in there and compared him [to Juan Soto's swing], because he loves Juan obviously. So we threw him up there next to Juan and he could see the difference in how Juan uses his lower half compared to how [Garcia] uses his lower half. He focused hard on this."

The organization's No. 2 fantasy prospect, Garcia's outstanding hit tool and strong defensive work have carried him through the minors so far, but he'll need to become a bigger offensive threat if he's going to realize his full potential. Gingrich expects him to put it all together, though. "Because he trusts his hands so much, a lot times, his lower half will shut down and it will just be a handsy swing," Gingrich said of the 19-year-old. "We are trying to get his legs involved more, to be more connected with his hands to be able to drive the ball a little bit more. So once he's able to get his legs and hands working connected, he's going to start driving balls. He's very athletic and he's very handsy. With him, we are just trying to get him fully rotated with his backside through the baseball. Once that happens, holy cow, this kid is pretty special." A breakout campaign at the plate in the upper minors this season could put Garcia on track to break into the Nats' starting lineup in 2021.

Frazier is expected to primarily play at second base in 2020 while occasionally shifting to the outfield when the team utilizes a four-man outfield, The Athletic Pittsburgh reports.

His offensive production in 2019 was fairly pedestrian, with the 28-year-old slashing .278/.336/.417 with 80 runs scored, 10 homers and two stolen bases in 608 plate appearances. Frazier played with a fractured right index finger for the first part of the season, however, and he still contributed defensively with the 37th highest defensive WAR (4.9) in the majors. He hit leadoff early in the season but moved to seventh following the emergence of Kevin Newman. Frazier is expected to bat higher this season, possibly even third, with former No. 3 hitter Starling Marte dealt to Arizona. The second baseman became the subject of his own trade rumors over the winter, but he'll see steady at-bats while he remains in a Pittsburgh uniform.

India hit .227/.321/.409 with one homer in 28 spring training plate appearances before he was sent to the Reds' minor-league camp.

India made it to Double-A Chattanooga last season, hitting .270/.414/.378 in 34 games. With Eugenio Suarez locked in at third base for the Reds, there's no clear path for India to play at the big-league level, but as yet his performance hasn't created any urgency to promote him to Cincinnati either.

Hernandez is likely to log time at second base this season, though the division of playing time remains uncertain, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

While many expected Gavin Lux to claim a near-everyday spot in the lineup after dominating in the minors last season, Gurnick suggests that the 22-year-old could feasibly begin the campaign back at the Triple-A level. Even if Lux does make the big-league roster, the Dodgers are likely to find a fair amount of playing time for veterans Chris Taylor and Hernandez throughout the season, with second base being the primary position for both players. It bears mentioning that the mechanical adjustments Hernandez made to his swing over the offseason appeared to pay off in Cactus League play, as he posted a .300/.323/.667 slash line with three home runs and nine RBI before spring training was suspended.