MLB Player News

Urias will see extended reps at shortstop during spring training, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

A well-regarded prospect for San Diego, Urias has mostly played at second base while only occasionally spending some time shortstop. However, it appears San Diego would like to see if he can play at shortstop at least semi-regularly, which would increase his positional value. At 19 years old, Urias is still has a ways to go before making his big league debut, but the Padres are hoping he can continue to develop into a starting-caliber infielder.

Hernandez is slated for a bench role after the acquisition of Logan Forsythe from Tampa Bay.

He seemingly had a chance to to start at second base prior to the move, but it was widely anticipated that the Dodgers would upgrade that position, and that indeed happened. Hernandez will have to earn a utility role this spring and will face competition in the outfield (Franklin Gutierrez, Andrew Toles, Andre Ethier, Scott Van Slyke, Trayce Thompson) and to a lesser extent in the infield (Chase Utley, Rob Segedin, Chris Taylor). The Dodgers will likely keep both Utley and Hernandez as utility infielders with the latter getting occasional starts in the outfield against left-handed pitching.

With several veterans competing for the backup third base role, Arroyo will see less at-bats this spring and is destined to start the year in the minors, CSN Bay Area reports.

The Giants brought in Jimmy Rollins and Aaron Hill to compete with Conor Gillaspie for the primary backup third base role this spring. General manager Bobby Evans already acknowledged that Arroyo will lose playing time this spring because of the competition, but he also mentioned that organization "knows he can hit at this level." While that is a positive comment to hear from the GM, it also means the club has already determined that Arroyo won't be competing for a 25-man roster spot. A strong start in the minors would go a long way in forcing the Giants' hand should a spot open up in the majors at some point this season.

Manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that Forsythe is a top-of-the-order batter but not necessarily the Dodgers' leadoff hitter, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Late last month, Roberts said he expected Forsythe to lead off in 2017, but it seems he's backtracking on that idea. Perhaps Roberts is thinking about installing a lefty atop the order and then plugging Forsythe into the two-hole ahead of Corey Seager to go lefty-righty-lefty. Andrew Toles may be an option to set the table for Los Angeles.

Tomlinson is one of several options being considered to serve as a primary backup infielder this spring, CSN Bay Area reports.

Tomlinson has now had two stints in the majors as a backup infielder for the Giants and he has thrived in that role both times, slashing .299/.362/.377 with 10 steals in 313 career plate appearances. He doesn't offer much in the power department, but his speed makes him stand out on a roster that failed to produce a player with more than 15 steals last season. He will have to earn his spot on the roster, but Tomlinson has to be considered the early favorite to win the job heading into spring training.

Braves manager Brian Snitker said Albies (elbow) will spend the early portion of spring training rehabbing and won't play in the first few weeks of games, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Albies underwent surgery in September to address a fractured elbow, and though the 20-year-old hasn't had any major setbacks in his recovery, he'll still need a little more time to heal up. It's still expected that Albies will be ready to play by the beginning of the minor-league season, and he'll likely open 2017 at Triple-A Gwinnett. The Braves have no reason to rush Albies to the big leagues after recently acquiring Brandon Phillips to man the keystone, but the promising prospect is viewed as the future at that position and could make his MLB debut at some point in the second half.

Adames' roster spot could be in jeopardy with Alexi Amarista vying for a reserve utility role this spring, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Adames was afforded a sizable amount of playing time last season after Trevor Story (thumb) went down due to injury, but his batting line at the end of the season sat at a measly .218/.304/.302. The one thing going for the switch hitter is that he is out of options, meaning the Rockies would need to expose him to waivers if they wanted to send him back to the minor leagues, although with Amarista now in tow and prospect Pat Valaika also in the mix, Adames appears to be the odd man out as things stand now. This could change if the 25-year-old has a strong spring showing, although it's hard to fathom that the Rockies wouldn't give the nod to Amarista after investing over $1 million in him over the offseason.

Following the Brandon Phillips trade to Atlanta, Herrera will get more spring training reps at second base.

Herrera still might begin the year in the minors, as he doesn't profile as a utility player, and the Reds still have Jose Peraza and Zack Cozart ahead of him. But the team is also trying to peddle Cozart once he proves to be healthy, and if/when that happens, Peraza would move over to shortstop and Herrera would play second base.

Albies' rehab from surgery to repair a fractured elbow has gone well, and he should be ready for the beginning of spring training, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

He posted a video of himself hitting off a tee to his Instagram account, and the 20-year-old showed no ill effects from the elbow injury he suffered in the Double-A playoffs last season. Albies is a long shot to break camp with the Braves -- primarily due to his age and the fact that he's not yet on the 40-man roster -- but he could be manning the keystone in Atlanta and forming one of the most dynamic young double-play combos in the league alongside Dansby Swanson before the All-Star break.

Beckham signed a minor league contract with the Giants on Wednesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports.

Beckham will compete with Jae-Gyun Hwang and others for an infield spot on the 25-man roster. The 30-year-old played in only three games for San Fransisco last September after being acquired from the Braves. Never known for his hitting, Beckham batted just .217 with 30 RBIs in 88 games last season and likely won't get many opportunities in a crowded Giants infield -- even if he does make the squad.