MLB Player News

Nationals manager Dusty Baker fell just short of naming Espinosa his Opening Day shortstop following Monday's intrasquad game, Jamal Collier of MLB.com reports.

This isn't much of a surprise, but the question for the Nats at shortstop is more when they intend to bring up top prospect Trea Turner rather than if. Espinosa may be the starter at the beginning of April, but his stint could be a short one.

Adames is among the candidates being considered to fill the temporary vacancy the Rockies may have at shortstop to begin the season if Jose Reyes is suspended.

Trevor Story reached the 20-20 plateau between Double-A and Triple-A last season, but the Rockies may want him to receive additional seasoning in the minors early on to avoid using an entire year of service time. Meanwhile, Adams hit .311/.362/.438 with 11 homers and 11 steals in 116 games at Triple-A Albuquerque last season, but struggled in his limited chances with the Rockies to the tune of a .245/.298/.302 line in 53 at-bats. That he's already debuted in the big leagues should at least be a small mark in Adames' favor, but he'll need to prove ready to handle the assignment this spring.

Hernandez will be Corey Seager's primary backup at shortstop but should also see time at several other positions, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Hernandez could be in line for something in the range of 300 plate appearances while seeing time at 2B, SS, 3B, and the outfield. Despite hitting a robust .307/.346/.490 in 218 plate appearances last year though, Hernandez will need one or more regulars to get hurt or underperform to see regular playing time.

Beckham is aiming to be the Braves' starting third baseman, MLB.com reports. "My goal is to play third every day, and that's what I want to do," Beckham said. "They said I would have an opportunity to do that. I'm just going to take them at their word and go out there with my head down for about a month. Hopefully, at the end of it, that will be where I am at."

A short-end platoon role at second base alongside Jace Peterson seems like a worst-case scenario for Beckham to start the season, but he's aiming much higher. Manager Fredi Gonzalez is said to be keeping an open mind, and the competition ahead of Beckham at third (Adonis Garcia and Kelly Johnson) isn't exactly stellar, but Beckham will need to show significant improvement at the dish in order to win an everyday job. He posted just a .607 OPS in 100 games for the White Sox last year and has largely struggled at the major league level since his rookie season in 2009.

Drury will compete for the D-backs' starting second base job this spring, the Arizona Republic reports.

Chris Owings, who is now more than a year removed from shoulder surgery, and Phil Gosselin appear to be the other candidates vying for the job. Drury hit better during his time at Triple-A Reno (.842 OPS) than he did at Double-A Mobile last season (.676 OPS), and he's flashed double-digit homer potential at the lower levels of the minor leagues. Just 23 years old, he may be better suited to play regularly at Triple-A to begin the year rather than work off the bench if he falls short of winning the starting job out of camp.

Solarte is in line to enter the 2016 season as the Padres' everyday third basemen, Corey Brock of MLB.com reports.

After a 2015 season where he made 85 starts at the position, it looks like the hot corner is where the 28-year-old will end up entering 2016. The Venezuela native also made 25 starts at first base and 14 starts at second last year, but after playing over half the year at third and posting a solid .967 fielding percentage, he will likely remain there. Cory Spangenberg, another third base option, is on tap to start the season at second given his 67 starts at the position for the Padres last year. Another potential option is Brett Wallace, but his meager five starts at third last season will likely keep him as a reserve for third base, not the starter.

Gumbs signed a minor league contract with the Reds, Baseball America reports.

A second-round pick by the Yankees in 2010, Gumbs hit the proverbial wall in his development, failing to move above High-A after his initial promotion to the level in 2013. He hit a low point in 2015, batting .176/.224/.213 in 202 plate appearances with High-A Tampa, but Gumbs is only 23 and the Reds want to see if there's something in his game that is correctable.

Hernandez has not experienced any setbacks in his recovery from right-shoulder surgery, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Although it was just minor surgery, this is great news for both the Dodgers and Hernandez. Going into 2016 the 24-year-old will look to build off his success from last season when he hit .307 and will likely be the Dodgers' top utility player.

Espinosa (hamstring) agreed to a one-year, $2.875 million deal with the Nationals on Friday, avoiding arbitration, MLB Network's Jon Heyman reports.

It seems that Espinosa is the favorite to open the season as the Nationals' starting shortstop (he will qualify at second base). However, the expectation is that Trea Turner will be up to challenge him for at-bats at some point in the first half of the season, meaning Espinosa could spend the majority of the year as a utility infielder. When he is starting, Espinosa figures to hit near the bottom of the Nationals' lineup, so there are plenty of reasons to look elsewhere to fill a middle infield spot in mixed leagues. Espinosa should be fully recovered from a hamstring injury that ailed him at the end of 2015 by the start of spring training.

Albies (thumb) was extended an invitation to major league camp for spring training, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The invite makes for a nice 19th birthday present for Albies, but this is simply about learning from veterans and building camaraderie among the Braves' core foundation of top prospects. Albies spent all of 2015 with Low-A Rome, batting .310/.368/.404 with 29 steals before a thumb injury ended his season in August.