MLB Player News

Villar is not in the Giants' lineup for Thursday's opener against the Yankees.

The Giants on multiple occasions have implied that Villar would be their regular third baseman to begin 2023, but he'll ride the pine on Opening Day. It will be Wilmer Flores handling the hot corner instead Thursday, batting third.

Bae is starting at second base and batting eighth for the Pirates in Thursday's opener against the Reds.

He gets the call over presumed starter Rodolfo Castro, who will come off the bench. Bae put up some good numbers during his brief time with the Pirates last season and could be a stolen base threat right out of the chute.

Garcia is starting at second base and batting seventh for the Nationals on Thursday versus Atlanta, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Garcia might be on the bench against some lefties this season, but he's in there for the opener versus Atlanta ace Max Fried. Ildemaro Vargas is an option for starts at the keystone on days Garcia sits.

The Nationals selected Chavis' contract from Triple-A Rochester on Thursday.

Chavis has won a reserve role after being in camp as a non-roster invitee. He could see some starts against left-handed pitching.

Haggerty hit .290 (9-for-31) with two doubles, a triple, a home run and four RBI across 34 Cactus League plate appearances.

The valued utility player put together a line representative of his ability to contribute in a wide variety of offensive categories. Haggerty generated a solid .256 average and .738 OPS across 83 games last season, and the 28-year-old also contributed a career-high 13 stolen bases in the process. Haggerty's ability to fill in at every position except catcher and first base will be especially valued while the similarly versatile Dylan Moore (oblique) is on the injured list, which projects to be until mid-April.

Gonzalez could start in right field for the White Sox in Thursday's opener versus the Astros, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Oscar Colas is in line for the bulk of the playing time in right field, but with the Astros starting southpaw Framber Valdez, the left-handed hitting Colas might start on the bench in favor of Gonzalez, with Eloy Jimenez handling the designated hitter spot. Gonzalez clubbed five homers this spring, and while it's a small sample, he sports an .874 OPS versus lefties in the big leagues.

The Blue Jays reassigned Capra to minor-league camp Tuesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Capra is expected to begin the season at Triple-A Buffalo after missing out on his bid for a bench role on the Blue Jays' Opening Day roster. With Toronto also optioning Otto Lopez to Buffalo on Tuesday, outfielder Nathan Lukes appears to have clinched the final reserve spot on the big club's season-opening squad.

The Astros optioned Bannon to Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Bannon was battling for a spot on the Astros bench in spring training, but the 26-year-old will begin the season with Sugar Land instead. He has a shot to be up with Houston this summer as a bench option, but he's unlikely to be a regular with the club in 2023 or beyond.

Bae has made the Pirates' Opening Day roster, Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review reports.

Bae is set for super-utility duties as a player who can back up second base, shortstop and center field. He has good speed but will need regular playing time to make it count, and that is difficult to project at the moment.

Gimenez and the Guardians agreed Tuesday on a seven-year, $106.5 million contract extension that includes a $23 million club option for 2030, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The buyout on the option is $2.5 million, so Gimenez is guaranteed at least $109 million and could get as much as $128 million if the option is picked up and he hits all incentives. The long-term deal starts in 2023 and covers Gimenez's last pre-arbitration year, all three arbitration years as well as three and potentially four free agent years. The 24-year-old made his first All-Star team and won a Gold Glove in 2022 with Cleveland, collecting a .297/.371/.466 batting line with 17 home runs and 20 stolen bases along the way. The Guardians are also discussing a contract extension with Amed Rosario, among others, so they could lock up their middle infield for a while.