MLB Player News

Dubon is expected to compete for a bench role in spring training, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Dubon played in 74 games at the major-league level last season, posting a .240/.278/.377 slash line with five home runs and 22 RBI. He's a natural middle infielder, but he has also seen time at center field. Both Dubon and Thairo Estrada are out of options, so winning a utility role out of camp will be key for each of them remaining in the Giants' organization. It's unlikely either of them will be able to supplant more veteran players like Tommy La Stella (Achilles), Brandon Crawford or Evan Longoria for a regular role in the infield.

Merrifield is expected to begin the season as the Royals' primary right fielder, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Merrifield provided quality defense at second base last season, but the Royals plan on using Adalberto Mondesi at shortstop, which moves Nicky Lopez back to second. This likely won't affect Merrifield's versatility -- he's moved between the infield and outfield with relative ease before and will likely draw some starts in a number of positions this season. The 33-year-old hasn't missed a game in this last three seasons and he's twice logged 40 stolen bases in his career, so he's a quality fantasy option for managers in need of speed.

Lopez is likely to open the season as the Royals' primary second baseman, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Getting Adalberto Mondesi back on a regular basis, plus the expected arrival of Bobby Witt, gives the Royals a lot of flexibility in the infield. Lopez primarily played shortstop last season with Mondesi battling a number of injuries. It was a breakout season for Lopez -- he slashed .300/.365/.378 with 22 stolen bases, six triples and two home runs in 151 games. With a shift back to the keystone for Lopez, Whit Merrifield would likely take on an everyday role in right field, though his versatility could see him spell a number of players around the diamond.

Wong signed a minor-league contract with the Angels on Wednesday that includes an invite to major-league spring training.

Wong was let go by the Angels in late November after he appeared in 32 games with the club in 2021 and slashed .167/.194/.233 with six RBI and three runs. Even if he joins the major-league club at some point in 2022, he's unlikely to have a significant role.

Texas manager Chris Woodward suggested Tuesday that a platoon at third base is possible, but indicated Ibanez could be the everyday starter, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Although prospect Josh Jung (shoulder) will eventually take control of third base, his injury will keep him out until late in the season. Who mans the hot corner until Jung is ready should be one of the more closely watched job battles in camp. Ibanez slashed .277/.321/.435 with a 107 OPS+ through 76 games in 2021, but only 11 of those came at third base. He's improved his defense since joining the Rangers, and he appears to have the offensive edge over other candidates. "As far as Andy goes, if he hits, if he plays the position really well and hits at a high clip, he may end up being the everyday guy," Woodward said, while adding Ibanez will have to earn it. The manager said Nick Solak, who had been mentioned as a candidate, will mainly be focused on left field. Yonny Hernandez remains in the mix, but he doesn't have the offensive profile that Ibanez does. Any prospects that profile at third base are unlikely, as president of baseball operations Jon Daniels emphasized the organization will not rush prospects.

Marte (eye) missed a second consecutive day of workouts Tuesday, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Marte has irritation in his left eye, which isn't expected to linger too long. At this point, there's no talk of him missing Opening Day.

Torres' starting role for 2022 is in question following Tuesday's re-signing of Anthony Rizzo and the recent acquisitions of Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Torres had 62 homers and 167 RBI across his first two big-league seasons, but over the past two years he's managed only 12 home runs and 67 RBI in 169 contests. The drop-off was cause for concern heading into 2022, and the Yankees now boast a deeper infield group. Kiner-Falefa has a strong glove and should remain at shortstop, leaving Torres and DJ LeMahieu to potentially split time at the keystone with Donaldson at third base and Rizzo at first. However, Donaldson could see more action as the designated hitter in his age-36 season, which would open up opportunities across the infield. It remains to be seen exactly how the Yankees split up the playing time, but Torres could be the odd man out for the starting infield unless LeMahieu primarily operates as a super-utility player.

McNeil will be the Mets' primary second baseman this season, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Robinson Cano will be returning from a PED suspension and will factor into the picture as well, but he'll also feature at designated hitter and potentially at first base. McNeil can play the outfield corners when Cano handles the keystone, but it sounds as if manager Buck Showalter experts to write McNeil in as his second baseman most nights. Performance will of course be a factor in how frequently McNeil plays this season, as he struggled to a .251/.319/.360 line last year after posting a .319/.383/.501 line in his first three years in the league, but fantasy managers can at least draft him as if he doesn't have major playing-time concerns to start the year.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Sunday that Garcia, who finished the 2021 season on the injured list with a strained oblique, is healthy again and will focus on playing shortstop during spring training, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Martinez added that Garcia will continue to get reps at second base as well, but the skipper noted that the 21-year-old slimmed down this offseason with the aim of improving his agility and being better equipped to handle shortstop. Even if Garcia isn't able to show enough defensive polish to stick at shortstop throughout the season, he should have a consistent role at one of the everyday spots, as the Nationals can always shift Cesar Hernandez over to third base to open up the keystone for Garcia if needed. While Garcia's production over his first two seasons with Washington hasn't been particularly fantasy-friendly, the fact that he's already accrued 386 plate appearances in the majors at an age when most his contemporaries are in the lower levels of the minors bodes well for his long-term outlook.

Rodriguez has been invited to big-league camp this spring.

Rodriguez progressed to High-A Winston-Salem in August of 2021 and finished the year by making four appearances at Double-A Birmingham. Across 33 games with the two clubs, he hit .346 with five homers, 21 runs, 19 RBI and five stolen bases. The 20-year-old will develop with the big-league coaching staff this spring but appears likely to begin the 2022 campaign in Birmingham.