MLB Player News

Manager Craig Counsell said Monday that the Brewers will give Urias a chance to compete for the starting shortstop job during spring training, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

After the Brewers added two-time Gold Glove winner Kolten Wong earlier in the offseason to handle everyday duties at second base, Urias will turn his focus to earning a role on the left side of the infield. Orlando Arcia was the Brewers' primary starter at shortstop in 2020, and though he finished with a career-best .733 OPS, he's hardly entrenched at the position. To that end, Counsell noted Wednesday that Arcia will also see a "substantial amount" of use at third base this spring, per Haudricourt, as the Brewers look to keep both Urias and Arcia prepared to fill a utility role in the event non-roster invitee Travis Shaw emerges as the Opening Day starter at the hot corner. Urias will likely need a good spring to earn a regular starting job ahead of Arcia and/or Shaw, as he posted an underwhelming .239/.308/.294 slash line over 120 plate appearances in 2020 while missing time due to wrist surgery and a positive COVID-19 test.

Lowe will get time at third base during spring training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lowe is slated to begin the regular season as the starting second baseman for the Rays, but his increased reps at third base should allow for more in-game defensive flexibility for manager Kevin Cash. The 26-year-old appeared in 56 games during the abbreviated 2020 season, slashing .269/.362/.554 with 14 home runs and 37 RBI.

Rodgers (shoulder) is fully healthy to begin spring training and could compete for time at second base, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Rodgers missed the final month of the 2020 season due to what was considered a minor right shoulder strain, but he felt healthy during the offseason and continued to add muscle. He'll compete for the starting job at second base with Garrett Hampson this spring, and he could enter Cactus League play as the favorite for the role with Ryan McMahon shifting to the hot corner, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports. He'll also take grounders at shortstop and third base and could take over as the starting shortstop if the team trades Trevor Story this season. The 24-year-old has been limited by shoulder injuries in each of his first two major-league seasons and slashed .196/.235/.227 with nine home runs and a 32.4 percent strikeout rate over 32 games across the past two years.

Kemp is likely to operate in a platoon role at second base again in 2020, potentially in tandem with returning veteran Jed Lowrie (knee), Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Kemp was deployed in such an arrangement with the since-departed Tommy La Stella last season, logging 43 games at the keystone. The light-hitting veteran is a career .988 fielder at second base and has just 15 career home runs in 862 plate appearances, but he brings a solid speed component to the Athletics lineup and is a highly reliable contact hitter that can also be utilized in the outfield.

Castro will compete with the likes of Akil Baddoo and potentially Isaac Paredes for a roster spot out of spring training, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Castro's role depends on how new manager A.J. Hinch decides to construct the roster. If Baddoo makes the team as a fifth outfielder, Castro could get squeezed. Paredes is also an option to play third base if Jeimer Candelario shifts over to first, which would further cloud the picture for Castro. The 27-year-old did impress with a .347/.407/.429 line in 22 games last season, so that should help his cause, and he has the versatility to play multiple positions in the infield and outfield.

Hoerner will compete for the starting job at second base this spring, though he's also a candidate to begin the year at Triple-A Iowa, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Hoerner and David Bote are the top candidates for the everyday job at second, and whoever loses that battle may end up serving as a utility infielder. However, if Hoerner loses out, the organization may decide to get him regular at-bats at Triple-A Iowa rather than have him play sporadically in the majors, with Ildemaro Vargas likely taking the utility role in that scenario. Hoerner disappointed with a .571 OPS in 2020, but the 23-year-old still has plenty of potential and could seize a prominent role with a strong spring.

Frazier was named the Pirates' starting second baseman Monday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Frazier started 40 games at second base last season as well as 13 more in left field. His .230/.297/.364 slash line was rather unimpressive, but the Pirates aren't exactly loaded with talent at the big-league level right now. Erik Gonzalez, Kevin Newman and Cole Tucker are the team's top alternatives at second base, with someone among that group likely to start at shortstop in most games.

Peguero wasn't present Monday for the Pirates' first workout for position players at spring training while he contends with visa issues, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

In addition to Peguero, fellow infielders and Dominican countrymen Erik Gonzalez and Wilmer Difo were absent from camp while they look to resolve their respective immigration statuses. Whenever he arrives at camp, the 20-year-old Peguero will get the opportunity to train with some of the Pirates' MLB players and higher-level minor-leaguers, but he's not a serious candidate to break camp with the big club. Look for the shortstop to open the 2021 campaign at the Low-A or High-A level.

Chavis has to prove he's made adjustments this spring if he's to open the season on the big-league roster, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Chavis has potential, but he hasn't fully tapped into it over his first 137 major-league games, hitting a modest .241/.304/.424. Contact has been his biggest problem, as he's struck out in 32.8 percent of his plate appearances. Chavis still has options remaining, so the Red Sox may ask him to sort things out in the minors if he fails to demonstrate improvements in camp.

Short arrived in camp Saturday and participated in fielding drills, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Short, Jeimer Candelario and Miguel Cabrera were among the handful of position players to arrive early with full-squad workouts not scheduled to begin until Monday. Short came to the Tigers last August in the deal that sent Cameron Maybin to the Cubs. The 25-year-old will likely begin the year at Triple-A Toledo, but he could get called up at some point due to his defensive versatility in the infield.