MLB Player News

Polanco underwent surgery Nov. 22 to address a right ankle impingement and is expected to resume baseball activities in six weeks, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

The recovery timeline should allow Polanco to return to full health by the time spring training arrives. According to Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com, Polanco will be confined to a walking boot for the next couple weeks before resuming strengthening work for the ankle, which had been a chronic concern for the 26-year-old. The ankle issue never forced Polanco to miss any action in 2019, as he suited up for a career-high 153 games and slashed an impressive .2925/.356/.485 en route to earning his first All-Star nod.

Urias was traded from the Padres to the Brewers along with Eric Lauer in exchange for Trent Grisham and Zach Davies, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The Padres had been rumored to be shopping Urias, whom the Brewers have long coveted, and Milwaukee had a crowded outfield, so they lined up as trade partners. Orlando Arcia's bat is well below average at shortstop and Keston Hiura is a very poor defender at second base, so Urias' ability to play both middle-infield spots will come in handy. Hiura obviously won't lose out on playing time, but giving him occassional starts at first base, where his throwing arm wouldn't be as big of a liability, might make sense. Urias figures to be the Opening Day shortstop, and the Brewers may even non-tender Arcia. The former has a potentially plus (or better) hit tool, but it has not yet translated consistently against big-league pitching. However, he is still just 22 years old, and while he hit .223 last year, he got on base at a .329 clip. It is a home park upgrade for Urias and he goes to an organization that is less likely to mess with his playing time, so this results in a bump in his fantasy value.

Short was added to the Cubs' 40-man roster Wednesday.

Short played only 63 minor-league games in 2019 and posted a .235/.363/.404 slash line with six home runs. The move to the 40-man roster protects him from the Rule 5 draft.

Brujan was added to the Rays' 40-man roster Wednesday.

This was a no-brainer for the Rays, as Brujan is one of their top prospects and this was the deadline to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The 21-year-old switch hitter will either be assigned to Double-A or Triple-A, and may not reach the majors until 2021.

Jones was added to the Angels' 40-man roster Wednesday.

His stock is down compared to where it was a couple years ago, but Jones is close enough to the majors that the Angels opted to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Jones, a second baseman who can also play the outfield, hit .234/.308/.324 with five home runs and nine steals in 544 plate appearances during a repeat of Double-A.

Mathias was shipped from Cleveland to Milwaukee in exchange for minor-league catcher Andres Melendez on Wednesday.

Mathias was subsequently added to the Brewers' 40-man roster to protect him from selection in the upcoming Rule 5 draft. The 25-year-old hit a respectable .269/.335/.442 with 12 homers and 13 steals for Triple-A Columbus last season. He'd have a better chance to make a big-league bench if he could play shortstop, though he appeared there just three times last season, splitting most of his time between second and third.

Espinal was added to the Blue Jays' 40-man roster Wednesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The move prevents Espinal from being selected in the upcoming Rule 5 draft. The 25-year-old hit .287/.347/.393 across the two highest levels of the minors last season.

Gimenez was added to the Mets' 40-man roster Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

This move protects Gimenez from the Rule 5 draft. He spent all of 2019 back at Double-A and went to the Arizona Fall League for the second year in a row. Gimenez's bat will probably be a little light on impact, but he is a good athlete capable of playing up the middle and offers plus speed on the bases. He should spend most, if not all, of 2020 at Triple-A.

Rodgers said Saturday that he's progressing well from June surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports. "A couple of months ago, I couldn't even feel my arm and now I'm back to pretty much full activity, other than throwing and hitting a baseball," Rodgers said. "Those are things that are going to come. It's a crazy surgery, so you just have to be smart with it."

The 23-year-old indicated that he expects to resume throwing and hitting in about a month, putting him "a couple steps ahead" of where he expected when he required the season-ending procedure. With Rodgers tracking toward being 100 percent for spring training, he should get the chance to contend for the everyday role at second base. Given that he batted only .224/.272/.250 in 81 plate appearances in the majors before getting hurt, however, Rodgers is more likely to open 2020 at Triple-A Albuquerque.

The Giants claimed Wong off waivers from the Angels on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old made his major-league debut last season, but failed to impress with the Rays and Angels, recording a .333 OPS with six strikeouts in 18 at-bats. He was effective at the Triple-A level in 2019, hitting .307/.375/.464 with 10 home runs and 63 RBI over 113 games.