MLB Player News

Ngoepe signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Friday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Ngoepe made it further than any African-born player ever had when he made his big-league debut for the Pirates in 2017, though he hasn't done much in his limited major-league opportunities. In a short stint for Pittsburgh that season and an even shorter one in Toronto last year, the infielder has hit just .181/.272/.236 in 82 plate appearances. He'll fill an organizational depth role in Philadelphia this season and is unlikely to receive more than a handful of at-bats.

Semien and the Athletics agreed to a one-year, $5.9 million contract Friday, avoiding arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Semien has posted a wRC+ between 95 and 98 for four straight seasons, though he received the best defensive grades of his career from both DRS and UZR last season, giving him a career year. He should continue to be a competent but not particularly interesting everyday shortstop for Oakland next season.

Drury signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Blue Jays on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Drury's 2018 season was marred by injury as early in the year he admitted to a long-running battle with migraines before suffering a lingering hand injury, while also being traded from the Yankees to the Blue Jays in July. The 26-year-old flashed solid numbers (.275/.323/.453) with Arizona in 2015 and 2016, but didn't see much major-league action last year.

Mathias received a non-roster invitation to Indians' spring training on Friday.

Mathias spent the last two years at Double-A Akron and posted a .232/.338/.370 slash line in 117 games during 2018. The 24-year-old is an extreme longshot to make the major-league roster given his limited success at Double-A, as he seems likely to spend the 2019 season establishing his footing at Triple-A.

McNeil is expected to be used more in the outfield following Thursday's addition of Jed Lowrie, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

The Mets have now acquired both Robinson Cano and Lowrie over the offseason, so they'll plan to use McNeil in the outfield more than previously anticipated. The 26-year-old has yet to make a single start in the outfield at the big-league level and has played just four games in the outfield while in the minor leagues, so it's unclear as to how he'll fare when the Mets roll him out there.

Rodriguez has been shut down at the Dominican Winter League due to a shoulder issue, Emily Waldon of The Athletic reports.

The severity of the injury is not yet clear. Rodriguez projected to enter the season as a utility man. Dawel Lugo and Brandon Dixon could benefit should he wind up not being ready to go by Opening Day.

Lopez was invited to the Royals' major-league camp Tuesday.

Lopez is at best a long shot to break camp with the Royals, but the invitation indicates that the team likes Lopez and wants to give him a chance to work with the big-league coaching staff. He reached Triple-A for the first time in the middle of last season, posting a 109 wRC+ in 57 games for Omaha with an impressive 27:29 BB:K. With a little more seasoning in the minors, he could be knocking on the door sometime this summer.

Haggerty was traded from the Indians to the Mets with pitcher Walker Lockett for Kevin Plawecki on Sunday.

Haggerty's offensive profile leaves something to be desired: He hasn't hit north of .253 since 2015, when he was in short-season ball. However, he takes walks at a good rate and has experience playing all over the field. He could be a reserve utility player for the Mets in the future if he can become a bit more competent at the plate.

The Athletics have discussed Barreto more as an outfield option than a middle-infield piece in recent weeks, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "We still have really high expectations for Franklin," general manager David Forst said Friday. "The one difference is we'll probably move him around a bit more than we have in the past...I think you'll see him take on more of a utility role. He's going to be a valuable guy for us, his bat is going to play. We'll try to get him a little bit everywhere starting in spring training."

The Athletics' decision to trade for Jurickson Profar adds fuel to the notion that Barreto wasn't being viewed as a viable candidate to replace free agent Jed Lowrie at second base, at least not to open 2019. The top prize in the 2014 trade that sent Josh Donaldson to Toronto, Barreto's prospect sheen has worn off a bit after he slashed just .215/.252/.424 while striking out in 41.1 percent of his 151 career plate appearances in the big leagues. Still just 22, Barreto has plenty of time to improve his long-term outlook, but the lack of a clear path to consistent playing time during the upcoming campaign puts a damper on his fantasy utility in redraft formats.

Petit agreed to a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Friday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Petit played in 26 games for the Twins this past year, hitting .246/.313/.279 with three RBI and three stolen bases in a reserve role. The 34-year-old will try to latch on with the Phillies in a similar capacity, though starting the year at Triple-A Lehigh Valley seems more likely barring a phenomenal spring training. Either way, don't expect Petit to provide much value from a fantasy perspective.