MLB Player News

Torres (elbow) says he is feeling 100 percent this spring, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

Torres underwent Tommy John surgery on his left elbow back in June. He has been working out down in Florida for almost a month and says he feels very good. That's good news for the Yankees, who are seemingly leaving the second base job open for him next season. Even with good health, however, Torres could open up in the minors for a few weeks in order to secure the Yankees an extra year of team control.

Arroyo said last week that his surgically repaired left hand has fully healed and acknowledged that he should be ready to go for spring training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The main prize for the Rays in the blockbuster December deal that sent Evan Longoria to the Giants, Arroyo indicated he was cleared to resume all baseball activities Jan. 9 following a visit with his surgeon. He's already hitting off a tee and should gradually ramp up his workouts after the broken hand he suffered in late October in the Dominican Winter League had left him idle for most of the winter. It was the second time the 22-year-old had broken the hand in less than a year, as he had been hit by a pitch in a July 1 game at Triple-A Sacramento. Arroyo is expected to vie for a starting gig at second or third base during the spring, but seems more likely to open the campaign with the Rays' Triple-A affiliate in Durham.

Espinosa signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Monday which includes an invitation to spring training, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Espinosa will apparently get a chance to compete for the starting job at second base in camp, though given he couldn't hold a job with the Angels, Mariners or Rays in 2017, he seems like a long shot to crack the Yankees' Opening Day roster. The 30-year-old struggled mightily in 2017, hitting just .173/.245/.278 with a brutal 36.9 percent strikeout rate in 93 games split between three teams. Still, he's a serviceable defender up the middle of the infield, so a strong spring could earn him an Opening Day roster spot, though it would be unwise to expect much of a turnaround from Espinosa in 2018 if that's the case. He also likely wouldn't stick around once Gleyber Torres (elbow) is ready to take over as the team's starting second baseman.

Rodgers has been invited to the Rockies' major-league camp this spring.

The Rockies will give one of their best prospects a look against big-league competition, though he's ultimately expected to open the season back in the minors. Rodgers opened the 2017 campaign with High-A Lancaster but quickly earned a promotion to Double-A after hitting .387/.407/.671 with 12 homers in 51 games for the JetHawks. The 21-year-old's success didn't quite translate following his promotion, however, as he hit just .260/.323/.413 in 38 games with Double-A Hartford. Rodgers, who possesses above-average power with the potential for an above-average hit tool, will likely return to Double-A to open the 2018 campaign.

Diaz was traded to the Marlins on Thursday along with Lewis Brinson, Monte Harrison and Jordan Yamamoto in exchange for Christian Yelich.

Diaz is one of three well-regarded prospects headed to Miami, along with Brinson and Harrison. The infielder was seen as a top-100 prospect prior to the 2017 season, though he has since dropped out after hitting just .222/.334/.376 across 110 games with High-A Carolina last season. Still, he's just 21 years old with plenty of potential; Diaz may be tabbed as the eventual replacement for second baseman Dee Gordon, who was traded to the Mariners earlier in the offseason.

Urias has been invited to the Padres' major-league camp this spring.

Urias will join fellow top prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. at big-league camp as the Padres prepare to give the pair of promising young infielders a look during spring. The 20-year-old Urias spent all of last season with Double-A San Antonio, hitting .296/.398/.380 while walking more than he struck out (65:68 K:BB) across 118 games. While he hasn't displayed much speed or power in the minors, there are few players his age with higher quality hit tools. Still, Urias is expected to open the season in the minors, though he could make his major-league debut as early as summer if he continues to impress on the farm.

Chavis has been invited to the Red Sox's major-league camp this spring, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

The Red Sox will give one of their top prospects a look during spring, though Chavis is still expected to open the season in the minors. He impressed in stops at High-A Salem and Double-A Portland last season, hitting a combined .282/.347/.563 with 31 homers in 126 games. Still, he hasn't played above Double-A at this point, and with Rafael Devers and Mitch Moreland manning the corners for Boston in 2018, the 22-year-old will likely spend most of his season with Triple-A Pawtucket.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Monday that while service-time considerations won't be a factor in Torres (elbow) potentially breaking spring camp with the big club, it's "more likely" the 21-year-old will require additional time in the minors, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Even after undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery on his left elbow last June, Torres remains one of the top position prospects in baseball heading into 2018. The Yankees' offseason trade that sent Starlin Castro to the Marlins creates an opening in the middle infield, with the organization likely earmarking second base for Torres once he's sufficiently healthy and gets some at-bats under his belt. If Torres opens the season on the disabled list or is assigned to Triple-A Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Ronald Torreyes and Tyler Wade would be the top in-house candidates to see time at the keystone for the big club.

Semien agreed to a one-year, $3.125 million deal with the A's on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports reports.

This marked the first offseason he was arbitration eligible, and the shortstop will cash in after making $545,000 a year ago. During the 2017 season, he slashed .249/.325/.398 with 10 home runs, 40 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 85 games after missing nearly half the year due to a right wrist injury. Heading into this upcoming season, he should provide decent value on the bases, but is unlikely to move the needle at the dish.

Hernandez agreed to a one-year, $1.6 million deal with the Dodgers on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Heyman of FanRagSports.com reports.

This was his first offseason as an arbitration-eligible player. The 26-year-old utility player didn't do much to move the needle during the regular season, but he was a postseason hero, which may have helped him in these negotiations. Hernandez should once again see semi-regular starts against left-handed pitching.