MLB Player News

Torres (mouth) is starting at second base and batting third Friday versus the Tigers.

Torres had a tooth extracted Thursday and was forced to miss the Yankees' matchup with the Pirates, but his absence will be limited to just one contest. So far this spring, the 26-year-old is 4-for-8 with a long ball.

Arroyo went 2-for-3 with two home runs and five RBI in Thursday's spring game against Philadelphia.

Arroyo belted a solo shot the opposite way in the second inning then followed with a grand slam an inning later. The original plan during the offseason was for him to return to a utility role, but that changed when shortstop Trevor Story underwent an elbow procedure that will keep him out until the second half of the season. The resulting domino effect has Enrique Hernandez moving to shortstop and Arroyo slotting in at second base. Once Adalberto Mondesi (knee) is ready, there could be a rotation of those three players at the two positions.

Cubs manager David Ross indicated Thursday that Hoerner will be the primary leadoff man to begin the 2023 season, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Hoerner has already led off four times through less than a week of Cactus League games, and it sounds like that theme is going to carry over into the regular season. The 25-year-old middle infielder enjoyed a mini breakout in 2022, tallying 10 homers and 20 stolen bases across 135 games. He did that with a .327 on-base percentage, which can perhaps improve and elevate his full range of counting stats as Chicago's likely tablesetter.

Rodgers was determined to have suffered significant damage to the capsule in his left shoulder following an MRI on Wednesday and could be facing season-ending surgery, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Rodgers was initially diagnosed with a dislocated left shoulder when he dove hard for a ball in a Cactus League game Tuesday against the Rangers, but follow-up tests have revealed a more serious injury than anticipated. Harding notes that doctors are still reviewing the full scope of the issue, so it may be several days before a determination on surgery is made one way or the other. The 26-year-old had been in line to serve as the Rockies' everyday second baseman in 2023, but his expected absence will force Colorado to alter its plans. Ryan McMahon could move over from third base to man the keystone, or Colorado could roll with Harold Castro or Alan Trejo at the position. Either way, Rodgers appears destined for an extended absence, and his expected absence for a large chunk of the season -- if not all of it -- is a major blow for the Rockies organization.

Biggio will split his playing time roughly equally between the infield and outfield this season, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Per manager John Schneider on Wednesday, Biggio will play "a ton" in the outfield in 2023, and the 27-year-old justified that confidence during Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers when he made a dazzling sliding catch in right field, then doubled off a runner at first base. The Blue Jays have a lot of moving parts in the outfield, and while Biggio has mostly played right in the majors, he does have some experience in left and center as well. After managing only a .202/.318/.350 slash line over 97 games last season, however, he'll need to turn things around at the plate for any extra playing time to translate into real fantasy value.

Albies (shoulder) plans to steal more bases this season with the new pickoff throw limits and larger bases, Jayson Stark of The Athletic reports.

"I'll take 30-30," he said. "But my goal is to go 40-40." Albies also thinks Ronald Acuna and Michael Harris can go 40-40, with Acuna having a chance at 50-50. They're lofty, almost surely unattainable goals, sure, but it's good to hear Albies plans to be aggressive on the basepaths. For what it's worth, Albies' career high in steals is 20 -- set in 2021 -- and during last year's injury-riddled season he went just 3-for-8 on stolen base attempts while seeing his sprint speed drop dramatically.

Torres was scratched from Thursday's Grapefruit League lineup against the Pirates due to a tooth extraction, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

Top prospect Anthony Volpe will get a turn at second base, where Torres is penciled in to start come Opening Day. Torres is off to a 4-for-8 start to spring training with a homer, and he should return to spring action within a few days.

General manager Rick Hahn praised Gonzalez's defensive versatility when speaking to the media at the beginning of spring training, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

For much of the offseason, Gonzalez was projected to start at second base for the White Sox. That changed when the team signed Elvis Andrus on Feb. 19, but Gonzalez could still make the big-league club out of spring training as a utility option. He's played every defensive position for the organization except first base, catcher and center field, which caused Hahn to draw a comparison between Gonzalez and Ben Zobrist.

The Rockies sent Rodgers (shoulder) in for an MRI on Wednesday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

After he exited Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Rangers early, Rodgers was given a preliminary diagnosis of a dislocated left shoulder, but the MRI should offer more clarity on the exact nature of the injury as well as its severity. For the time being, the Rockies seem to be viewing Rodgers as day-to-day, but even if the MRI doesn't reveal anything overly concerning, the 26-year-old may be several days away from rejoining the spring lineup.

Vargas (finger) is hopeful to gain clearance to swing the bat in games by this weekend, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register Register reports.

For the second time in three days, Vargas will start at second base in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Rangers, but he'll be limited to only tracking pitches at the plate when his turn in the batting order comes up. However, Vargas has resumed hitting in the batting cage without any apparent discomfort in his fractured right pinkie finger, so he sounds like he could be fully cleared within a few days.