MLB Player News

Hernandez is expected to move into a full-time role in the middle infield to begin the 2023 season with Trevor Story (elbow) expected to miss a significant chunk of the campaign, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Hernandez handled a utility role for most of his first seven years in the majors, but he's primarily manned center field since joining Boston ahead of the 2021 season. The Red Sox had earmarked Story for shortstop following Xander Bogaerts' offseason move to San Diego, but those plans are on hold after Story underwent surgery on his throwing elbow and is now set to miss a sizable portion of the upcoming season. With Boston signing Adam Duvall to a one-year deal Wednesday and set to install him as their everyday center fielder, Hernandez will turn his focus to the infield, where he could play regularly at either second base or shortstop. According to Cotillo, Boston is still expected to bring aboard another middle infielder this offseason, but any new arrival is more likely to affect the playing-time outlook of Christian Arroyo rather than Hernandez. Since he didn't play more than 11 games at any spot besides center field in 2022, Hernandez won't carry multi-position eligibility in most fantasy leagues entering 2023, but it shouldn't take long for him to gain eligibility at whichever middle-infield spot he ultimately settles.

Castro signed with Colorado as a non-roster invitee Saturday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extrabase reports.

Any hitter who has the opportunity to earn playing time at Coors Field is worth a second look, and that's true for Castro even with the caveat that he's yet to earn a roster spot, let alone regular at-bats. He doesn't hit for much power, homering 15 times in 351 career games, but his .284/.309/.377 lifetime slash line is fine for a utility infielder. A starting role in Colorado may not be on the table, but a good spring could earn him a bench spot, putting him one injury away from consistent playing time.

Rosario signed a one-year, $7.8 million contract with the Guardians on Friday to avoid arbitration, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

After making $4.95 million in 2022, Rosario is now the fourth-highest paid player in Cleveland. He is coming off a season in which he led the team in hits and at-bats while batting .283 and recording 71 RBI and 86 runs. The 27-year-old also went 18-for-22 on stolen-base attempts.

Dubon agreed to a one-year, $1.4 million contract with the Astros on Friday to avoid arbitration, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Dubon made his big-league debut in 2019 and is now in his first year of arbitration eligibility. The 28-year-old appeared in 83 games for the Astros last year and had a .208/.254/.294 slash line, and he should fill a utility role in 2023, assuming he makes the Opening Day roster.

Estrada signed a one-year, $2.25 million contract from the Giants on Friday to avoid arbitration, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Estrada gets a big raise in his first year of arbitration eligibility as a Super Two qualifier. The 26-year-old played a bigger-than-expected role for the Giants in 2022, finishing with a .722 OPS, 14 home runs and 21 stolen bases. He's the favorite to be the team's Opening Day second baseman.

Kemp agreed to a one-year, $3.725 million contract with the A's on Friday to avoid arbitration, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 31-year-old made just over $1 million last season, and he'll more than triple that figure in 2023, which is his final year of arbitration eligibility. Kemp played in a career-high 147 games last year and had a .235/.307/.334 slash line with seven home runs, 46 RBI and 11 stolen bases.

Rodgers signed a one-year, $2.7 million contract with the Rockies on Friday to avoid arbitration, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

It's a substantial raise for Rodgers, who was in his first year of arbitration eligibility. The infielder slashed .266/.325/.408 with 13 home runs in 2022 while winning his first Gold Glove award at second base. Rodgers is still just 26 so it's possible he has some untapped upside.

Urias agreed to a one-year, $4.7 million contract with the Brewers on Friday to avoid arbitration, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Urias will receive a sizable raise in his second year of arbitration eligibility after he made $2.55 million in 2022. The 25-year-old struggled during the first half last season, but he found more success after the All-Star break with a .790 OPS in 56 games.

Hoerner signed a one-year, $2.525 million contract with the Cubs on Friday to avoid arbitration, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Hoerner had a nice 2022 campaign, putting up a .736 OPS with 10 home runs and 20 stolen bases. He'll move back over to second base in 2023 following the Cubs' addition of Dansby Swanson.

Arroyo signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Red Sox on Friday to avoid arbitration, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Although Arroyo was able to record a career-high .286 batting average last season, the quality of his plate appearances was pretty low for someone with an average as high as his -- his 4.3 percent walk rate didn't help his cause either. Still, he displayed enough offensive production and defensive versatility to get into Boston's lineup most games, though he holds little fantasy value.