MLB Player News

Machado plans to play in six or seven spring training games before leaving to join the Dominican Republic's team for the World Baseball Classic, Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com reports.

After playing in all 162 game in 2015, the Orioles' three-time All-Star sat out just five games last season. Machado's large workload over the past two campaigns, combined with his expectation to make another run into November this year, has him thinking about late-season fatigue. "You also don't want to go in and play too many games early on [in the spring] and get tired. I know we're going to play quite a few games in the Classic," Machado said. "You don't want to play too many games as well because I don't want to get fatigued for the year." He and manager Buck Showalter have already met to lay out a plan for spring training, and Machado is confident he'll be fine for another full workload in 2017.

Donaldson "felt something" in his calf and decided to skip the first workout of spring training Saturday, Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star reports.

Hopefully it's nothing too serious for Donaldson, but expect an update in due time. The three-time All-Star won the AL Silver Slugger for the second straight season in 2016 and should remain a top fantasy pick this year.

Duffy, who underwent season-ending left heel surgery on Sept. 9, says he's "looking at 30 days" with respect to being at full speed, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

Duffy is currently buoyed by the fact that he received a positive report from his most recent doctor's visit, which came last week. The 26-year-old shortstop is encouraged by the progress of his recovery, and believes the surgery has effectively rid him of heel discomfort that dated back approximately a decade to his days playing high school ball. Duffy is penciled in as the Rays' everyday shortstop in 2017 and will utilize spring training to acclimate his foot to the different movements he'll regularly engage in on the diamond.

Indians manager Terry Francona said that Ramirez "is the third baseman" and that there are no plans for him to move to left field at the moment, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old had a solid year in his first year of full-time duty, posting an .825 OPS thanks to 46 doubles and 11 home runs, leading some to want the youngster to move to left field until Michael Brantley (shoulder) is game-ready again. However, Francona quelled those thoughts, stating that the only other spot Ramirez might work at is shortstop just in case something were to happen to Francisco Lindor, but for the foreseeable future, it seems like Ramirez will be staying put at the hot corner.

Devers is expected to open the 2017 season at Double-A Portland, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Devers, second-ranked among Boston's prospects according to RotoWire, overcame a slow start at High-A Salem last season and is ready for the promotion. The Red Sox like to see their prospects get challenged along the way to get a sense of the player's reaction to adversity. The 20-year-old passed that test; will he be able to pass a sterner test, going from Double-A to MLB in 2017? Boston promoted both Andrew Benintendi and Yoan Moncada directly from Portland to Boston in 2016, so president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is apparently willing to have a prospect bypass Triple-A. If the new version of Pablo Sandoval isn't working out and the Red Sox realize Brock Holt isn't an everyday third baseman, there's a potential path to the majors for Devers.

Rays Vice President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom stated that Duffy (heel) should be good to go for spring training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

This is a very good sign, as it seems to confirm reports from December that the infielder was running ahead of schedule in his rehab process from surgery in September. As long as everything goes as planned during Grapefruit League action, Duffy should act primarily as Tampa Bay's starting shortstop during the 2017 campaign.

Chapman, a 2014 first-round pick, will be a non-roster invitee in spring training, David Schoenfield of ESPN.com reports.

The 23-year-old played the majority of his games in 2016 at Double-A Midland before an 18-game stint at Triple-A Nashville to close out the season. Chapman supplied a combined 27 doubles, five triples, 36 homers, 96 RBI and a .237/.328/.519 line over 514 at-bats, but also tallied a bloated 30.6 percent strikeout rate. He'll get his hacks in against big league arms during the exhibition slate, and with veteran Trevor Plouffe signed to just a one-year deal this offseason, another year of seasoning could have Chapman ready to make the move to the major league squad in 2018.

Urshela will have a fair chance to earn a reserve role on the team's 2017 Opening Day roster, Fox Sports reports.

Urshela's lack of plate disciple in 2015 (20.1 percent strikeout rate in 267 at-bats) cost him a chance at being the Indians full-time third baseman. The team made the moves necessary to eliminate Urshela from the lineup and sent him to Triple-A Columbus for the entire 2016 season. Now, with Jose Ramirez locked in at the hot corner and Yandy Diaz (the Tribe's No. 10 prospect) on the horizon, Urshela seems unlikely to ever capture a starting role with the team. However, adding the 25-year-old third baseman to the roster will allow Cleveland to showcase Urshela for a possible mid-season trade, which could give his fantasy value a boost. Urshela has the tools to be a decent everyday starter, just not for his current organization.

Olt signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox on Tuesday, according to a post on Olt's Instagram account.

The Red Sox, who already grabbed Josh Rutledge in the Rule 5 draft, continue to bring in potential replacement options in the event Pablo Sandoval is not capable of handling full-time duty at third base. Olt has a career .168/.250/.330 slash line with a 37 percent strikeout rate in 400 big league plate appearances. He is a long shot to contribute in the majors this year.

Valencia could potentially see time at three different positions in 2017 while also receiving starts against either handedness of pitcher, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. "Danny is there as a veteran guy who effectively can play every day," (general manager Jerry) Dipoto said. "He's been excellent against left-hand pitching. He's also been very good against righties for the last couple of years, and we're confident that first base will be an easy transition for him defensively."

The veteran lefty masher landed in Seattle as the result of one of several trades swung by general manager Jerry Dipoto this offseason, and his positional versatility is likely be exploited by his new team. Valencia is expected to primarily be part of a first-base platoon with rookie Daniel Vogelbach, but he could also see time at both right field and third base. The 32-year-old's career .321/.373/.500 line in 845 plate appearances against lefties essentially guarantees him a spot in the lineup any time the Mariners face that handedness, but his improved play against righties the last two seasons could earn him additional starts. While the team is excited about Vogelbach's potential, Valencia's veteran savvy and lively bat make for a great insurance policy. For his part, Valencia is pledging to keep himself ready and take on the mindset of an everyday starter. "I feel like that (first base) is most likely to be my primary position here, so I'll work hard just like I would if I was playing every day at third or every day in right or wherever it is," he said. "I take it seriously. I take a lot of pride in being a pretty good defensive player. I think last year my hamstring injury hurt me a little bit moving around at third base, but this year I'm fully healthy and I've had a really good offseason. I'm just excited about getting going."