MLB Player News

Urshela and Gary Sanchez were traded from the Yankees to the Twins on Sunday in exchange for Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ben Rortvedt.

Urshela finished the 2021 campaign as the Yankees' starting shortstop, and he should take on the same role in Minnesota since Kiner-Falefa was sent to New York as part of Sunday's transaction. The 30-year-old Urshela slashed .267/.301/.419 with 14 home runs, 49 RBI and 42 runs across 116 appearances last year after hitting .310 with 27 home runs across his first two seasons with the Yankees.

Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ben Rortvedt were traded from the Twins to the Yankees on Sunday in exchange for Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Donaldson appeared in 135 games with the Twins in 2021, slashing .247/.352/.475 with 26 homers, 73 runs and 72 RBI during that time. After some notable feuds with right-hander Gerrit Cole last year, the two players will become teammates with the Yankees, where Donaldson is in line to serve as the team's starting third baseman. As part of the agreement, the Yankees will take on the remaining $50 million in salary that the 36-year-old is owed across the next two seasons.

Astudillo signed a minor-league contract with the Marlins on Sunday, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

Astudillo appeared in a career-high 73 games with the Twins in 2021 and hit .236 with seven home runs, 21 RBI and 17 runs. He's made appearances in the majors in each of the last four seasons and will presumably compete for a roster spot during big-league spring training in 2022.

Farmer enters camp as the Reds' starting shortstop, but Jose Barrero can "force the issue," according to manager David Bell, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Farmer, who played through a sports hernia injury over the second half of last season, was worth 1.6 fWAR in 147 games, largely due to his strong defense. He hit .263/.316/.416 on the year, good for a career-best 91 wRC+. Given the direction of the franchise, the Reds will likely turn to the younger Barrero at some point, if not right out of the gate, unless Farmer tops his 2021 production.

Vargas is attending big-league spring training as a non-roster invitee, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Vargas signed with the Cubs on a minor-league contract back in December after appearing in 15 games with the team over the past two seasons. Chicago added Andrelton Simmons on Friday to cover shortstop, and Nico Hoerner, Nick Madrigal, David Bote and Sergio Alcantara may all see time in the middle infield this year. Vargas provides some veteran organizational depth and offers little fantasy upside in 2022.

Kreidler was invited to the Tigers' major-league camp Saturday.

The 24-year-old shortstop will make his case for an Opening Day roster spot during spring training. While the team signed Javier Baez to fill his primary position over the winter, he has little left to prove in the minors after hitting .304/.407/.519 in 41 games for Triple-A Toledo last season. It's possible he returns to Toledo to get some experience at other positions to start the year.

Senzel (knee) will focus on center field in spring training, Reds GM Nick Krall told Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer on Saturday.

It's worth noting that Krall merely answered "yes" when Nightengale asked if Senzel would focus on center field -- Krall didn't bring up the topic or elaborate on it. The Reds have moved Senzel around frequently throughout his career, so a little stability in one position wouldn't hurt. Of course, Senzel has to prove that he can stay healthy before any of this matters.

Muncy (elbow) took batting practice and fielded grounders Saturday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Manager Dave Roberts said Friday that he expects Muncy to be ready for Opening Day in some capacity, and the 31-year-old is approximately 85 percent recovered from his elbow injury that he sustained during the final game of the regular season in 2021. It was encouraging to see him participate in baseball activities now that spring training is underway, and it's possible that he'll serve as the team's designated hitter to begin the year if he isn't cleared to play in the field by Opening Day.

Kreidler could push for an Opening Day roster spot during the Tigers' condensed spring training, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old is most likely to begin the season with Triple-A Toledo, but after posting a .926 OPS across 41 games with the Mud Hens in 2021, Kreidler may have little else to prove. The Tigers' offseason addition of Javier Baez presents an obstacle at shortstop, so Kreidler may need to prove capable of playing other infield positions before Detroit calls him up to the MLB roster at some point.

Gelof was invited to major-league spring training by the A's on Friday, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Gelof was selected with the 60th overall pick of the 2021 Draft and will join the big-league club for spring training. The 22-year-old made his professional debut last season and spent most of the campaign at Low-A Stockton, where he hit .298/.393/.548 with seven homers, 22 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 32 games.