MLB Player News

Davis could be headed for a utility role this season after Mets manager Luis Rojas wouldn't commit to him as the team's starting third baseman during Wednesday's press conference, Deesha Thosar of The New York Daily News reports. "It's really tough right now to commit to any role," Rojas said. "I've got to stick with our versatility. J.D. is a guy that's played left too. We're thinking of that. He improved a lot at third base. But we want to keep that versatility always open. Multiple guys are going to play multiple positions. That's where our roster is."

Jeff McNeil, Jonathan Villar and Luis Guillorme could all be options at the hot corner as well, but Davis is still the most likely candidate to see a plurality of starts at third, if not an outright majority. The 27-year-old also saw his offensive numbers take a big step backwards in 2020, which could be factoring into Rojas' hesitation. If Davis hits like he did last season instead of returning to something closer to his 2019 level, the club has much less incentive to compromise the infield defense by keeping him in the lineup nearly every day.

Madrigal (shoulder) should be ready for Cactus League play by early March, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Madrigal underwent shoulder surgery during the offseason that carried a recovery timeline of 5-to-6 months. While he likely won't be available to begin Cactus League play, the 23-year-old should be able to appear in exhibition games for several weeks leading up to Opening Day. Assuming he's fully healthy, Madrigal should have an everyday role at second base for the White Sox in 2021.

Busch was invited to the Dodgers' major-league camp Tuesday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Busch will get the benefit of working with the team's big-league coaching staff for a few weeks, though he's not particularly close to joining them on a permanent basis. He has a promising bat and could eventually hit for both power and average, but he's played a grand total of 10 professional games and hasn't advanced beyond Low-A.

Chapman, who had hip surgery in September, is not expected to have any restrictions when the Athletics begin full-squad workouts next Monday, Shayna Rubin of The Mercury News reports.

The slugging third baseman recently posted video of his rehab work at Southern California facility ProSport on his personal Instagram account, where Chapman appeared to be pulling a small weighted sled device with his right hip free of any difficulty. The 27-year-old alluded to spending the majority of the last four months working his way back from labrum surgery, which cut short his 2020 season. Chapman managed to churn out a .232/.276/.535 line with 21 extra-base hits (nine doubles, two triples, 10 home runs) across 152 plate appearances despite being incessantly bothered by hip pain, so there is naturally plenty of optimism for a resurgent campaign in 2021.

Lewis received an invitation to the Twins' big-league camp Monday.

Lewis is just 21 years old and has just 33 Double-A games under his belt (in which he posted a modest 88 wRC+), so he probably still needs a bit of time in the minors before being seriously considered for a roster spot. The 2017 first-overall pick is a huge talent, though, so a debut later this season certainly can't be ruled out if he takes the next step at the Double-A or Triple-A level.

Henderson was invited Friday to join the Orioles' major-league spring training camp.

Henderson will get the chance to work out with the team's big-league coaching staff, though he's still a few years away from joining them on a permanent basis. He's played just 29 career professional games, all at the rookie-ball level, and the canceled minors schedule last year prevented him from continuing up the ladder.

Groshans received an invitation Friday to the Blue Jays' major-league spring training, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

The 2018 first-round pick spent last season at the alternate training site, so he still received some developmental work despite the canceled minor-league season. Groshans last appeared at the Low-A level in 2019 and had a .909 OPS in 23 games, and he could begin 2021 at Double-A with a strong showing at spring training.

Reynolds signed with the White Sox as a non-roster invitee Thursday.

Reynolds hasn't done much with his 251 career MLB plate appearances, hitting .212/.282/.323 with four homers and zero steals. He's appeared in just three games over the last two seasons and doesn't seem particularly likely to add many to that tally this season, barring an injury crisis ahead of him.

Phillies manager Joe Girardi said Wednesday that Segura will enter spring training as the team's primary second baseman, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Girardi's comments suggest that Segura likely won't have to battle for a full-time role, as the Phillies instead plan to have his presumed top challenger, Scott Kingery, vie for playing time at other positions. Segura ended up seeing most of his action at the keystone in 2020, but since he made 24 appearances (21 starts) at third base, he should have dual eligibility in most fantasy leagues entering 2021.

Davis lost his arbitration case Friday and will make $2.1 million next season, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Davis' .247/.371/.389 line last season represented a big step back from his .307/.369/.527 line from his breakout 2019 season, at least in terms of his average and slugging, though it was still quite an effective performance thanks to his ability to get on base at a high clip. Whether or not that's enough to keep him in the lineup on an everyday basis this season given his defensive limitations may depend in part on whether or not the universal designated hitter returns, but he's a good enough hitter to start most games even under traditional National League rules.