MLB Player News

If Eugenio Suarez (shoulder) has to miss the beginning of the season, Moustakas could move back over to his original third base slot to start the year, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Reds have said that Nick Senzel is not a candidate to shift to third base, being in the process of recovering from his own shoulder injury. If Moustakas goes to third base, either Senzel could play second base, or the Reds could go with a platoon involving the likes of Josh VanMeter, Kyle Farmer and/or Alex Blandino.

Senzel (shoulder) is not a candidate to move to third base while Eugenio Suarez is out, but it's possible he could move to second base, with Mike Moustakas shifting over to third, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Reds have emphasized that they haven't yet decided what to do with Senzel, in part because he only started throwing Jan. 13. "I'll leave it to (manager) David (Bell) to communicate with Nick and figure out what to prepare for and how he wants to allocate the playing time," said Dick Williams, the Reds' president of baseball operations. "But we have talked about the fact that he's a talented guy that can do different things. We owe it to him, at some point, to tell him what to prepare for this year."

Duffy agreed Thursday with the Rangers on a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to big-league spring training, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. The deal is worth $1 million if Duffy is added to the Rangers' MLB roster and contains up to $1.5 million in additional incentives.

Duffy has been just about a league-average hitter (.282/.338/.380 career slash line, 101 wRC+) over parts of five seasons in the majors, but extended absences due to injuries in each of the past three years have sent his career on a downward trajectory. The 28-year-old will at least enter spring training at full health, though that alone won't be enough to guarantee him a spot on the Rangers' Opening Day roster. Even if he fares well in Cactus League action, Duffy will likely need youngsters Nick Solak and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to struggle in order to claim a reserve infield job.

Suarez had surgery to remove loose cartilage in his right shoulder Tuesday.

Suarez's surgery was to repair an injury that he suffered recently in a swimming pool. The 28-year-old's physical activity will be limited during the start of spring training and he's expected to be ready to resume game action near the beginning of the regular season. The 2018 All-Star third baseman is coming off an excellent season, hitting .274/.363/.540 with 49 home runs, 103 RBI and 87 runs scored. Suarez will be in a sling for 3-5 days before starting rehab, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

The Reds are believed to be weighing trade offers on Senzel (shoulder) following Monday's acquisition of free-agent outfielder Nicholas Castellanos, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

While Cincinnati didn't retain Yasiel Puig this offseason, the team brought in Castellanos and Shogo Akiyama (foot) via free agency, with both of the new arrivals presumably in line for regular roles in the outfield. That would leave Senzel, Jesse Winker (neck) and Aristides Aquino to fill the final everyday spot, with all three players having compelling cases for steady at-bats. Given his superior pedigree and defense in addition to his prior experience in the infield, Senzel would probably fetch a higher return in a trade than either Winker and Aquino, so the 24-year-old would make for a logical centerpiece in a deal if Cincinnati elects to move him in order to address needs elsewhere on the roster. No deal is believed to be I mminent at this time, however, so Senzel will continue to finish off his rehab from shoulder surgery before reporting to spring training in February with the aim of locking down the Reds' center-field job.

Madrigal will compete for the starting second base job in spring training but still needs development, Scott Merkin of the White Sox's official site reports.

"He's viable, but he's got a few more things to prove," said White Sox general manager Rick Hahn. "When we go through trying to be as objective as possible thinking about where he is developmentally, he hasn't necessarily answered all the questions we have for him at the minor leagues." Despite that assessment, Hahn said the team will evaluate all their second base candidates -- Madrigal, Leury Garcia and Danny Mendick -- and make a decision in late March. "I don't think we have him, by any means, written in pen as the Opening Day second baseman at this point. But could he change our minds? Yeah," added the GM. The 22-year-old Madrigal, Chicago's third-ranked prospect, hit well at three minor-league stops in 2019, including a 29-game stint at Triple-A Charlotte (.331/.398/.424). If he doesn't break camp with the White Sox, it's a good bet he'll eventually be called up to assume the starting job at second.

Candelario is expected to compete with Dawel Lugo for the starting job at third base, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Candelario broke camp as the Tigers' starting third baseman last season, though he spent most of the year shuttling between the majors and minors due to his struggles with the big club (.203/.306/.337 slash line in 386 plate appearances). Unless Candelario shows a marked improvement against big-league pitching, he seems more likely to open the season as a reserve option at the corner infield spots.

Riley will be vying for the everyday third-base job in spring training, Grant McAuley of 680 The Fan reports.

General manager Alex Anthopoulos addressed the media after the Marcell Ozuna signing became official and said that he's received promising reports on Riley this winter in regard to Riley making corrections with his swing. That is good to hear as Riley fell apart after a hot start and was ultimately left off the NLDS roster. Johan Camargo is Riley's top competition for a starting job with Josh Donaldson now in Minnesota. Both can move around but Camargo can play the middle-infield positions (which Riley cannot) and would probably be the better fit on the bench.

Madrigal will join the White Sox's big-league camp this spring, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Madrigal has experienced success at every minor league level the past two seasons, finishing his sophomore campaign by hitting .331/.398/.424 with 12 RBI in 118 at-bats for Triple-A Charlotte. The 22-year-old prospect will spend a few weeks with the big-league coaching staff before likely returning to the minors prior to making his major-league debut at some point.

Donaldson signed a four-year contract with the Twins on Tuesday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN.com, the deal is worth $92 million guaranteed and includes a fifth-year option that would push the value over $100 million, placing the 2015 American League MVP into a Twins lineup that already led the league in home runs last season. Donaldson had an impressive year himself in 2019 with the Braves, posting a .259/.379/.521 slash line with 37 home runs and 94 RBI in 155 games. Miguel Sano started 90 games at third base last season and just signed a three-year, $30 million extension with Minnesota last week, but he figures to be shifted to first base while Donaldson takes over at the hot corner.