MLB Player News

Anderson will play right field "quite a bit" at the start of the season for the Brewers, manager Craig Counsell told Adam McCalvy of MLB.com on Wednesday.

It seemed when Anderson was first signed back in January that the plan was to play him primarily at third base as Luis Urias slid over to second. However, Tyrone Taylor's (elbow) injury created an opening in right field and Brice Turang seized the second base gig, allowing Urias to stay at third and Anderson to play right. His leash figures to be pretty short, though, as the Brewers have some talented young outfielders waiting at Triple-A Nashville and also Jesse Winker available to play the outfield when he's not at designated hitter.

Rafaela will begin the 2023 season with Double-A Portland, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Many expected Rafaela to open in Triple-A after he finished the 2022 campaign with the Sea Dogs, but the 22-year-old will get more action in the Eastern League before moving on to Triple-A. A source tells Starr that the organization wants the right-handed hitter to work on his approach at the plate without having to adjust to the higher level. Even with the outfielder opening the season in Double-A, there's a chance Rafaela spends time with the major-league club before the season comes to a close.

Moncada's (back) status for Opening Day will be determined after he goes through a workout with the White Sox on Wednesday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Moncada exited Sunday's Cactus League game against the Rockies due to lower-back stiffness. He's been steadily improving since then and the feeling is that he should be ready for Opening Day, but he'll need to pass a final test Wednesday. If Moncada isn't ready, Jake Burger and/or Hanser Alberto could get a look at third base.

Miranda (shoulder) is expected to start at third base on Opening Day, MLB.com reports. He started at third base in Monday's spring training win over Pittsburgh and went 3-for-4 with two doubles. He's hitting .325 with five home runs and a 1.225 OPS this spring.

Miranda was limited to DH and first base for most of spring training due to a sore throwing shoulder. He's started the past two spring games at third base and looks set for everyday duty once the regular season begins. His sore shoulder wasn't an issue at the plate as Miranda had a tremendous spring with five home runs.

With the Tigers optioning Akil Baddoo and Zack Short to Triple-A Toledo on Monday, Kreidler has a clearer path to an Opening Day roster spot.

Kreidler is versatile enough to play across the infield and in the outfield, and that appeared to give him the edge over Baddoo and Short. Even if he sticks on the roster into the regular season, Kreidler is unlikely to have a huge fantasy impact after recording a .477 OPS across 26 games with the Tigers last year.

Madrigal is expected to be part of a timeshare at third base for the Cubs along with Patrick Wisdom and Edwin Rios, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Madrigal is likely to face "starters with great swing-and-miss stuff," while Wisdom and Rios figure to form a more natural platoon against certain lefties and righties. How exactly this shakes out remains to be seen, and it seems like Madrigal's playing time may be sporadic. However, the 26-year-old can also play at second base, so he may get more starts if he moves across the diamond for Chicago.

Wisdom may split time at third base for the Cubs along with Edwin Rios and Nick Madrigal, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

This isn't great news for Wisdom, who started 134 games last season. It seems like that number will come down with three players in the mix at the hot corner. Wisdom is expected to play mostly against lefties, while Rios gets some righties and Madrigal works in as more of a contact hitter in certain spots. Someone could emerge and take over most of the playing time, but until that happens, it might be a situation worth avoiding in fantasy.

Duffy has been informed that he's made the Opening Day roster for the Royals, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Duffy was signed to a minor-league contract and invited to spring training back in January. The veteran infielder struggled last year with the Cubs with a .619 OPS across 247 plate appearances. He's likely to be a bench option for the Royals to begin the 2023 campaign.

Peraza will play both shortstop and second base with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman ruled out third base for Peraza, but the young infielder will be used at both middle infield spots as he awaits a return to the majors. Peraza may have lost out to Anthony Volpe for the shortstop job, but he could still very well play an important part for the Yankees this season before all is said and done.

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said Monday that he expects Moncada (back) to be ready to play in Thursday's season opener versus the Astros, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports. "That's the expectation right now, yeah. We have an optional workout in Houston on a Wednesday. And hoping that he'll be there," Grifol said of Moncada. "Probably will, needs to get some treatment and do some stuff. Everything checks out, he'll be ready."

Though Moncada looks like he'll remain out of the lineup for the White Sox's final two Cactus League games Monday and Tuesday, he should get the green light for the Opening Day start at third base if he checks out fine following Wednesday's optional workout. Grifol noted that Moncada is still nursing some lower-back soreness, and even though the issue isn't expected to keep the 27-year-old from playing in the opener, he could get his first day off of the season fairly early.