MLB Player News

Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey said Tuesday the team will be looking for a shortstop this offseason rather than putting Fitzgerald there on an everyday basis, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Posey referenced Fitzgerald's ability to play multiple positions, perhaps an indication the Giants have the 27-year-old pegged for a super-utility role in 2025. He trailed off in September (.677 OPS), but Fitzgerald still finished with a .280/.334/.497 batting line while hitting 15 homers and stealing 17 bases over 96 games. While his position doesn't appear nailed down yet, Fitzgerald should remain an everyday player for the Giants next season.

The Dodgers exercised Rojas' $5 million club option for 2025 on Saturday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

Rojas appeared in 103 regular-season games for the Dodgers in 2024 and slashed .283/.337/.410 with six home runs and 36 RBI across 337 plate appearances. Rojas suffered a torn adductor injury during the NLDS against the Padres, which will require surgery during the offseason, but he was able to play in Game 2 of the World Series against the Yankees, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout. It's unclear whether Rojas' procedure will have the 35-year-old shortstop sidelined for the start of spring training.

The Pirates claimed Gray off waivers from the Athletics on Thursday.

Gray appeared in 15 MLB games last season between the Marlins and A's, during which he went 3-for-28 with 16 strikeouts. He fared much better in Triple-A, where he slashed .248/.317/.462 across 470 plate appearances. He'll claim a spot on the 40-man roster as he joins the Pirates organization, though he'll most likely begin the season with Triple-A Indianapolis.

Rojas is not in the lineup Wednesday for Game 5 of the World Series against the Yankees.

Rojas was added to the Dodgers' World Series roster after missing the NLCS with an adductor injury. He started Game 2 with lefty Carlos Rodon on the mound for the Yankees but has been absent from the lineup for each of the other four contests, all versus righties. Tommy Edman will be at shortstop again for Game 5.

McLain is starting in center field Tuesday for the Glendale Desert Dogs during Arizona Fall League play, Doug Gray of RedlegNation.com reports.

McLain has played only second base and shortstop in pro ball, and his first five starts in the AFL came at second base. However, the outfield isn't totally foreign to the 25-year-old, as center field was his primary position in his freshman season at UCLA and he also saw some action in the corner outfield spots during college summer ball. Whether the Reds will consider using McLain in the outfield some in 2025 isn't clear, but the versatility can't hurt, especially with the club having other middle-infield options. McLain missed the entire 2024 campaign following shoulder surgery and a subsequent stress reaction in his ribcage, but he's expected to enter spring training healthy.

The Reds activated McLain (shoulder/rib) from the 60-day injured list Monday.

It's a paper move reinstating McLain to the 40-man roster, as the infielder's rehab assignment in the Arizona Fall League has technically expired. McLain missed the entire 2024 season following shoulder surgery and later a stress reaction in his rib cage, but he will enter spring training at 100 percent, barring another setback.

Rojas (thigh) was added to the Dodgers' World Series roster Friday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Rojas is dealing with a sports hernia which kept him out of the NLCS. While he is expected to require surgery after the season to repair the injury, he will attempt to gut it out during the World Series. Rojas is not in the lineup for Game 1, but manager Dave Roberts said Rojas will start Game 2 at shortstop versus lefty Carlos Rodon, per Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register.

Manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that Rojas (thigh) is trending in the right direction and has a good possibility of being included on the World Series roster, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Rojas is dealing with a torn adductor and will need to undergo surgery during the offseason, but his chances of playing in the World Series are still alive. Despite trying to be active for the NLCS versus the Mets, the Dodgers elected to add Kevin Kiermaier to the roster instead. Kiermaier's roster designation will likely be determined by the Dodgers' decision for Rojas on Friday.

Winn underwent surgery following the conclusion of the season to have a cyst removed from his hand, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

It's not clear which hand was operated on, but it was a minor procedure which is not expected to affect his offseason workouts. Winn slashed .267/.314/.416 with 15 homers and 11 stolen bases over 150 regular-season games in his first full major-league season.

Rojas said Wednesday that he has a sports hernia and will need to undergo surgery during the offseason, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Rojas noted that he attempted to persuade the Dodgers to keep him on the roster for the NLCS despite his injury, and he feels that he could still play through it if Los Angeles advances to the World Series. However, based on the team's unwillingness to play him against the Mets, it seems more likely that the 35-year-old infielder remains sidelined until next season.