MLB Player News

Noonan agreed to a minor league contract with the Brewers on Tuesday.

The 2007 first-round pick has struggled during his limited time in the majors, most recently slashing .125/.182/.225 across 44 plate appearances over the past two years. He will serve as organizational infield depth for Milwaukee in 2017.

Seager enters camp as the Dodgers' everyday shortstop.

Seager was everything the Dodgers hoped he could be, and more, in his first full season as a starter. He slashed an impressive .308/.365/.512 in 687 plate appearances. His 40 doubles ranked first among MLB shortstops and his 26 homers ranked second. Those numbers themselves are worth early-round consideration in fantasy drafts, but the potential of the 22-year-old shortstop improving this season is what makes him such a desired commodity.

Baez said he will play second base for Puerto Rico in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.

Baez appeared at first, second, third and short stop for the Cubs last season, and also got some run in the outfield. It appears he will focus on second base in the WBC, but his versatility could come into play for Puerto Rico.

Braves manager Brian Snitker plans to have Swanson hit second in the batting order this season, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Swanson primarily hit near the bottom of the order in his MLB debut last season, getting 108 of his 129 at-bats from the No. 7 or No. 8 spot, but he has the skill set to thrive closer to the top of the order. With Ender Inciarte as the leadoff man and Freddie Freeman and Matt Kemp hitting behind Swanson, the 23-year-old shortstop should get plenty of opportunities to rack up runs and RBI.

Baez will play for Puerto Rico in this year's World Baseball Classic, his first appearance in the tournament.

The 24-year-old will join a roster featuring fellow young stars Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor. As a likely preview of his role with the Cubs this year, Baez figures to be a super utility player for Puerto Rico. He should be one of the team's offensive leaders.

Story says he has fully recovered from thumb surgery and will be ready for spring training, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Story underwent the surgery to repair a torn UCL in August, abruptly ending his dynamic 2016 season. This is great news regarding the young slugger, who set a National League rookie record with 27 home runs and finished the season with a .567 slugging percentage. If Story can cut down on his strikeout rate (31.3 percent), he could find himself among the league's elite power hitters.

Sardinas -- who was expected to start the year at short -- will have to battle the recently signed Erick Aybar this spring.

The Padres bringing in competition for Sardinas makes sense given the 23-year-old's lack of success at the major league level prior to joining the Padres last season. He did have the best stretch of his career after the move to San Diego (.287/.353/.417 in 32 games), so there is a chance he finally bloomed as a hitter. Given his age, Sardinas is the more intriguing fantasy option of the two shortstops, but neither he nor Aybar will generate much interest outside of deep and NL-only formats.

DeJong, a fourth-round pick in 2015, is expected to fully transition to shortstop in 2017 after playing well at the position in the Arizona Fall League, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports. "I played there all throughout the Fall League, and I felt like I made every play over there," DeJong said. "I think it just adds another edge to my game to get me in the lineup at a different position."

DeJong played primarily at third base in his first two seasons in the Cardinals organization, with only 11 starts at shortstop over that span. However, he primarily focused on the six-spot in the Arizona Fall League in 2016 and acquitted himself impressively by all accounts. On the offensive end of things, he slashed a solid .260/.324/.460 at Double-A Springfield last season, showing plenty of pop with 22 doubles, two triples, 22 homers and 73 RBI. Therefore, an ascension to Triple-A is not out of the question with a productive spring.

Baez and Ben Zobrist could form a platoon at second base this year, with Baez used against lefties, Mike Petriello of MLB.com reports.

While this would limit the amount of time Baez sees at second, he still figures to play plenty for the Cubs in 2017. Last season, Baez appeared at third base, second base, first base, shortstop and left field, and he'll probably be used in a super-utility role again this year.

D'Arnaud will head into spring training as a favorite to win a spot on the Braves' bench.

The 30-year-old played six positions for Atlanta last season, and while the Sean Rodriguez signing does add another utility infielder to the mix, d'Arnaud is out of options and seems likely to keep his spot on the 25-man roster on Opening Day. His stay may be short-lived, however, as top prospect Ozzie Albies is knocking on the door and could seize the starting second base job in the first half, making d'Arnaud expendable.