MLB Player News

Mondesi (knee) being ready for Opening Day would be a best-case scenario, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe on Tuesday.

Manager Alex Cora expressed optimism about Mondesi's recovery from ACL surgery earlier Tuesday, but Bloom doesn't appear confident the infielder will be ready to play by Opening Day. Mondesi is expected to see playing time at both second base and shortstop once he's healthy, but for now those positions will be manned by Christian Arroyo and Enrique Hernandez, respectively.

Mondesi (knee) looks good at the start of camp, Red Sox manager Alex Cora told Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe on Tuesday.

Mondesi is behind others at the beginning of spring training as he works his way back from ACL surgery, but his skipper is encouraged by how the infielder looks. Cora noted Tuesday that Christian Arroyo is the team's second baseman "as of now," but the door would appear to be open for Mondesi to take that job if he can show he's healthy. Mondesi was acquired from the Royals via trade last month.

Amaya (undisclosed) was spotted taking part in defensive drills during the Marlins' team workout Monday at big-league spring training, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

The 24-year-old infielder is attending his first camp with the Marlins after Miami acquired him from the Dodgers in January in the deal that sent veteran shortstop Miguel Rojas to Los Angeles. Amaya closed the 2022 campaign on Triple-A Oklahoma City's 60-day injured list due to an unspecified injury, but his participation in the early stages of spring training suggests he'll enter the 2023 season at full health. Look for him to open his time in the Miami organization at Triple-A Jacksonville.

Bichette plans to be more aggressive on the bases in 2023, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters on Monday that the team wants to be more aggressive on the bases in 2023, and the shortstop echoed those sentiments. The larger bases and new pickoff rules could see a rise in stolen bases in the coming years, but Bichette says that he was intending to run more even before the rule changes. The 24-year-old swiped 25 bases in 26 attempts in 2021, but went just 13-for-21 in 2022 in what was a disappointing season for Bichette until his sensational September (.406/.444/.662) saw him finish the year with an .802 OPS. A rise to his previous level in steals could see Bichette finish as one of the very best players -- not just shortstops -- in 2023.

Neto was invited to the major-league side of Angels camp this spring.

Neto went 13th overall in the 2022 first-year player draft and quickly made the jump to Double-A Rocket City while posting an overall .299/.371/.473 batting line with five home runs and five stolen bases across his first 37 professional games. The 22-year-old top shortstop prospect probably won't be a factor at the MLB level in 2023, but he's on a sharp upward trajectory.

The three-year deal Bichette signed with the Blue Jays on Tuesday has $33.6 million guaranteed, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The contract extension came together on Tuesday evening, just two days out from Bichette's scheduled arbitration hearing with the Jays. It covers all of his arbitration-eligible seasons and carries performance-based escalators that could raise the total sum to $40.65 million. The 24-year-old shortstop is currently scheduled to reach free agency after the 2025 campaign.

Grissom might begin the season at Triple-A Gwinnett if Atlanta decides to start Orlando Arcia at shortstop, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

In fact, Bowman predicts that Arcia will be the team's Opening Day shortstop and Grissom "possibly gains the job at some point during the year." Grissom's defense at shortstop has been questioned, although he's been working with third base coach and infield instructor Ron Washington this winter with reportedly positive results. Arcia would probably offer the more stable glove, though, and Atlanta might prefer the better defensive option at the position given the strength of the rest of their lineup. It will be one of the more interesting position battles to track during spring training.

Bichette and the Blue Jays have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a three-year contract extension, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

The financial terms haven't been announced, but Bichette is assuredly looking at a massive raise from the $723,000 he made last season. He was set for an arbitration hearing Thursday, but instead the star shortstop will receive a multi-year deal for his strong previous efforts. It buys out his remaining arbitration years, and he'll still hit free agency after the 2026 season. In 2022, Bichette 's red-hot September pushed him to an .802 OPS, 24 homers, 93 RBI and 13 stolen bases over his 159 total games.

Bichette's arbitration hearing with the Blue Jays is scheduled for Thursday, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca.

Bichette filed at $7.5 million, with the Blue Jays countering at $5 million, when arbitration figures were exchanged earlier this offseason. Now it's up to an arbitration panel to decide which of the two possible salaries the 24-year-old shortstop will earn in 2023. Bichette made just $723,500 last year while delivering an .802 OPS with 24 home runs, 93 RBI, 13 stolen bases and 91 runs scored across 159 regular-season games.

Volpe received an invitation Tuesday to the major-league side of the Yankees' camp.

Volpe is not currently on the Yankees' 40-man roster, but he'll be pushing to carve out a spot and make his MLB debut at some point in 2023. The 21-year-old top shortstop prospect put up an .802 OPS with 21 home runs and 50 stolen bases in 132 games last summer between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.