MLB Player News

Gurriel will play spring-training games at second and third base, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Manager A.J. Hinch concocted a similar plan during spring training last season, too, but that idea was squashed after Gurriel underwent hand surgery in late February. Still, he appeared in 21 games at third base during the regular season, staring there eight times. He also made five starts at second base. With super-utility man Marwin Gonzalez no longer around, Gurriel and fellow Cuban Aledmys Diaz will be packing multiple gloves.

Guerrero is expected to begin the season at Triple-A Buffalo, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports.

General manager Ross Atkins didn't rule out having the top prospect on the Opening Day roster, but he also said that the most likely starter at the hot corner for the first game is Brandon Drury. This is almost certainly a trick to get an extra year of team control over Guerrero, so the most likely scenario is that he will be up with Toronto after a few weeks.

Rodriguez signed a minor-league contract with the Indians on Monday.

Rodriguez is back with the Indians after spending time with the team's Double- and Triple-A affiliates in 2018, hitting a combined .228/.308/.416 with 15 homers in 107 games. The 24-year-old will report to minor-league camp and figures to open the 2019 campaign with Triple-A Columbus.

Lowe is expected to earn an invitation to the Rays' big-league camp, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lowe isn't expected to compete for an Opening Day roster spot in camp, as he's appeared in just 28 games at Triple-A, but that won't stop the Rays from getting a look at the youngster against major-league pitching. The 23-year-old climbed from High-A Charlotte to Triple-A Durham over the course of the 2018 campaign, slashing a combined .330/.416/.568 with 27 homers and 102 RBI across all three stops (130 games). If Lowe is able to hold his own against Triple-A pitching to begin the 2019 season, he could make his big-league debut sometime over the summer.

Abreu will split time at first base and DH along with Yonder Alonso this season, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Manager Rick Renteria said he's had "extensive" talks with both players about splitting time at the two positions, and Abreu is open to the idea. "What matters the most is how we can make the team better," said Abreu. "If I'm first base or DH, or he's playing first base, it doesn't matter. It matters how we can make the team better." The White Sox traded for Alonso earlier in the offseason, which now looks like an insurance plan for the soon-to-be-32-year-old Abreu, who played a career-low 128 games in 2018, when he underwent groin surgery and had a thigh infection that ended his season early. More days at DH means more games for Abreu the hitter, and that's good for fantasy owners.

The Blue Jays announced Saturday that Guerrero will be one of 15 non-roster invitees to big-league spring training, John Lott of The Athletic reports.

The development doesn't come as a surprise given Guerrero's status as the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball entering the 2019 season. After tearing through Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Buffalo last season, Guerrero seemingly has nothing more to prove in the minors, though there's a good possibility he'll be dispatched to the International League to begin the upcoming campaign as the Blue Jays look to delay his MLB service clock. Much like how the Braves proceeded with Ronald Acuna a season ago, Guerrero projects to make his Blue Jays debut at some point before the end of April.

Kirilloff was extended an invitation to major-league spring training, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Kirilloff split the 2018 season between Low-A Cedar Rapids and High-A Fort Myers, slashing .348/.392/.578 with 20 home runs in 130 games. The 21-year-old is likely to begin the 2019 season at Double-A Chattanooga given his success at Fort Myers, but will have a chance to showcase himself with the big club at spring training.

White was invited to major-league spring training Thursday, TJ Cotterill of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

The 22-year-old spent nearly all of the 2018 campaign with High-A Modesto, slashing an excellent .303/.375/.458 to go with 11 homers and 66 RBI in 538 plate appearances. White will now get a chance to strut his stuff in front of the major-league coaching staff, though he'll likely spend the bulk of the 2019 season at Double-A after given his limited experience facing pitchers in the upper levels of the minors.

Cabrera signed a one-year deal with the Rangers on Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Cabrera has been a steady but unspectacular bat for the last several years, posting a wRC+ between 104 and 120 for four straight campaigns. Those numbers were more impressive when he was more able to play a middle-infield position, but he's expected to be a third baseman in Texas. The hitter-friendly home park should prop up his numbers and make him an interesting deep-league option, though at 33, age-related decline can't be ruled out.

Abreu agreed to a one-year, $16 million contract with the White Sox on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

For the first time in five seasons in affiliated baseball, Abreu fell short of 25 homers and 100 RBI, but he still put together a nice season and will be rewarded with a $3 million pay increase in his final year of arbitration. Abreu is set to remain the primary first baseman in 2019 with Yonder Alonso expected to see most of his time at DH, and projects to remain the three hole hitter.