MLB Player News

Arroyo said last week that his surgically repaired left hand has fully healed and acknowledged that he should be ready to go for spring training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The main prize for the Rays in the blockbuster December deal that sent Evan Longoria to the Giants, Arroyo indicated he was cleared to resume all baseball activities Jan. 9 following a visit with his surgeon. He's already hitting off a tee and should gradually ramp up his workouts after the broken hand he suffered in late October in the Dominican Winter League had left him idle for most of the winter. It was the second time the 22-year-old had broken the hand in less than a year, as he had been hit by a pitch in a July 1 game at Triple-A Sacramento. Arroyo is expected to vie for a starting gig at second or third base during the spring, but seems more likely to open the campaign with the Rays' Triple-A affiliate in Durham.

Espinosa signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Monday which includes an invitation to spring training, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Espinosa will apparently get a chance to compete for the starting job at second base in camp, though given he couldn't hold a job with the Angels, Mariners or Rays in 2017, he seems like a long shot to crack the Yankees' Opening Day roster. The 30-year-old struggled mightily in 2017, hitting just .173/.245/.278 with a brutal 36.9 percent strikeout rate in 93 games split between three teams. Still, he's a serviceable defender up the middle of the infield, so a strong spring could earn him an Opening Day roster spot, though it would be unwise to expect much of a turnaround from Espinosa in 2018 if that's the case. He also likely wouldn't stick around once Gleyber Torres (elbow) is ready to take over as the team's starting second baseman.

Chavis has been invited to the Red Sox's major-league camp this spring, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

The Red Sox will give one of their top prospects a look during spring, though Chavis is still expected to open the season in the minors. He impressed in stops at High-A Salem and Double-A Portland last season, hitting a combined .282/.347/.563 with 31 homers in 126 games. Still, he hasn't played above Double-A at this point, and with Rafael Devers and Mitch Moreland manning the corners for Boston in 2018, the 22-year-old will likely spend most of his season with Triple-A Pawtucket.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Monday that while service-time considerations won't be a factor in Torres (elbow) potentially breaking spring camp with the big club, it's "more likely" the 21-year-old will require additional time in the minors, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Even after undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery on his left elbow last June, Torres remains one of the top position prospects in baseball heading into 2018. The Yankees' offseason trade that sent Starlin Castro to the Marlins creates an opening in the middle infield, with the organization likely earmarking second base for Torres once he's sufficiently healthy and gets some at-bats under his belt. If Torres opens the season on the disabled list or is assigned to Triple-A Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Ronald Torreyes and Tyler Wade would be the top in-house candidates to see time at the keystone for the big club.

Semien agreed to a one-year, $3.125 million deal with the A's on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports reports.

This marked the first offseason he was arbitration eligible, and the shortstop will cash in after making $545,000 a year ago. During the 2017 season, he slashed .249/.325/.398 with 10 home runs, 40 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 85 games after missing nearly half the year due to a right wrist injury. Heading into this upcoming season, he should provide decent value on the bases, but is unlikely to move the needle at the dish.

Solarte was traded to the Blue Jays on Saturday, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reports. According to Dennis Lin of The San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres will receive Edward Olivares and Jared Carkuff in return.

The switch-hitter is coming off a bit of an underwhelming 2017 campaign, as he hit just .255/.314/.416, a sizable drop-off from his .286/.341/.467 slash line in 2016. Solarte did play all four infield positions for the Padres last season, so he should offer solid depth around the infield for Toronto, which is especially desirable given the injury history of the team's middle infielders, Troy Tulowitzki and Devon Travis. This hurts Solarte from a fantasy standpoint, however, as the 30-year-old should see fewer at-bats next season barring an injury to the infield or a Josh Donaldson trade.

Arroyo (hand) was traded from the Giants to the Rays on Wednesday along with Denard Span and Matt Krook in exchange for Evan Longoria, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports.

The Rays wisely looked to shop Longoria this winter while he still had trade value, as their primary goal was to get out from under the $86 million remaining on his contract through the 2023 season. Arroyo was apparently the best prospect they could get back. He is a 22-year-old infielder who is probably best suited for second base or third base, although he may not hit enough to profile as a regular at anywhere other than shortstop. Some evaluators throw plus grades on his hit tool, but he has below-average raw power. He was extremely lucky last season at Triple-A (.427 BABIP) and extremely unlucky in the majors (.231 BABIP), but has the potential to hit a fairly empty .300 in his prime years. He is a below-average runner, so almost all of his value will have to come from his batting average, and potentially his runs scored if he is able to hit first or second for the Rays. Look for Arroyo to compete to be the Rays' starting second baseman this spring, as Adeiny Hechavarria and Willy Adames are ahead of him on the depth chart at shortstop. He suffered a hand injury in winter ball but will be ready for spring training.

Rodriguez signed a minor-league contract with the Tigers on Friday, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.

Rodriguez spent the past two seasons at Triple-A Columbus for the Indians, and he was able to put together his best minor-league campaign during 2017. The 25-year-old slashed .291/.324/.454 with 17 home runs and 64 RBI and has demonstrated the ability to play multiple positions, but he profiles best at the hot corner. He will likely begin next spring in Triple-A yet again, but he could earn a chance at the major-league level if he's able to prove that last year's performance at the plate wasn't a fluke.

Beckham agreed to a minor-league deal with the Mariners on Monday, SB Nation's Chris Cotillo reports.

The former top prospect continues to prolong his pro baseball career, although at this point he is very unlikely to ever regain a significant role on a big-league club. Last year he hit .262/.313/.393 with nine home runs in 83 games with Triple-A Tacoma. He figures to once again serve as organizational infield depth for the Mariners.

Petit signed a minor-league deal with the Twins on Thursday, MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger reports.

Petit didn't appear in the majors in 2017 after receiving time in 89 games a year prior with the Angels. He hit .253/.275/.370 with four home runs and 30 RBI during 73 games with Triple-A Buffalo in Toronto's system last season. Petit will provide organizational middle infield depth.