MLB Player News

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Vargas suffered an injury to the pinky finger on his right hand while taking grounders Monday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Roberts said the injury will keep Vargas from swinging the bat for a few days, but more importantly, X-rays were negative, and the 23-year-old will continue to take defensive reps at second base as he looks to lock down a full-time role heading into Opening Day. Assuming Vargas adapts well to the keystone after playing only 57 innings at the position (all in the minors) in 2022, he should make for an attractive late-round target in drafts, given the upside he offers as a hitter.

Gorman will spend more time at designated hitter this year when not playing the field, despite the Cardinals' hesitance to use him there last season, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Gorman started 73 games as a rookie last season, appearing at second base 62 times while serving as the designated hitter on 11 occasions. He didn't fare particularly well at the keystone, and with the Cardinals no longer able to compensate for his deficiencies via the shift, his playing time appeared to be at risk. It's possible Gorman finds himself on the large side of a DH platoon with Juan Yepez, though the Cardinals haven't explicitly detailed their plans.

Alu will get some reps in left field this spring, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

The 25-year-old posted a combined .301/.367/.508 line in 132 games between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester last season with 40 doubles, 20 home runs and 15 stolen bases in 19 attempts, earning a spot on the 40-man roster in the process. Alu is a long shot to break camp with a spot in the big leagues, but the rebuilding Nationals aren't exactly flush with talent in the outfield. If he can add more defensive versatility to his profile, his odds of making his MLB debut some time in 2023 would improve.

Rojas will earn $2.575 million in 2023 after losing his arbitration hearing to the Diamondbacks on Thursday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Rojas had filed at $2.9 million in what was his first year of arbitration eligibility as a Super 2 qualifier. The 28-year-old put up a .739 OPS with nine home runs and 23 stolen bases for the Diamondbacks last season. Most of his playing time in 2023 will likely come at third base, though he figures to bounce around and could get starts in the designated hitter spot, too.

Villar is viewed as the Giants' starting third baseman heading into spring training, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Villar slashed .231/.331/.455 with nine home runs and 24 RBI in 52 games as a 25-year-old last season. He won't go unchallenged for the job at third base -- Wilmer Flores and J.D. Davis are also in the mix, but their versatility around the diamond may make them better suited for utility roles. Villar is also expected to see time at second base when Thairo Estrada covers for Brandon Crawford at shortstop.

Arraez won his arbitration case against the Marlins and will earn $6.1 million in 2023, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Before they traded him to Miami last month, the Twins had filed at $5 million. That figure carried over through the deal and Arraez ultimately came out on top through the arbitration process. The 25-year-old infielder led all American League hitters in batting average (.316) last season and projects to serve as the everyday leadoff man for the Marlins in 2023.

Dodgers GM Andrew Friedman said Sunday that Vargas could open 2023 as the club's primary second baseman, Jim Bowden of The Athletic reports.

The 23-year-old had a .455 OPS across 18 games in his first taste of big-league action in 2022, but he could be an Opening Day starter for Los Angeles this year following the offseason departures of Trea Turner and Justin Turner. Vargas is the organization's top prospect, and it appears he'll enter spring training with a leg up for playing time over veteran Miguel Rojas, who would fill an infield utility role after being acquired from the Marlins.

McNeil signed a four-year, $50 million contract extension with the Mets on Friday to avoid arbitration, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

After slashing .326/.382/.454 across 589 plate appearances last season, the reigning NL batting champion earned himself a nice raise from his $3 million salary in 2022. The deal reportedly includes a fifth-year club option, which could bump the total value of the deal up to $63.75 million.

Albies hasn't had any restrictions this offseason after fracturing his pinky finger in mid-September, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Albies missed the remainder of the regular season as well as Atlanta's lone playoff series, though he said Saturday that he would have been ready to go had the team advanced to the NLCS. The 26-year-old is coming off a down season in which he hit .247/.294/.409 and was limited to just 64 games due to the broken pinky and a broken foot. He can seemingly be considered fully healthy heading into camp.

Arraez is being acquired by the Marlins from the Twins in exchange for Pablo Lopez, infield prospect Jose Salas and outfield prospect Byron Chourio, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Arraez won a batting title with the Twins in 2022 by hitting .316 and sports a career .314 batting average. He can play all over the infield as well as in left field, and it's unclear where Miami plans to slot him into the lineup. Going to LoanDepot Park is a bit of a downgrade for Arraez's power outlook, although that's not a big part of his game, and his overall fantasy outlook is a little dimmer as the Marlins lineup certainly looks worse on paper than the Twins.