MLB Player News

Rodgers (shoulder) said he will serve as a designated hitter in one of the Rockies' split-squad games Thursday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Rodgers has made rapid progress in his recovery from July surgery to repair a torn labrum, as the Rockies were previously uncertain that the 23-year-old would be ready to play in games at any point in spring training. After he was able to gradually ratchet up the intensity of his workouts in the last few weeks, however, Rodgers looks like he'll be ready to make his Cactus League debut in a purely offensive role. The Rockies haven't indicated if Rodgers will be able to play the middle infield before the end of spring training, making it uncertain if he'll be included on the Opening Day roster.

Hoerner went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Rockies.

Hoerner started at shortstop in this one, though his most likely path to regular MLB playing time in 2020 is at second base. The 22-year-old performed well in 20 games in the majors last season, slashing .282/.305/.436, and he could make a strong case for an everyday role in 2020 with a strong spring. However, a crowded middle infield that includes the likes of Javier Baez, David Bote, Jason Kipnis and Daniel Descalso could force Hoerner to Triple-A Iowa, at least initially.

Urias (wrist) will resume hitting on the field Tuesday, Sophia Minnaert of Fox Sports Wisconsin reports.

The 22-year-old has been participating in normal defensive work, but a return to hitting will be a significant step as he continues his recovery from left wrist surgery. Urias remains optimistic about being ready for Opening Day, but the eight-week recovery window provided in late January leaves minimal room for setbacks.

Garcia launched his first home run of the spring in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

The Nats' No. 2 fantasy prospect won't turn 20 years old until mid-May, but he already has a season at Double-A under his belt, though Garcia was far from dominant as the Eastern League's youngest hitter by more than a full year in 2019. His prospect status thus far has been carried by his projectability, but he reported to camp noticeably larger and could be ready to start turning his upside into actual production. "Man, he's growing," Nats manager Dave Martinez said before Saturday's game. "I saw this little, skinny kid when I first got here that everybody talked about. Now, man, he's just filling out, just big." Garcia isn't expected to make his big-league debut this summer, but if he adds some pop and plate discipline to his advanced hit tool, he could accelerate the organization's timetable for him.

Johnson agreed Sunday with the Pirates on a minor-league contract, Andersen Pickard of MLBDailyDish.com reports.

The 29-year-old infielder spent the entire 2019 campaign with the Reds' Triple-A affiliate in Louisville, slashing .241/.353/.355 with four home runs across 241 plate appearances. Expect him to report to the Pirates' International League affiliate in Indianapolis to begin the 2020 season.

Gimenez added a leg kick to his swing prior to the 2019 season, Deesha Thosar of New York Daily News reports.

Gimenez has been effective this spring as he attempts to make his case for a major-league roster spot, going 4-for-12 with one home run and one stolen base over five games. The 21-year-old apparently added a leg kick to his swing prior to the 2019 season, which may have correlated with his slightly improved power numbers as he hit nine home runs, but his batting average also fell to .250 after recording a .281 batting average the year before. While it's somewhat unlikely the shortstop would open the season on the major-league roster, he could make his debut sometime in 2020 if he remains effective in the minors.

Hernandez has been working on a mechanical adjustment to his swing, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

According to Hernandez, the adjustment is focused on preventing his hips from flying open during the course of his swing. Though the utility man is batting only .182 thus far in spring training, both of his hits have left the yard, and he leads the Dodgers with five RBI.

Mathias went 2-for-3 with three RBI, a run and two stolen bases in Friday's spring game against the Dodgers.

Mathias will likely be on the outside looking in when the Brewers set their 26-man roster for Opening Day, but he is getting a chance to show what he can do with his new team, taking at least two at-bats five of the six days the Brewers have played a game this spring.

Rodgers (shoulder) is on track to make his Cactus League debut as a designated hitter at some point next week, and he could be ready to play second base before spring training concludes, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports.

When Rodgers underwent surgery last July to repair a torn labrum, the prevailing belief was that his recovery would extend into the first month of the regular season. The 23-year-old has since accelerated his timeline, however, as he's been able to perform full baseball activities for the past three weeks to put himself on track to participate in spring games. Despite his rapid progress, Rodgers still seems likely to either open the season on the Rockies' injured list or report to Triple-A Albuquerque to begin the year. Colorado wants Rodgers to play on an everyday basis, and it would probably behoove the organization to have him shake off the post-surgery rust in the minors rather than at the big-league level.

Dubon played in center field for five innings during Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Brewers, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Dubon seems set to begin the season at San Francisco's top option at second base, but the team also wants to test his versatility to potentially operate as a super-utility player. The 25-year-old showcased himself well during his first major-league action last season with a .274/.306/.434 slash line in 111 plate appearances, and he should receive plenty of opportunities in 2020, whether at the keystone or elsewhere in the field.