MLB Player News

The Giants informed Solarte on Friday that he won a spot on the team's Opening Day roster, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Solarte is likely earmarked for a utility role after he received time at all four infield spots with the Blue Jays in 2018 and saw action at left field during spring training. The 31-year-old switch-hitter has slugged double-digit home runs in each of his five seasons in the majors, but he received more than 400 plate appearances in each of those years. He could struggle to see that level of playing time in 2019 and will be further hurt by the Giants' home park, one of the more pitcher-friendly environments in baseball.

Hernandez is expected to be the Dodgers' starting second baseman, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Hernandez is tremendously versatile, having started everywhere except pitcher and catcher last season. That utility role got him 462 plate appearances last season, but he could be in line for even more this year after hitting .256/.336/.470 with 21 homers in 2018. Chris Taylor will start less frequently at second base but will still get starts around the diamond, particularly in left field.

Guillorme appears to have won a bench spot to begin the season, Deesha Thosar of The New York Daily News reports.

His main competition for the job, Adeiny Hechavarria, was reassigned to minor-league camp Saturday. Guillorme managed only a .523 OPS in 74 plate appearances during his big-league debut last year, and this stint in the bigs could be a brief one, as both Jed Lowrie (knee) and Todd Frazier (oblique) will need roster spots when they get healthy.

Ngoepe will head to minor-league camp Tuesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Unsurprisingly, Ngoepe wasn't able to crack the Opening Day roster. With a .181/.272/.236 line in 82 big-league plate appearances, there's no guarantee the Phillies will look to him when injuries strike their infield.

Tomlinson was assigned to minor-league camp on Tuesday.

Tomlinson went 2-for-25 in the Cactus League, which couldn't have helped his already slim chances at breaking camp in the big leagues. He's not on the 40-man roster, so he may not be the first choice to fill in when an infielder gets injured.

The Pirates reassigned Franklin (hamstring) to their minor-league camp Monday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Franklin picked up a right hamstring injury early in camp and never played in any Grapefruit League games, ruining his slim chances of breaking camp with the big club. Unless he demonstrates some meaningful progress over the next week or two, he'll likely open the season on the injured list at Triple-A Indianapolis.

Frazier went 0-for-2 with a pair of walks against the Red Sox on Sunday. He also stole his first base.

The 27-year-old, who is hitting .333 in Grapefruit League action, is expected to serve as Pittsburgh's leadoff batter. While he hasn't accumulated more than 406 at-bats in any of his three seasons, he's heading into 2019 as the team's clear starter at second base for the first time. As a result, Frazier is looking to build upon his career slash line of .280/.345/.422, knowing his bat will be in the lineup most games as a mostly helpful fantasy contributor in batting average.

The Mets reassigned Espinosa to minor-league camp Sunday.

Espinosa was a non-roster invitee in camp after signing a minor-league deal with the Mets in February, and his chances to make the Opening Day roster were always slim given the team's infield acquisitions this offseason. The 31-year-old didn't help himself this spring as he went 2-for-30 with one home run.

Dubon (illness) will serve as the designated hitter Saturday in a minor-league game with Triple-A San Antonio.

Dubon's availability for the contest confirms that he's continued to progress well in his recovery from an intestinal illness and should be ready to go when San Antonio starts its regular season in April. The 24-year-old will probably make his MLB debut at some point in 2019 but isn't likely to be anything more than a utility man.

The Rockies reassigned Rodgers to their minor-league camp Saturday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Rodgers appears on track to debut with the Rockies at some point in 2019, but cracking the Opening Day roster was always an unlikely outcome. With Trevor Story and Nolan Arenado locked in long term on the left side of the infield, Rodgers should see most of his action at second base at Triple-A Albuquerque this season in preparation for an eventual move to the big leagues. The Rockies will first see if either Garrett Hampson or Ryan McMahon can be a viable option at second base before potentially giving Rodgers a look.