MLB Player News

Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa decided this offseason to hit exclusively from the right side. The former switch hitter hasn't had much success this spring, going 0 for 5. But manager Matt Williams isn't concerned about Espinosa just yet, reports MLB.com.

"His timing isn't quite there yet, but that is to be expected," Williams said. "The good thing I see is him taking balls out of the strike zone. He is not swinging at a lot of them that are down below the zone or up. He has a good knowledge of it. The timing will come. He'll get better as we go. So far, so good."

Padres third basemen Will Middlebrooks and Yangervis Solarte are competing for the third base job this spring, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. 

Manager Bud Black admitted third base was the "biggest" competition in camp. He said he believes both players can hack it in the majors, but was hesitant to say he would utilize them in a platoon role. 

"Possibility," Black said, "but I think any player will tell you he wants to be an everyday player -- they want to play. And they’re both young, they’re both in their mid-20s. You hope it’s a tough decision at the end, but these things have a way of working themselves out."

Middlebrooks, 26, hit .191 over 215 at-bats last season. Solarte hit .260/.336/.369 over 469 at-bats. 

Padres thirdbasemen Will Middlebrooks and Yangervis Solarte are both battling to get the starting nod at third base during spring training, but the two are getting along just fine so far, reports UTSanDiego.com.

"I'm trying to help him, he's trying to help me," Middlebrooks said. "We're working together, we're having fun and we're competing. It's for the team, and I think it'll be good if we both push each other."

Middlebrooks hit .191 with two home runs and 19 RBI in 215 plate appearances for the Red Sox in 2014.

He is also okay if he ends up playing a different position down the line.

"Third base is the priority," he said, "but wherever I can get in the lineup, wherever I can help us win some baseball games, that's what's important for me."

Meanwhile, Solarte is doing what he can to help Middlebrooks adjust to his new surroundings.

"That's competing," Solarte said. "For me, it's my teammate. I want to work hard with him and make it fun, too."

The Padres don't have a prototypical leadoff hitter on their 40-man roster, so manager Bud Black is already trying to pare down the potential candidates he does have at his disposal, per U-T San Diego.

“Yangervis Solarte, Will Venable, Cameron Maybin and Wil Myers -- let’s start there,” Black said of the options at the top of his list.

However, of that list of players, Myers is the only one assured of playing every day. He has a career .324 on-base percentage.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said second baseman Danny Espinosa has agreed to hit only from the right side in 2015, reports MASNSports.com. "Danny Espinosa is the most stubborn player I've ever met," Rizzo joked.

Espinosa hit .183 with 97 strikeouts in 249 at-bats from the left side of the plate in 2014. He hit .301 with three homers and 10 RBI from the right side. Per the website, Espinosa owns a lifetime .213 batting average as a lefty hitter facing right-handed pitching versus a .271 average from the right side against left-handers.

The Nationals have avoided arbitration with infielder Danny Espinosa, the team announced. 

Espinosa is set to receive $1.8 million next year, according to The Washington Post. The 27-year-old is coming off a season in which he hit .219/.283/.351 over 333 at-bats. He was slated to open the year as the team's starter at second base until the team acquired Yunel Escobar. Espinosa will now open the year in a utility role. 

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Thursday infielder Yunel Escobar, who was acquired in a trade Wednesday with the Athletics, will be the team's starting second baseman.

Rizzo added Danny Espinosa, who started a team-high 77 games at second base in 2014, will return to a utility role.

The Nationals announced they tendered contracts to the following arbitration-eligible players: Jerry Blevins, Tyler Clippard, Ross Detwiler, Danny Espinosa, Doug Fister, Jose Lobaton, Wilson Ramos, Craig Stammen, Drew Storen and Stephen Strasburg.

Marlins second baseman Enrique Hernandez, who is a candidate for the starting job in 2015, has sustained an abdominal injury that has likely knocked him out for the rest of the Winter League season, MLB.com has reported.

It's unclear whether he will be fully healed when the Marlins open spring training in February.

Acquired from Houston on July 31, Hernandez compiled a stat line of .248/.321/.421 last season.

Marlins outfielder Enrique Hernandez came up grand at the plate in Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Nationals Friday night.

Hernandez entered the game in the seventh inning as a pinch-hitter for Carter Capps. He flew out center field. In the ninth inning, he took Craig Stammen deep for a grand slam, capping off a 15-7 victory. He finished 1 for 2 with a run scored and four RBI. He is hitting .256 with three homers and 14 RBI over 117 at-bats.