MLB Player News

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed Monday that Vargas suffered a hairline fracture to the pinky finger of his right hand and won't resume swinging the bat for at least a few days, Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA reports.

A diagnosis for the pinky injury Vargas suffered while fielding a grounder earlier Monday wasn't initially provided, but Roberts provided more clarity on the matter when he met with the media following the Dodgers' workout. Though the nature of the injury isn't ideal, Vargas will still be able to take part in fielding drills over the next few days, which should help him in his bid to secure an everyday role at second base heading into Opening Day. According to Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register, the Dodgers don't have a precise timeline for when Vargas will resume swinging, but Roberts suggested that it may come down to a matter of pain tolerance on the part of the 23-year-old.

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.

Wong agreed Monday with the Mariners on a minor-league contract, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Seattle marks the fourth organization for Wong, who was drafted by the Rays in 2013 before he had stints with the Giants and Angels over the past two seasons. The 27-year-old utility man saw big-league action in 2019 and 2021, but he spent the entire 2022 campaign with the Angels' Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake, slashing .260/.340/.330 with three home runs and 41 stolen bases. Wong, whose older brother Kolten Wong is set to man second base for Seattle, will likely be ticketed for Triple-A Tacoma.

Andrus signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the White Sox on Sunday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Andrus joined the White Sox in August of 2022 after being released by Oakland, and he slashed .271/.309/.464 with nine home runs, 28 RBI, 25 runs and 11 stolen bases over 43 games with the club while mainly filling in for Tim Anderson, who missed the final two months of the season with a hand injury. Andrus will be in the mix to serve as the White Sox's starting second baseman to begin the 2023 campaign, especially since the team views Leury Garcia as a backup.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that he envisions Torres serving as the team's starting second baseman this season, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Though the skipper noted that Anthony Rizzo and Josh Donaldson will likely join Torres as the preferred starters at three of the infield spots, DJ LeMahieu is expected to rove between first base, second base, third base and designated hitter to maintain a near-everyday role. As a result, Torres could be subject to days off once or twice per week when the Yankees are at full strength, as was often the case in 2022. Despite the crowded infield situation, Torres still saw action in 140 games last season, slashing .257/.310/.451 with 24 home runs, 76 RBI, 73 runs and 10 stolen bases across 572 plate appearances.

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.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora cited Hernandez and Alex Verdugo as players he'd like to see steal more bags in 2023, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Cora lamented the state of baserunning in baseball, saying the art is "at its worst" for a variety of reasons, but he would like his club to take advantage of the bigger bases, which will create a four-and-half inch reduction in the distance between first and second base and between second and third base. Hernandez attempted two steals (caught both times) last season but also missed a lot of time with a hip injury. The most he's stolen is four bags in 2019. The manager plans to emphasize the finer points of baserunning techniques during spring training.

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.

Rengifo won his arbitration case against the Angels on Thursday and will earn $2.3 million this season, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

The club filed at $2 million when arbitration figures were exchanged over the winter. Rengifo gets a nice raise from his $730,000 salary in 2022 as he prepares to serve as the Angels' primary shortstop in 2023. He's coming off a .724 OPS with 17 home runs and six stolen bases in 127 games.