MLB Player News

Rodriguez has been shut down at the Dominican Winter League due to a shoulder issue, Emily Waldon of The Athletic reports.

The severity of the injury is not yet clear. Rodriguez projected to enter the season as a utility man. Dawel Lugo and Brandon Dixon could benefit should he wind up not being ready to go by Opening Day.

Lopez was invited to the Royals' major-league camp Tuesday.

Lopez is at best a long shot to break camp with the Royals, but the invitation indicates that the team likes Lopez and wants to give him a chance to work with the big-league coaching staff. He reached Triple-A for the first time in the middle of last season, posting a 109 wRC+ in 57 games for Omaha with an impressive 27:29 BB:K. With a little more seasoning in the minors, he could be knocking on the door sometime this summer.

Haggerty was traded from the Indians to the Mets with pitcher Walker Lockett for Kevin Plawecki on Sunday.

Haggerty's offensive profile leaves something to be desired: He hasn't hit north of .253 since 2015, when he was in short-season ball. However, he takes walks at a good rate and has experience playing all over the field. He could be a reserve utility player for the Mets in the future if he can become a bit more competent at the plate.

The Athletics have discussed Barreto more as an outfield option than a middle-infield piece in recent weeks, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "We still have really high expectations for Franklin," general manager David Forst said Friday. "The one difference is we'll probably move him around a bit more than we have in the past...I think you'll see him take on more of a utility role. He's going to be a valuable guy for us, his bat is going to play. We'll try to get him a little bit everywhere starting in spring training."

The Athletics' decision to trade for Jurickson Profar adds fuel to the notion that Barreto wasn't being viewed as a viable candidate to replace free agent Jed Lowrie at second base, at least not to open 2019. The top prize in the 2014 trade that sent Josh Donaldson to Toronto, Barreto's prospect sheen has worn off a bit after he slashed just .215/.252/.424 while striking out in 41.1 percent of his 151 career plate appearances in the big leagues. Still just 22, Barreto has plenty of time to improve his long-term outlook, but the lack of a clear path to consistent playing time during the upcoming campaign puts a damper on his fantasy utility in redraft formats.

Petit agreed to a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Friday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Petit played in 26 games for the Twins this past year, hitting .246/.313/.279 with three RBI and three stolen bases in a reserve role. The 34-year-old will try to latch on with the Phillies in a similar capacity, though starting the year at Triple-A Lehigh Valley seems more likely barring a phenomenal spring training. Either way, don't expect Petit to provide much value from a fantasy perspective.

General manager Neal Huntington suggested last week that Frazier would open the 2019 campaign as the Pirates' everyday second baseman, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports. "We feel good about Adam Frazier getting a chance to play second base on a regular basis and letting him go play one position," Huntington said.

With the Pirates declining Josh Harrison's 2019 team option, the path is finally clear for Frazier to seize control of a regular gig after being deployed mostly in a utility role during parts of three seasons in the big leagues. Despite the somewhat sporadic at-bats, Frazier has been an above-average contributor at the dish during his time in the majors, slashing .280/.345/.422 (106 wRC+). Frazier won't offer much power, but if he can claim a spot near the top of the order, he could be a sneaky source of runs and steals. It's the batting-average category where he'll supply the bulk of his value, however, especially coming off a season in which the MLB mean dipped to its lowest mark (.248) since 1972.

Fontana signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Wednesday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Fontana spent most of the 2018 campaign with Triple-A Salt Lake, hitting .234/.397/.414 in 45 games. He also saw some brief action with the Angels, though he hit just .091/.167/.364 in 12 plate appearances. Fontana figures to serve as organizational infield depth for the Rangers.

Urias may move over to shortstop following the Padres' signing of Ian Kinsler on Friday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Urias was expected to start the 2019 season as the club's starting second baseman, but his role is a little muddled now that Kinsler is on the team. Urias was groomed at both middle infield spots during his time in the Padres' minor leagues, though Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic added that the team still views him at the keystone while envisioning Kinsler at third base. Either way, he should be penciled into an everyday role unless the club elects to keep him in Triple-A for the start of the season to gain an extra year of control.

Dubon (knee) has progressed to hitting off a tee, according to his personal Twitter account.

Dubon continues to slowly work his way back from surgery that he underwent in May to repair a torn ACL in his left knee. While the 24-year-old is expected to be fully healthy by spring training, he'll open the season with Triple-A San Antonio. Dubon could make his major-league debut in 2019 if he picks up where he left off prior to suffering his injury (.343/.348/.574 with four homers and six stolen bases in 27 games at Triple-A in 2018).

Urias (hamstring) is projected to open the 2019 season as the Padres' starting second baseman, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Urias made his big-league debut as a 21-year-old in 2018, hitting .208/.264/.354 in 53 plate appearances before suffering a season-ending hamstring strain in mid-September. While he is still working his way back from the issue, Urias is expected to be fully healed heading into spring training, where he'll have the inside track on an everyday gig. The Padres could still choose to hold the youngster back to gain an extra year of control, as they're expected to do with fellow prospect Fernando Tatis. If Urias does break camp with the big club, he could feature as the leadoff hitter given his projection to hit for a solid average (career .306 average in the minors).