MLB Player News

Chavis has been taking ground balls at second base and could receive some reps in left field in order to provide defensive versatility within the Red Sox's system moving forward, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

This shouldn't come as any surprise considering Chavis is basically blocked at third base by Rafael Devers in the big leagues. The top prospect spent some time at first base in the Arizona Fall League last year and should benefit from gaining more experience at different positions this winter. Unfortunately, he missed 80 games this season due to a suspension following a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, which took him out of the running for a potential big-league promotion in September.

Joseph was sent outright to Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday.

The Orioles dropped Joseph from their 40-man roster in order to free up space for prospects who need to be protected ahead of the upcoming Rule 5 draft. The 30-year-old appeared in just 14 games for the Orioles in 2018, hitting .222/.263/.278 with three RBI and a 5:1 K:BB in 19 plate appearances.

The Blue Jays declined Solarte's 2019 club option Wednesday.

Solarte doesn't have six full years of major-league service time yet, so he'll remain on Toronto's 40-man roster as an arbitration-eligible player. The Blue Jays will now have until Nov. 30 to either tender Solarte a contract, trade him, or cut him loose. The 31-year-old hit just .226/.277/.378 with 17 homers in 122 games in 2018.

Andrus will not exercise the opt-out clause in his contract with the Rangers this offseason, Jon Heyman of FancredSports.com reports.

The shortstop has until Wednesday to inform the Rangers of his decision, but this seems like a no-brainer. Andrus is coming off a down year and has $58 million remaining on his contract. He missed more than two months after suffering a right elbow fracture in April, and the power simply never returned.

Hernandez is not in the lineup for Game 4 of the World Series against Boston on Saturday.

Hernandez has just four hits all postseason, so he'll head to the bench for a night off. Max Muncy will slide over to second base to replace him, allowing David Freese to enter the lineup.

Hernandez is not in the lineup against Boston for Game 3 of the World Series on Friday.

As expected, Hernandez will head to the bench with a right-hander (Rick Porcello) on the bump for the Red Sox, enabling manager Dave Roberts to turn all his lefty hitters loose for Friday's contest in Los Angeles. In his Hernandez's place, Chris Taylor will start at second base and Cody Bellinger will man center field.

Hoerner has played in nine games in the Arizona Fall League after missing the final six weeks of the minor-league season due to a ligament strain in his left elbow.

The infielder has gone 11-for-39 (.282 average) with seven RBI during his brief time back on the field this fall. More importantly, it doesn't appear as though he's having any issues with the elbow. In addition to playing his typical shortstop position, he's started a few games at second base, which is a spot where the 21-year-old saw some time back in his collegiate days at Stanford. After the fall league wraps up in November, Hoerner will rest for six weeks before returning to Arizona for instructional league ball.

General manager David Stearns said Dubon (knee) is on track to be ready for the start of spring training, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

This is encouraging news for Dubon, who suffered a torn ACL in May. The 24-year-old was off to an impressive start prior to suffering the season-ending injury, slashing .343/.348/.574 with four homers and six stolen bases across 27 games with Triple-A Colorado Springs. Dubon will likely open the 2019 season back at Triple-A, though he figures to earn his first trip to the majors at some point once he proves his health.

Altuve's knee injury which caused him trouble throughout the season was an avulsion fracture, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

An avulsion fracture occurs when a small piece of bone attached to a ligament or tendon gets pulled away from the rest of the bone. He had surgery to fix the problem Friday and is expected to be fully recovered by the start of spring training. The second baseman's numbers took a step back across the board following his MVP campaign in 2017, with his slash line falling from .346/.410/.547 to a still excellent .315/.385/.449. His homers dropped from 24 to 13, while he stole 17 bases after swiping 32 bags the season before. Given the severity of his knee injury, however, the dip appears to be very understandable, and there's reason to believe he'll bounce back next season.

Hernandez is not in the lineup for Game 7 of the NLCS against the Brewers on Saturday.

Hernandez is just 2-for-22 so far this postseason. Chris Taylor will get the start at second base in his place.