MLB Player News

Andrus (groin) will sit out the Rangers' Cactus League opener Saturday as he continues to take things slow in spring training, TR Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Texas will not rush him back as he recovers from sports hernia surgery, though fantasy players will want to see him in action for at least a week's worth of games to feel comfortable plucking him in the middle to late rounds of mixed drafts. Last season (.302, eight home runs, 69 RBI, 75 runs, 24 steals) might've been his peak, so be careful not to pay for more than that in 2017.

Herrera will not play in the World Baseball Classic due to his recent right shoulder inflammation, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The shoulder injury will keep Herrera from representing Colombia, but he can still work on hitting during spring action as he tries to lock down a roster spot out of camp. He'll help his cause more when he gets back to manning the field, though. During his age-23 season, he likely will serve a utility role and start a couple of games per week, though the once heralded prospect could play his way into more duties for this rebuilding club.

Reds manager Bryan Price said Herrera is suffering from right shoulder inflammation, and while he can't throw yet, he will see action at designated hitter during Saturday's Cactus League game, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Herrera likely won't be limited at the plate, but his inability to get out in the field may work against him proving his worth as a utility player. Still, he's a favorite for an Opening Day bench role, and his progress is worth monitoring, especially for those in NL-only fantasy leagues.

Kemp is taking most of his repetitions at second base during spring training, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Kemp appeared in 59 games for the Astros in 2016, almost exclusively in left field, but offseason acquisitions leave him out of the outfield picture. So, it' s back to the position with which he's most familiar. Unfortunately, that's the spot already occupied by Jose Altuve, so we can expect Kemp to start the season playing second base for Triple-A Fresno.

A's manager Bob Melvin said Barreto will spend his time at shortstop and second base this spring, John Hickey of The Mercury News reports.

The club's top prospect is knocking loudly on the door for a job with the big club sometime this coming season. Though Marcus Semien has locked down shortstop, Barreto may have a shot at second base, currently occupied by injury-prone Jed Lowrie and other uninspiring options. Whenever he's called up, he may immediately jump toward the top of the order. He's a difference-making bat worth stashing in deep leagues, though the wait is much easier to endure in AL-only games because of the late-season upside he'd offer.

Drury is hitting second and starting at second base for the D-backs in their spring exhibition against Grand Canyon University on Wednesday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

In a lineup that has the look of one that manager Torey Lovullo might use on Opening Day (with the exception of David Peralta yielding the start in right field to Oswaldo Arcia due to visa issues), Drury is in a prime spot ahead of Paul Goldschmidt and Jake Lamb on the lineup card. Drury's greatest competition for playing time at second base may come from Ketel Marte, but it appears as though Drury has the inside track for the starting job at the keystone to begin spring games.

Rodriguez is one of three candidates in the race for the team's utility role on the bench, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Rodriguez is competing for the job against Michael Martinez and Erik Gonzalez, both of whom had stints with the Tribe last season. Although the 24-year-old Rodriguez is the long shot, the coaches are reportedly keeping a close eye on all the possible options. Rodriguez hit .258/.293/.400 with 10 homers, 59 RBI and scored 48 runs for Triple-A Columbus last season.

Rosario, who added about 10 pounds of muscle to his frame this offseason, launched a ball off the top of the batter's eye in straightaway center field during a batting practice session Monday, The New York Daily News reports.

Although he's been added to the 40-man roster, Rosario is a long shot to see significant action in the majors this year, as the Mets would prefer he gets a full season's worth of at-bats at Triple-A before competing for the starting role at shortstop in 2018. Nonetheless, the 21-year-old blossomed as an elite prospect last season when his bat began to catch up to his glove, and further improvements in that area could accelerate the organization's timetable for him. After hitting .341/.392/.481 in 54 games at Double-A last season, don't be surprised if Rosario puts up some huge numbers in the desert for Triple-A Las Vegas in 2017.

Urias will see extended reps at shortstop during spring training, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

A well-regarded prospect for San Diego, Urias has mostly played at second base while only occasionally spending some time shortstop. However, it appears San Diego would like to see if he can play at shortstop at least semi-regularly, which would increase his positional value. At 19 years old, Urias is still has a ways to go before making his big league debut, but the Padres are hoping he can continue to develop into a starting-caliber infielder.

Hernandez is slated for a bench role after the acquisition of Logan Forsythe from Tampa Bay.

He seemingly had a chance to to start at second base prior to the move, but it was widely anticipated that the Dodgers would upgrade that position, and that indeed happened. Hernandez will have to earn a utility role this spring and will face competition in the outfield (Franklin Gutierrez, Andrew Toles, Andre Ethier, Scott Van Slyke, Trayce Thompson) and to a lesser extent in the infield (Chase Utley, Rob Segedin, Chris Taylor). The Dodgers will likely keep both Utley and Hernandez as utility infielders with the latter getting occasional starts in the outfield against left-handed pitching.