MLB Player News

With several veterans competing for the backup third base role, Arroyo will see less at-bats this spring and is destined to start the year in the minors, CSN Bay Area reports.

The Giants brought in Jimmy Rollins and Aaron Hill to compete with Conor Gillaspie for the primary backup third base role this spring. General manager Bobby Evans already acknowledged that Arroyo will lose playing time this spring because of the competition, but he also mentioned that organization "knows he can hit at this level." While that is a positive comment to hear from the GM, it also means the club has already determined that Arroyo won't be competing for a 25-man roster spot. A strong start in the minors would go a long way in forcing the Giants' hand should a spot open up in the majors at some point this season.

Andrus (groin) says he is working out at 80-90 percent of full strength and participating in all baseball activities, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

The veteran shortstop underwent sports hernia surgery this offseason, but says he has no limitations on his workouts thus far and simply needs to build up his strength. Andrus is coming off perhaps the best season of his career, in which he slashed .302/.362/.439 and contributed 69 RBI. Expect the Rangers to be cautious with easing him back into action.

Andrus (groin) will report to Rangers camp on Saturday and will be brought along slowly as he recovers from his sports hernia, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Fantasy players should monitor Andrus' progress as their drafts approach, but he may not do much until spring training games start. His speed-first stock may depend heavily on how quickly he can get to 100 percent, which makes him only worth drafting in the middle to late rounds of mixed drafts.

Manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that Forsythe is a top-of-the-order batter but not necessarily the Dodgers' leadoff hitter, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Late last month, Roberts said he expected Forsythe to lead off in 2017, but it seems he's backtracking on that idea. Perhaps Roberts is thinking about installing a lefty atop the order and then plugging Forsythe into the two-hole ahead of Corey Seager to go lefty-righty-lefty. Andrew Toles may be an option to set the table for Los Angeles.

Tomlinson is one of several options being considered to serve as a primary backup infielder this spring, CSN Bay Area reports.

Tomlinson has now had two stints in the majors as a backup infielder for the Giants and he has thrived in that role both times, slashing .299/.362/.377 with 10 steals in 313 career plate appearances. He doesn't offer much in the power department, but his speed makes him stand out on a roster that failed to produce a player with more than 15 steals last season. He will have to earn his spot on the roster, but Tomlinson has to be considered the early favorite to win the job heading into spring training.

Braves manager Brian Snitker said Albies (elbow) will spend the early portion of spring training rehabbing and won't play in the first few weeks of games, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Albies underwent surgery in September to address a fractured elbow, and though the 20-year-old hasn't had any major setbacks in his recovery, he'll still need a little more time to heal up. It's still expected that Albies will be ready to play by the beginning of the minor-league season, and he'll likely open 2017 at Triple-A Gwinnett. The Braves have no reason to rush Albies to the big leagues after recently acquiring Brandon Phillips to man the keystone, but the promising prospect is viewed as the future at that position and could make his MLB debut at some point in the second half.

Adames' roster spot could be in jeopardy with Alexi Amarista vying for a reserve utility role this spring, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Adames was afforded a sizable amount of playing time last season after Trevor Story (thumb) went down due to injury, but his batting line at the end of the season sat at a measly .218/.304/.302. The one thing going for the switch hitter is that he is out of options, meaning the Rockies would need to expose him to waivers if they wanted to send him back to the minor leagues, although with Amarista now in tow and prospect Pat Valaika also in the mix, Adames appears to be the odd man out as things stand now. This could change if the 25-year-old has a strong spring showing, although it's hard to fathom that the Rockies wouldn't give the nod to Amarista after investing over $1 million in him over the offseason.

Motter, who arrived in Seattle via a five-player trade with the Rays on Nov. 18, is a candidate for the team's utility role, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

On the defensive side of the equation, the 27-year-old just exudes "utility", as he was deployed at every position except for catcher and center field last season in Tampa. However, his bat proved to be an Achilles' heel during his 2016 cup of coffee with the big league club, with Motter slashing just .188/.290/.300 over 93 plate appearances. Therefore, Motter he'll need to demonstrate increased proficiency at the plate during the exhibition slate to unseat veteran incumbent Shawn O'Malley, who is considered the favorite for the job going in to spring training. Mike Freeman, who logged his first 24 major league plate appearances with the Diamondbacks and Mariners last season, is also on hand to complete alongside Motter for the role.

Following the Brandon Phillips trade to Atlanta, Herrera will get more spring training reps at second base.

Herrera still might begin the year in the minors, as he doesn't profile as a utility player, and the Reds still have Jose Peraza and Zack Cozart ahead of him. But the team is also trying to peddle Cozart once he proves to be healthy, and if/when that happens, Peraza would move over to shortstop and Herrera would play second base.

Elmore signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays that includes an invite to spring training, Toronto radio play-by-play broadaster Mike Wilner reports.

Elmore hit .218 in 78 big-league at-bats last year and has bounced between Triple-A and the majors over the last four seasons. If he sticks with the Jays, he'll likely take on a similar role as organizational depth around the infield and outfield.