MLB Player News
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Justin Foscue 1B | TEX
Rangers' Justin Foscue: Working out at infield corners
Foscue's defensive work this offseason has been focused mainly on first and third base, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
Foscue -- who is a natural second baseman -- plans to receive most of his reps leading into spring training at first base. During his time at Triple-A Round Rock in 2023, Foscue made starts at every infield spot aside from shortstop, in addition to nine starts at designated hitter. The 2020 first-round pick's best chance at extended playing time with the Rangers in 2024 -- barring an injury to one of the team's starters -- likely would be as a utility infielder and/or DH. Foscue slashed .266/.394/.468 with 18 home runs and 14 stolen bases over 122 contests with Round Rock last season.
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Jonathan India 2B | KC
Reds' Jonathan India: Heading to arbitration
India is the one arbitration-eligible player that the Reds couldn't come to terms with before filing, and the two parties will likely go to a hearing, as the Reds are a "file-and-trial" team, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
India filed for $4.0 million and the Reds filed at $3.2 million, so the two parties are not especially close. India faces a critical season -- this is the first year he's arbitration-eligible and has to compete with the likes of Jeimer Candelario, Matt McLain and Christian Encarnacion-Strand for playing time. Some trade rumors regarding India have popped up from time to time, but nothing concrete has emerged. India has missed good chunks of time due to injury the last two seasons, and he hasn't come close to replicating his rookie year production (.269/.376/.459) over the last two campaigns.
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Jose Caballero 2B | NYY
Rays' Jose Caballero: Likely to open at shortstop
Caballero is likely to be the Rays' Opening Day shortstop, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.
Things could always change if the Rays make further additions, of course, but as things stand right now, Caballero appears to be the favorite to man shortstop in the opener. Acquired earlier this month in a trade with the Mariners, Caballero slashed .221/.343/.320 with four homers and 26 stolen bases over 104 contests in 2023. The 27-year-old could just be keeping the seat warm until Junior Caminero is ready.
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Tommy Edman 2B | LAD
Cardinals' Tommy Edman: Could be slowed early in camp
Edman (wrist) said Monday that he could be slightly behind schedule from a hitting perspective at the start of spring training, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Edman underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right wrist in October and is still in the midst of a hitting progression. He has yet to be cleared for bat-to-ball contact and it's not clear when that will happen. Edman fully expects to be ready to roll come Opening Day, though, so fantasy managers shouldn't be overly concerned at this point that he's a tad behind.
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Brendan Donovan 2B | SEA
Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: No limits in spring training
Donovan (elbow) has two weeks left of a throwing program and expects to have no limitations at the start of spring training, Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Donovan underwent surgery in August on his right flexor tendon. The goal, he said Sunday at the Cardinals' Winter Warm-up fan event, is to arrive to spring training and "nobody can tell" he had surgery. Donovan was terrific in 2023 before his season ended in late July, slashing .284/.365/.422 with 11 home runs in 95 contests. Most of his playing time in 2024 will probably come at second base, but he made starts at six different positions last season (not including designated hitter) and will do some bouncing around again as a super utility player.
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Nolan Gorman 2B | STL
Cardinals' Nolan Gorman: Ready for camp
Gorman (hamstring) said Sunday he's been working with a nutrition program this offseason and is heading toward spring training with increased flexibility and reduced back inflammation, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Gorman has battled back issues the past couple years, but the nutrition program has apparently helped ease those issues. The 23-year-old finished 2023 on the injured list with a hamstring strain, but that injury doesn't appear to be a concern heading into camp. He's coming off a strong campaign during which he posted a .236/.328/.478 slash line with 27 homers, 76 RBI, 59 runs and seven steals in 119 contests.
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Gleyber Torres 2B | DET
Yankees' Gleyber Torres: Avoids arbitration with Yankees
Torres signed a one-year, $14.2 million contract with the Yankees on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.
Torres has seen his power bounce back in the last couple seasons, including a .180 ISO across 672 plate appearances in 2023. He also chipped in 13 stolen bases while hitting .273, giving him a well-rounded profile -- even if he doesn't stand out in one particular area. Torres should start consistently at second base for the Yankees this season.
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Blue Jays' Santiago Espinal: Agrees to terms
Espinal agreed to a one-year, $2.725 million deal with the Blue Jays on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The 29-year-old utility player saw 20-plus games at second base and third base last season while playing 16 games at shortstop. His defensive versatility makes him more valuable in real life than in fantasy.
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Cavan Biggio RF | HOU
Blue Jays' Cavan Biggio: Gets $4.21 million
Biggio agreed to a one-year, $4.21 million deal with the Blue Jays on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The 28-year-old utility man has been a pretty steady producer for Toronto, save for a down 2021 season where he was worth -0.2 fWAR. Biggio is eligible at second base, outfield and first base, which is the most appealing aspect of his fantasy profile. He slashed .235/.340/.370 with nine homers and five steals in 338 plate appearances last season.
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Nicky Lopez 3B | COL
White Sox's Nicky Lopez: Agrees to terms
Lopez agreed to a one-year, $4.3 million deal with the White Sox on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Lopez, who is an excellent defensive infielder, is expected to play somewhat regularly in the middle infield early this season, which will help Chicago's pitching staff even if it doesn't help the offense much. Once Colson Montgomery gets the call, one of Lopez or Paul DeJong will presumably move to a bench role.