MLB Player News

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Wednesday that Mauricio will play some third base in the Dominican Winter League, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Mauricio made his major-league debut at second base this past season and that is probably going to be his long-term position in Queens, but the Mets want him to continue building his defensive versatility as he participates in winter ball for the third year in a row. The talented young infielder could maybe step in at the hot corner next season if Brett Baty is unable to take a significant step forward. Mark Vientos is also an option at third, though he profiles as more of a first baseman or DH moving forward.

Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Wednesday that Vargas could see more action in the outfield moving forward, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Vargas slumped his way out of the second base job in Los Angeles before the midway point of the 2023 season and the Dodgers have grown more comfortable using Mookie Betts at that position, especially against right-handed pitching. Vargas, accordingly, is going to have to find a different avenue to get back to a regular major-league role in 2024. The 23-year-old boasts a .310/.392/.487 career minor-league batting line and remains an important long-term piece for the reigning NL West champs. He made seven starts in left field down the stretch this summer with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Wednesday that McNeil had an encouraging recent checkup on his left elbow, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports.

McNeil missed the final weekend of the 2023 regular season after being diagnosed with a partial UCL tear, but the expectation remains that he'll be able to avoid surgery and bring a clean bill of health into 2024. The 31-year-old seems to be responding well to platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment.

Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Wednesday that Lux (knee) appears on track to be the team's primary shortstop in 2024, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Lux was expected to take over the position in 2023 before he blew out both the ACL and LCL in his right knee during an early spring training game. The 25-year-old began a running program in late July and continues to make steady progress within the recovery process, per Gomes. He should be back to full health when camp opens in February.

Hernandez underwent double-hernia surgery Oct. 24, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Hernandez is expected to be able to resume baseball activities by early December, but this news will further cloud his free-agent appeal. The 32-year-old utility player has batted just .230/.290/.349 in 233 games (910 plate appearances) since the beginning of the 2022 campaign.

Donovan (elbow) has begun a throwing program at the Cardinals' spring training complex in Florida, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Donovan is coming along in his rehab after undergoing flexor tendon surgery in August. The expectation is that he will be ready to roll once spring training arrives. Donovan is expected to be a regular again for the Cardinals in 2024, although it might not necessarily be at a set position.

The Mets claimed Short off waivers from the Tigers on Monday.

Short, 28, is a career .174/.266/.308 hitter over 450 plate appearances in parts of three seasons at the big-league level. He has experience at shortstop, second base, third base and a little in the outfield. Short will compete for a utility job in spring training.

Mathias (shoulder) elected to become a free agent Friday.

Mathias rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A Sacramento after being pushed off the 40-man roster by San Francisco on Wednesday. The utility player went 14-for-62 (.226) with a .591 OPS in 27 major-league games this year between the Pirates and Giants before suffering a season-ending shoulder strain in mid-August.

Merrifield and the Blue Jays both declined his mutual option for the 2024 season Thursday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

The option was worth $18 million, so it's little surprise the team is willing to move on given that Merrifield lost playing down the final stretch. He'll be entering his age-35 season, so Merrifield could be looking for a final payday. He maintained a .700 OPS with 11 home runs and 26 steals across 592 plate appearances in 2023.

The Twins exercised Polanco's $10.5 million club option for 2024 on Thursday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Polanco again battled durability issues in 2023, missing significant time due to ankle, knee and hamstring injuries, but he registered a .789 OPS with 14 home runs across 80 games (343 plate appearances) when healthy. Minnesota could potentially look to trade the 30-year-old infielder this winter and install Edouard Julien at second base, but exercising the option was likely an easy early-offseason decision for the AL Central champs.