MLB Player News

Plouffe signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Wednesday which includes an invitation to spring training, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Plouffe opted to return to Philadelphia after spending the majority of the 2018 season on the team's farm, hitting .230/.347/.460 across 73 games for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The veteran infielder joined the big club briefly over summer but was designated for assignment after appearing in just seven games (going 3-for-12 with a homer). He figures to serve as infield depth again in 2019.

Chapman is not at practice Wednesday due to illness, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

This doesn't seem like a major issue for the third baseman. Chapman was scheduled to take Thursday off, but with this development, the Athletics will simply switch their plans and have Chapman take Wednesday off. Once he gets past this issue, the 25-year-old will be able to shift his focus back to preparing for the season opener March 20 in Tokyo.

Bregman (elbow) is scheduled to face live pitching Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Astros have been restricting Bregman's workload early in camp after he required arthroscopic surgery in January to remove a bone spur from his elbow. The 24-year-old didn't experience any setbacks Tuesday while throwing across the diamond for the second time all spring, so he'll be cleared to take another step forward in his rehab by taking batting practice. Bregman previously noted that the biggest test of his health will come with his swinging, so his comments after Wednesday's hitting session may bear monitoring.

Bregman (elbow) threw across the diamond Tuesday and indicated the session went "really well," Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. "I got a long way to go with my swing right now," Bregman said. "Other than that, my body feels great."

Bregman has now incorporated throwing from third to first base into his regimen of baseball activities twice during the early stages of camp, an encouraging sign as he works back from arthroscopic surgery. As his comments suggest, the real test for Bregman's health will come in the batter's box. He's expected to gradually increase his throwing distance and the rigorousness of his batting and fielding drills over the next two weeks before likely making his Grapefruit League debut in early March.

Machado signed with the Padres on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The Padres land one of the offseason's biggest prizes, adding a star in his prime to their growing crowd of young talent. Machado will see a clear downgrade in a park after spending the bulk of his career in a very hitter-friendly environment in Baltimore, though his bat is strong enough to keep him an upper-tier fantasy asset. The contract is worth 10 years and $300 million, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, making it the largest free-agent deal in American professional sports history. Machado will be able to opt out after the fifth season of the deal.

McMahon will have a chance to win the starting job at second base during spring training, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Garrett Hampson will also be competing to break camp as the Rockies' primary second baseman, with prospect Brendan Rodgers an option for later in the season. Manager Bud Black has been noncommittal about the decision to this point, and plans to use a committee at second base at least to open up the season. "DJ [LeMahieu] was an everyday player. He was a batting champion, an all-star, a Gold Glover -- it was his position." stated Black. "We don't have that type of player -- yet." Expect McMahon and Hampson to both see plenty of opportunities during spring training.

Madrigal could make his major-league debut in 2019, Scot Gregor of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.

Yoan Moncada and Yolmer Sanchez are expected to swap positions, opening up an avenue for Madrigal to potentially take over for Sanchez at the keystone sometime in 2019. The soon-to-be 22-year-old, who was the fourth overall pick in 2018, is expected to open the season at Double-A, but it sounds like he could make it to the majors earlier than expected if he continues to excel in the upper minors.

Manager Rick Renteria said Moncada could start at third base on Opening Day, Scot Gregor of the Chicago Daily Herald reports. "Don't be surprised if you see him there Opening Day," the manager said.

Moncada has been working at third base recently, and it sounds like the White Sox are going to give him an opportunity to take over at the hot corner if he's able to hold his own there during camp. Per Gregor, Renteria noted that playing third base requires more focus, which the team hopes will carry over to Moncada's at-bats after he struck out in 33.4 percent of his plate appearances last season. Should Moncada open the season at third base, Yolmer Sanchez would slide over to cover the keystone.

Chapman (shoulder) was cleared for all baseball activities Monday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Chapman started camp slowly after undergoing thumb surgery and shoulder surgery over the offseason, but he won't end up being set back for long. He'll have over a month of full practice before the Athletics head to Tokyo for an early-season opener against the Mariners on March 20.

Bregman (elbow) progressed to throwing a baseball past 90 feet over the weekend, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. "I was throwing 90, 95 percent," Bregman said. "I put a little crow hop shuffle into it. Overall, a really, really good day."

After undergoing arthroscopic elbow surgery in January, Bregman had already resumed incorporating some fielding and hitting drills into his regimen, so his ability to make throws over the weekend amounts to another step forward in his recovery. Bregman is expected to gradually increase his throwing distance before likely being cleared to make his Grapefruit League debut in early March. If he experiences no setbacks along the way, his availability for Opening Day won't be in much question.