MLB Player News

Machado plans to play in six or seven spring training games before leaving to join the Dominican Republic's team for the World Baseball Classic, Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com reports.

After playing in all 162 game in 2015, the Orioles' three-time All-Star sat out just five games last season. Machado's large workload over the past two campaigns, combined with his expectation to make another run into November this year, has him thinking about late-season fatigue. "You also don't want to go in and play too many games early on [in the spring] and get tired. I know we're going to play quite a few games in the Classic," Machado said. "You don't want to play too many games as well because I don't want to get fatigued for the year." He and manager Buck Showalter have already met to lay out a plan for spring training, and Machado is confident he'll be fine for another full workload in 2017.

Donaldson "felt something" in his calf and decided to skip the first workout of spring training Saturday, Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star reports.

Hopefully it's nothing too serious for Donaldson, but expect an update in due time. The three-time All-Star won the AL Silver Slugger for the second straight season in 2016 and should remain a top fantasy pick this year.

Duffy, who underwent season-ending left heel surgery on Sept. 9, says he's "looking at 30 days" with respect to being at full speed, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

Duffy is currently buoyed by the fact that he received a positive report from his most recent doctor's visit, which came last week. The 26-year-old shortstop is encouraged by the progress of his recovery, and believes the surgery has effectively rid him of heel discomfort that dated back approximately a decade to his days playing high school ball. Duffy is penciled in as the Rays' everyday shortstop in 2017 and will utilize spring training to acclimate his foot to the different movements he'll regularly engage in on the diamond.

Indians manager Terry Francona said that Ramirez "is the third baseman" and that there are no plans for him to move to left field at the moment, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old had a solid year in his first year of full-time duty, posting an .825 OPS thanks to 46 doubles and 11 home runs, leading some to want the youngster to move to left field until Michael Brantley (shoulder) is game-ready again. However, Francona quelled those thoughts, stating that the only other spot Ramirez might work at is shortstop just in case something were to happen to Francisco Lindor, but for the foreseeable future, it seems like Ramirez will be staying put at the hot corner.

Devers is expected to open the 2017 season at Double-A Portland, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Devers, second-ranked among Boston's prospects according to RotoWire, overcame a slow start at High-A Salem last season and is ready for the promotion. The Red Sox like to see their prospects get challenged along the way to get a sense of the player's reaction to adversity. The 20-year-old passed that test; will he be able to pass a sterner test, going from Double-A to MLB in 2017? Boston promoted both Andrew Benintendi and Yoan Moncada directly from Portland to Boston in 2016, so president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is apparently willing to have a prospect bypass Triple-A. If the new version of Pablo Sandoval isn't working out and the Red Sox realize Brock Holt isn't an everyday third baseman, there's a potential path to the majors for Devers.

With a crowded infield, Asuaje may find it hard to make the Opening Day roster.

Asuaje participated in winter ball in hopes of competing for a utility role with the club. After the Padres added Erick Aybar to their spring training roster, it appears that Asuaje may be out of luck of the veteran shortstop makes the Opening Day roster. Even if Aybar doesn't make the cut, Allen Cordoba's ability to play shortstop and Rule 5 label would make him the preferred option over the 25-year-old second baseman. Starting the 2017 season in the minors seems like the likely outcome for Asuaje.

Rays Vice President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom stated that Duffy (heel) should be good to go for spring training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

This is a very good sign, as it seems to confirm reports from December that the infielder was running ahead of schedule in his rehab process from surgery in September. As long as everything goes as planned during Grapefruit League action, Duffy should act primarily as Tampa Bay's starting shortstop during the 2017 campaign.

Peterson will begin the season on the Braves' bench following the acquisition of Brandon Phillips, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

He was already going to have to compete with Sean Rodriguez for playing time at second base, but after Rodriguez's shoulder injury led to the trade for Phillips, the depth chart at the keystone got shaken up. Peterson saw brief action last season in the outfield and one game at third base, but should transition into a utility role on a full-time basis in 2017.

Chapman, a 2014 first-round pick, will be a non-roster invitee in spring training, David Schoenfield of ESPN.com reports.

The 23-year-old played the majority of his games in 2016 at Double-A Midland before an 18-game stint at Triple-A Nashville to close out the season. Chapman supplied a combined 27 doubles, five triples, 36 homers, 96 RBI and a .237/.328/.519 line over 514 at-bats, but also tallied a bloated 30.6 percent strikeout rate. He'll get his hacks in against big league arms during the exhibition slate, and with veteran Trevor Plouffe signed to just a one-year deal this offseason, another year of seasoning could have Chapman ready to make the move to the major league squad in 2018.

Arenado will suit up for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The MVP candidate will join a star-studded roster that also features Alex Bregman and Matt Carpenter to man the hot corner for the US. Arenado stuffed the stat sheet last season with 41 home runs, 133 RBI and 116 runs, and he'll look to build upon that staggering performance in 2017.