MLB Player News

Rafaela will see most of his playing time in center field this spring, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Rafaela has experience all over the diamond and will also see some action at shortstop this spring. However, Red Sox manager Alex Cora views the top prospect's defense in center field as "plus plus" and that's where he'll be stationed more often than not. The 22-year-old was added to Boston's 40-man roster over the offseason following a breakout 2022 campaign which saw him post an .880 OPS with 21 homers and 28 steals between High-A and Double-A.

Sosa is being looked at in center field, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Enquirer reports.

As Coffey notes, both Nick Maton and Matt Vierling were traded to Detroit in the Gregory Soto deal over the winter, so there's no obvious backup option behind Brandon Marsh in center. Enter Sosa, who certainly has the athleticism for the position, and would also provide a right-handed bat that could play in the middle of the outfield against southpaws. Sosa is battling for a spot on Philadelphia's Opening Day roster, and if he can help in the outfield, it would obviously increase those chances substantially.

Freeman will play some outfield during spring training to gain positional versatility, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

When the Guardians are fully healthy, there doesn't appear to be an everyday spot available for Freeman. The 23-year-old will look to add more positions to his ledger, making him an option when injuries occur, though he still needs to hit well enough to grab a bench spot out of camp.

Wisdom will likely begin the year as the Cubs' regular third baseman despite the team adding some new players in the infield, Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic report.

Dansby Swanson was added to play shortstop while Eric Hosmer will begin the year at first. That shifts Nico Hoerner to second base and Nick Madrigal to a bench role. Wisdom should have the edge at the hot corner over Madrigal, but the latter could push for more playing time, especially if Wisdom struggles to make consistent contact.

Manager David Bell said Sunday that Senzel (toe) will likely miss the Reds' first handful of Cactus League games while the center fielder begins ramping up, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Though Senzel received a clean bill of health entering the spring following a pair of surgeries to address a fractured toe, the Reds aren't keen on immediately throwing him into the fire during Cactus League play. Instead, Senzel will use the first week or two of camp to take some reps in the outfield and face pitching in a more controlled setting, allowing him to make up to some degree for the time he lost due to injury in 2022. Senzel noted last week that his toe surgeries prevented him from testing out a reworked swing late in the 2022 season and during the offseason, so his upcoming workouts over the next few days should afford him the opportunity to do so. Assuming Senzel experiences no setbacks with his toe and is worked into the spring lineup by early-to-mid-March, he'll be the most likely candidate to open the season as Cincinnati's primary center fielder.

Manager David Bell said Sunday that Reynolds is expected to sit out at least the first few games of Cactus League action due to back and knee soreness, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

It's unclear when the issues first surfaced for Reynolds, but he'll have a delayed start to camp as a result. The 32-year-old was removed from Cincinnati's 40-man roster during the offseason, so a lengthy absence during spring training will significantly affect his chances of making the Opening Day roster.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said in December that Miranda is on track to open the season as the team's primary third baseman following the offseason trade of Gio Urshela to the Angels, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Miranda saw most of his opportunities during his rookie season at first base or as a designated hitter, but he'll get the chance to return to the position where he spent most of his minor-league career now that Urshela is out West. Though Miranda didn't grade out well defensively in the corner infield in 2022, the Twins are optimistic that the decline in the field from Urshela to the 24-year-old won't be a substantial one. At the very least, Miranda should provide an overall upgrade from Urshela at the plate after overcoming a slow start to his rookie campaign to finish with an impressive .268/.325/.426 slash line over 483 plate appearances.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that he envisions Donaldson serving as the team's starting third baseman this season, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Though the skipper noted that Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres will likely join Donaldson as the preferred starters at three of the infield spots, DJ LeMahieu is expected to rove between first base, second base, third base and designated hitter to maintain a near-everyday role. As a result, Donaldson could be at risk of sitting the most of the trio, given that he endured a rough 2022 campaign in which he finished with a .682 OPS and a 27.1 percent strikeout rate, his worst marks since 2012 and 2011, respectively. Donaldson still graded out well defensively at the hot corner, but his declining bat, advancing age and injury history still might make it difficult for him to match or surpass the 546 plate appearances he logged in his first season in New York.

LeMahieu (toe) confirmed Sunday that he's 100 percent for spring training and will face no limitations during camp, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

LeMahieu's comments about his own health come just a few days after Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed that he expects the 34-year-old to be ready to go for the start of the regular season. Due to his veteran status, LeMahieu may not be worked into Grapefruit League games as soon as some of the other Yankees position players who are attending big-league camp, but the infielder should be able to get in the reps he needs to prepare himself for the season. According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, Boone said Wednesday that he envisions Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres and Josh Donaldson serving as the team's primary starters at first base, second base and third base, respectively, but LeMahieu is expected to retain a near-everyday role while roving between all three positions and designated hitter.

Urshela lost his arbitration case against the Angels on Saturday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Urshela will make $8.4 million this season. He may not see everyday at-bats during his first season with the Angels, but he could be the top backup at multiple infield positions.