MLB Player News

Angels manager Mike Scioscia is weighing how much emphasis to put on spring-training performance as he decides how to approach the second-base position this season, MLB.com reports.

"A lot of it is to see what the best fit is for your group of guys, what your lineup needs are," Scioscia said. "There's an absolute to people winning jobs at spring training. Probably not at the analysis you're looking at -- 'Oh, he hit .340 in spring training' -- but there are a lot of things we're looking at as to how a guy fits in our lineup. You can make the team in spring, for sure, with the things that you show."

Scioscia hasn't ruled out the option of using multiple players at the position as the situation dictates.

"That's one of the options," he said. "There are guys that have the ability to go out there and do what we need to do on the defensive end and the offensive end, and we'll see who emerges and who gives us the best look."

Josh Rutledge highlights a second-base competition that also includes Grant Green, Johnny Giavotella and Taylor Featherston.

Indians manager Terry Francona said Zach Walters will work at first base and shortstop early in spring training before eventually playing in the outfield, per Cleveland.com.

"I don't think that's really fair to have a guy play seven positions the first week," Francona said.

When asked about former Mets teammate Ruben Tejada, Blue Jays shortstop Jose Reyes shook his head and said "something is wrong," per Newsday.

Reyes revealed that during his final season with the Mets he tried to pass the torch to Tejada to become his replacement. Reyes landed in Miami in the offseason, and Tejada was destined to be his permanent replacement. Now entering spring training, Wilmer Flores is viewed as the favorite to win the starting job at shortstop for the Mets.

"Every time I talk to him I try to give him some advice," Reyes said. "What can I do? I try to push him to do stuff. I don't know if he gets it or not...He had the opportunity to be the everyday shortstop for a long time there in New York. You have to work, man. When you're younger, you think you have everything there for you. But if you do something wrong, it's going to go away. Quick.

"When I was there, I always give a lot of advice to him. We were always together. My last year there, every time I talk to him: 'This is going to be your position for a long time. Don't let it go away.' See what happened now? It's 2015 and he doesn't have a position to play. When they talk about who is going to play every day, they don't talk about Tejada. They talk about Flores."

Angels manager Mike Scioscia hinted that the second base job is wide open, and did not close the door on the possibility of using a combination of players, including Josh Rutledge, Grant Green, Johnny Giavotella and Taylor Featherston for the position, per the Orange County Register.

"If it's a combination, it's a combination," Scioscia said. "If it's one guy, it's one guy."

Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts admitted he lost confidence in 2014 while he was struggling to get on track offensively.

“Yeah, a little bit -- going really bad for two months, I mean extremely bad,” Bogaerts said of losing confidence, per WEEI.com. “Trying to have confidence everyday coming to the park was pretty tough. This year is a new year, I feel much better. I feel much more confident in myself so, it’s something I definitely learned, no matter how tough the situation is it’s just keep your head up.”

Bogaerts said the experiences he learned last season should help him well moving forward.

“It’s a really tough game,” Bogaerts said. “Especially in the Boston market — a lot of media attention, especially after winning the World Series, a lot of eyes were on us. I think this year will probably be the same because of all the new acquisitions that we have. You just have to have a lot of confidence in yourself. You go through your ups and downs. It’s definitely easy to lose your confidence.”

Indians infielder Zach Walters told MLB.com he played through a torn intercostal for approximately three weeks between August and September last season.

The utility man was traded from the Nationals to the Indians before the last year's deadline. As a result of the injury, he struggled to make an impact at the plate, slashing .170/.223/.432 with seven homers and 12 RBI over 88 at-bats.

Red Sox infield coach Brian Butterfield got his first look at the allegedly quicker first step of shortstop Xander Bogaerts Monday and believes he can see the difference, the Boston Herald reports.

"His first- and second-step quickness today was really good," Butterfield said Monday. "He's had days like that (before). It's always a full body of work."

Bogaerts, 22, spent the offseason working on his quickness at the EXOS Performance Institute in Phoenix -- at the suggestion of infield teammate Dustin Pedroia -- rather than train in his native Aruba. Butterfield has confidence Bogaerts can continue to improve defensively.

"Yeah I do, and I think I'm speaking for everyone else on the coaching staff, too, and that includes [manager] John Farrell," Butterfield said. "I think Bogie is ready to meet that challenge. The good thing is he's highly intelligent and he wants to be good, so he's going to do anything that he can to hold up his end of the bargain."

Butterfield also plans to work with Bogaerts on anticipating the pitch selection by studying the tendencies of the team's pitchers to help with positioning.

"One without the other, you're not going to be as good," Butterfield said. "When he gets to the point where he's consistent with both his anticipation and his first- and second-step quickness, he's going to be fine."

Bogaerts spent time at shortstop and third base last season but is expected to work exclusively at shortstop after the addition of Pablo Sandoval. The young infielder made half of his errors at third base in 2014 despite playing less than a third of his innings at the position.

Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts has been working out at the EXOS performance institute in Arizona, the facility where second baseman Dustin Pedroia trains every offseason. ESPN.com says Bogaerts feels he's pushed himself more than ever before, "and the results are showing."

"This is probably the strongest I’ve ever felt going into a season -- and by far,” Bogaerts said, via the website. “I’m definitely real excited for the season.”

Bogaerts, 22, had an up-and-down 2014 season, his first full year in the majors. He finished at .240 with 12 homers and 46 RBI in 144 games.

He'll spend a few more weeks training in Arizona before reporting to spring training.

“I kind of never challenged my body to lift heavier weights because I’ve always tried to kind of maintain the same,” Bogaerts said. “Getting the knowledge from those kind of guys and just trusting the whole system that they have over there and just pushing your body, it’s really a difference than any years I’ve had in the past.

“It was mostly gym and conditioning and speed and stuff like that, power and speed. It was definitely something that I really enjoyed.”

The Royals announced they secured outright waivers to infielder Ryan Jackson on Wednesday. He will be assigned to Triple-A.

The Royals have designated for assignment middle infielder Ryan Jackson to make room on their roster for pitcher Edinson Volquez.

Jackson has 24 at-bats in the major leagues, but none in 2014.