MLB Player News

Lindor will play for Team Puerto Rico in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

In only a short time in the majors, Lindor has blossomed into one of the game's young superstars. The Indians shortstop is coming off a campaign in which he was named an All-Star and earned both Gold Glove and Platinum Glove Awards for his defensive prowess, following a 2015 season in which he was the runner-up for the AL Rookie of the Year Award. The WBC should help Lindor get firing on all cylinders prior to Opening Day.

Pennington looks to be the primary backup middle infielder for the Angels again this season, the Orange County Register reports.

Pennington served as a backup at both second and short last season, batting .209 with three homers and 10 RBI in 188 plate appearances. Those numbers are lacking for a major league bat, but his solid defense down the middle will keep him in the conversation for acting as a backup to Andrelton Simmons and Danny Espinosa.

Adrianza was claimed off waivers by the Twins on Monday.

This is the second time in the last two weeks the switch-hitter has been scooped off waivers, with the Twins designating reliever Pat Light for assignment to make room for Adrianza. He has seen scattered time with the Giants over the past four seasons, and slashed .254/.299/.381 over 63 at-bats with them in 2016. He'll provide depth for the Twins with his solid glove and ability to play around the infield.

Anderson ranked 10th in Defensive Runs Saved and 11th in Ultimate Zone Rating among shortstops that played at least 800 innings in 2016.

Anderson's athleticism was never questioned when the White Sox selected him 17th overall in the 2013, but whether he had enough defense in him to remain at shortstop was. As evidenced by his performance in 2016, his defensive improvement means he'll be firmly ensconced as the team's starting shortstop during the organization's current rebuild window. Offensively, the 23-year-old showed good middle-infield power, but his on-base skills weren't ideal for a top-of-the-order nor was his 27-percent strikeout rate. Those are obvious areas of improvement to look for in 2017, but he's in no danger of losing plate appearances on a team that figures to be in a rebuild mode. Additionally, he has the full support of manager Rick Renteria, who feels Anderson is a threat to opposing hurlers every time he steps in the box.

Diaz agreed to a minor league deal with the Blue Jays on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old spent all of last season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and hit .207/.315/.249 in 371 plate appearances there. He has struggled across parts of three major league seasons, and will likely spend 2017 in Triple-A again as organizational depth.

Anna signed a minor league contract with the Royals on Monday.

Anna batted .266 in 383 plate appearances over 106 games with Triple-A Memphis in the Cardinals system last season. He has made just 26 career plate appearances in the majors, so he isn't a likely candidate for a spot in Kansas City. Expect him to serve as organizational depth.

Bogaerts agreed to a one-year deal with the Red Sox on Friday, avoiding arbitration.

Terms of the agreement were not available. Bogaerts set a career high last season in home runs (21), steals (13), runs (115) and RBI (89). He should continue to be a five-category force at shortstop in 2017.

Tejada signed a minor league deal with the Yankees on Monday that includes an invitation to spring training, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports.

He will enter the year behind Didi Gregorius and Ronald Torreyes on the organizational depth chart at shortstop. If one of those two were to suffer an injury, Tejada could join the active roster, as the Yankees' shortstop prospects are not quite ready to help out. Still, as a glove over hit shortstop, he is unlikely to offer much fantasy value, even if he finds his way into the big league mix.

Williams was selected by the Angels in the Triple-A portion of the Rule 5 draft Thursday.

The 27-year-old shortstop slashed .263/.355/.346 for Triple-A Memphis in the Cardinals' organization last season. In his 395 plate appearances over 113 games, he didn't do anything too substantial, hitting just one home run, stealing 11 bases in 18 attempts and knocking in 35 RBI to go along with his mediocre slash line. He will serve as organizational depth for the Angels next season.

Rodriguez has signed a minor league contract with the A's that includes an invite to spring training, CSN Bay Area reports.

The soon-to-be 32-year-old attended big-league camp with the A's last spring but opened the year at Double-A. Rodriguez eventually returned to the Triple-A level and posted a 24:25 BB:K with the top affiliate, and he also has a bit of power, but he will be a long shot to break camp with Oakland. He's bounced between with five different organizations in his 11 pro seasons and hasn't reached the majors since 2011.