MLB Player News

Chang signed a one-year contract with the Red Sox on Thursday.

The Red Sox non-tendered Chang earlier this offseason but have ultimately decided to bring him back as infield depth. With Trevor Story (elbow) out indefinitely and Adalberto Mondesi's (knee) timeline cloudy, it's a sensible move. Chang has a career .639 OPS over parts of four major-league seasons.

Perez will be limited to rehab work in the early stages of camp after experiencing some mild inflammation in his back during offseason workouts, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Perez will be part of the Tigers' big-league camp after he was added to the 40-man roster over the winter, but the switch-hitting infielder looks as though he could miss out on some action during the Grapefruit League slate while he continues to receive treatment and takes part in a core-stabilization program early in camp. Assuming he's made a full recovery from the injury before the start of the regular season, Perez will likely report to either Triple-A Toledo or Double-A Erie.

Story (elbow) acknowledged Wednesday that he won't be realistically ready to play until the second half of the season in a "best-case scenario," Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

After Story underwent an internal bracing procedure on the UCL of his right elbow in January, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com relayed that the infielder was looking at a 4-to-6-month recovery timeline, based on previous examples of players who have opted for the modified version of Tommy John surgery. Based on comments from Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and Story himself, the 30-year-old looks as though he'll need the full six months to recover, and he could be in store for additional missed time beyond that. Story admitted that there's a possibility he doesn't play at all during the 2023 season, though at this early stage of his rehab, he remains "right on track," according to Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald. Story has currently been going through range-of-motion work at his offseason home, but he remains undecided about whether he'll continue his rehab program at the Red Sox's spring training facility in Florida or back in Boston once the season gets underway.

Mondesi (knee) being ready for Opening Day would be a best-case scenario, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe on Tuesday.

Manager Alex Cora expressed optimism about Mondesi's recovery from ACL surgery earlier Tuesday, but Bloom doesn't appear confident the infielder will be ready to play by Opening Day. Mondesi is expected to see playing time at both second base and shortstop once he's healthy, but for now those positions will be manned by Christian Arroyo and Enrique Hernandez, respectively.

Mondesi (knee) looks good at the start of camp, Red Sox manager Alex Cora told Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe on Tuesday.

Mondesi is behind others at the beginning of spring training as he works his way back from ACL surgery, but his skipper is encouraged by how the infielder looks. Cora noted Tuesday that Christian Arroyo is the team's second baseman "as of now," but the door would appear to be open for Mondesi to take that job if he can show he's healthy. Mondesi was acquired from the Royals via trade last month.

Bichette plans to be more aggressive on the bases in 2023, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters on Monday that the team wants to be more aggressive on the bases in 2023, and the shortstop echoed those sentiments. The larger bases and new pickoff rules could see a rise in stolen bases in the coming years, but Bichette says that he was intending to run more even before the rule changes. The 24-year-old swiped 25 bases in 26 attempts in 2021, but went just 13-for-21 in 2022 in what was a disappointing season for Bichette until his sensational September (.406/.444/.662) saw him finish the year with an .802 OPS. A rise to his previous level in steals could see Bichette finish as one of the very best players -- not just shortstops -- in 2023.

Neto was invited to the major-league side of Angels camp this spring.

Neto went 13th overall in the 2022 first-year player draft and quickly made the jump to Double-A Rocket City while posting an overall .299/.371/.473 batting line with five home runs and five stolen bases across his first 37 professional games. The 22-year-old top shortstop prospect probably won't be a factor at the MLB level in 2023, but he's on a sharp upward trajectory.

The three-year deal Bichette signed with the Blue Jays on Tuesday has $33.6 million guaranteed, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The contract extension came together on Tuesday evening, just two days out from Bichette's scheduled arbitration hearing with the Jays. It covers all of his arbitration-eligible seasons and carries performance-based escalators that could raise the total sum to $40.65 million. The 24-year-old shortstop is currently scheduled to reach free agency after the 2025 campaign.

Bichette and the Blue Jays have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a three-year contract extension, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

The financial terms haven't been announced, but Bichette is assuredly looking at a massive raise from the $723,000 he made last season. He was set for an arbitration hearing Thursday, but instead the star shortstop will receive a multi-year deal for his strong previous efforts. It buys out his remaining arbitration years, and he'll still hit free agency after the 2026 season. In 2022, Bichette 's red-hot September pushed him to an .802 OPS, 24 homers, 93 RBI and 13 stolen bases over his 159 total games.

Bichette's arbitration hearing with the Blue Jays is scheduled for Thursday, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca.

Bichette filed at $7.5 million, with the Blue Jays countering at $5 million, when arbitration figures were exchanged earlier this offseason. Now it's up to an arbitration panel to decide which of the two possible salaries the 24-year-old shortstop will earn in 2023. Bichette made just $723,500 last year while delivering an .802 OPS with 24 home runs, 93 RBI, 13 stolen bases and 91 runs scored across 159 regular-season games.