MLB Player News

Braves manager Brian Snitker plans to have Swanson hit second in the batting order this season, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Swanson primarily hit near the bottom of the order in his MLB debut last season, getting 108 of his 129 at-bats from the No. 7 or No. 8 spot, but he has the skill set to thrive closer to the top of the order. With Ender Inciarte as the leadoff man and Freddie Freeman and Matt Kemp hitting behind Swanson, the 23-year-old shortstop should get plenty of opportunities to rack up runs and RBI.

Baez will play for Puerto Rico in this year's World Baseball Classic, his first appearance in the tournament.

The 24-year-old will join a roster featuring fellow young stars Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor. As a likely preview of his role with the Cubs this year, Baez figures to be a super utility player for Puerto Rico. He should be one of the team's offensive leaders.

Story says he has fully recovered from thumb surgery and will be ready for spring training, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Story underwent the surgery to repair a torn UCL in August, abruptly ending his dynamic 2016 season. This is great news regarding the young slugger, who set a National League rookie record with 27 home runs and finished the season with a .567 slugging percentage. If Story can cut down on his strikeout rate (31.3 percent), he could find himself among the league's elite power hitters.

Sardinas -- who was expected to start the year at short -- will have to battle the recently signed Erick Aybar this spring.

The Padres bringing in competition for Sardinas makes sense given the 23-year-old's lack of success at the major league level prior to joining the Padres last season. He did have the best stretch of his career after the move to San Diego (.287/.353/.417 in 32 games), so there is a chance he finally bloomed as a hitter. Given his age, Sardinas is the more intriguing fantasy option of the two shortstops, but neither he nor Aybar will generate much interest outside of deep and NL-only formats.

DeJong, a fourth-round pick in 2015, is expected to fully transition to shortstop in 2017 after playing well at the position in the Arizona Fall League, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports. "I played there all throughout the Fall League, and I felt like I made every play over there," DeJong said. "I think it just adds another edge to my game to get me in the lineup at a different position."

DeJong played primarily at third base in his first two seasons in the Cardinals organization, with only 11 starts at shortstop over that span. However, he primarily focused on the six-spot in the Arizona Fall League in 2016 and acquitted himself impressively by all accounts. On the offensive end of things, he slashed a solid .260/.324/.460 at Double-A Springfield last season, showing plenty of pop with 22 doubles, two triples, 22 homers and 73 RBI. Therefore, an ascension to Triple-A is not out of the question with a productive spring.

Baez and Ben Zobrist could form a platoon at second base this year, with Baez used against lefties, Mike Petriello of MLB.com reports.

While this would limit the amount of time Baez sees at second, he still figures to play plenty for the Cubs in 2017. Last season, Baez appeared at third base, second base, first base, shortstop and left field, and he'll probably be used in a super-utility role again this year.

D'Arnaud will head into spring training as a favorite to win a spot on the Braves' bench.

The 30-year-old played six positions for Atlanta last season, and while the Sean Rodriguez signing does add another utility infielder to the mix, d'Arnaud is out of options and seems likely to keep his spot on the 25-man roster on Opening Day. His stay may be short-lived, however, as top prospect Ozzie Albies is knocking on the door and could seize the starting second base job in the first half, making d'Arnaud expendable.

Adrianza was designated for assignment Thursday.

Milwaukee needed to clear way for Jesus Aguilar, who was claimed off waivers from Cleveland, and Adrianza was the roster casualty. This is the second time in a little over a week that the switch-hitting infielder has been designated for assignment. He didn't excel in 2016, slashing .254/.299/.381 over 63 at-bats with the Giants, but his above-avergage defense coupled with his ability to play pretty much anywhere in the infield should attract some interest on waivers.

Owings will see time in the outfield corners during spring training, The Arizona Republic reports.

Owings filled a void in center following an injury to A.J. Pollock in 2016. The reports suggests Owings could be an option to start in place of outfielder David Peralta against lefties while keeping 26-year-old Nick Ahmed in the lineup at shortstop. Owings hit .277 in 466 plate appearances across 119 games in 2017, also swiping 21 bases in 25 attempts. The 25-year-old has also appeared at second base during his time in Arizona, so it seems he could be in line fill a sort of super-utility role to begin 2017.

Herrera received a invitation to Rockies spring training Thursday.

The 24-year-old slashed .292/.374/.379 with Double-A Hartford in 2016, adding 36 stolen bases in 44 attempts as well. He's likely to begin next season with Triple-A Albuquerque.