MLB Player News

Grissom might begin the season at Triple-A Gwinnett if Atlanta decides to start Orlando Arcia at shortstop, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

In fact, Bowman predicts that Arcia will be the team's Opening Day shortstop and Grissom "possibly gains the job at some point during the year." Grissom's defense at shortstop has been questioned, although he's been working with third base coach and infield instructor Ron Washington this winter with reportedly positive results. Arcia would probably offer the more stable glove, though, and Atlanta might prefer the better defensive option at the position given the strength of the rest of their lineup. It will be one of the more interesting position battles to track during spring training.

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.

Volpe received an invitation Tuesday to the major-league side of the Yankees' camp.

Volpe is not currently on the Yankees' 40-man roster, but he'll be pushing to carve out a spot and make his MLB debut at some point in 2023. The 21-year-old top shortstop prospect put up an .802 OPS with 21 home runs and 50 stolen bases in 132 games last summer between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Berti signed a one-year contract with the Marlins on Monday, avoiding arbitration, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Berti can now set his sights on the diamond after settling his contract for the upcoming season. He'll earn $2.125 million in 2023, per the Associated Press, and there's a $3.5 million club option for 2024, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports. The 33-year-old showed that he still has plenty of gas in the tank during the 2022 campaign by slashing .240/.324/.338 with four home runs, 28 RBI, 41 stolen bases and 47 runs scored across 102 contests.

Correa will not play for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Correa's wife is due with the couple's second child at the same time the WBC will take place, and Hayes reports the Twins don't want the shortstop to be juggling both family and the tournament. Correa re-signed with the Twins after a tumultuous offseason that saw proposed contracts with the Giants and Mets rescinded because of concerns during his physical, and he'll spend spring training in the Grapefruit League.

Rojas (hand/wrist) agreed to a two-year, $10 million extension on Saturday with a $5 million club option for 2025, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

If the Dodgers decline the option, Rojas gets a $1 million buyout. The infielder was set to hit free agency after the 2023 campaign, but he'll potentially be a member of the Dodgers now through at least the 2024 season. The 33-year-old should be a major asset for Los Angeles on defense, but his lack of offensive upside keeps him off of the fantasy radar to begin the year.

Rojas underwent surgery to remove a piece of bone from between his thumb and index finger in mid-January, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

The procedure appears to have taken place shortly after Rojas was traded from Miami to Los Angeles. The veteran infielder also underwent wrist surgery back in October, so there are some question marks about his health heading into spring training, though he was recently cleared to resume hitting. His recovery may prevent him from playing for Venezuela in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, though he's yet to rule himself out.

Williams signed a minor-league deal with the Dodgers on Friday.

Williams was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers back in November and will remain in the Los Angeles system. The 26-year-old utility man recorded a .883 OPS through 58 plate appearances in Triple-A last year but just a .602 mark in 136 PAs split between the Giants and Marlins.

Owings signed a minor-league contract Thursday with the Pirates that includes an invitation to major-league spring training.

Owings struggled to a .107/.254/.143 batting line in 26 games (68 plate appearances) last season with the Orioles before getting released in June. He then latched on with the Triple-A affiliate of the Yankees and slashed .235/.303/.412 across 208 plate appearances in the International League. The 31-year-old can serve as organizational infield depth for Pittsburgh leading into the 2023 campaign.