MLB Player News

Castro received an invite to Rockies spring training Thursday.

Castro doesn't provide much in the way of offense, as he holds a career .217 batting average in the majors over 239 plate appearances. He is a good defensive infielder with the ability to play multiple positions, as Atlanta used him at second, third and shortstop last season. The Rockies have some of the league's top young stars at those three infield positions, however, so Castro isn't likely to get any big opportunities in the near future. He's likely to serve as organizational depth following spring training.

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.

Adrianza was claimed off waivers by the Brewers on Tuesday.

After being designated for assignment last week by the Giants, the Brewers have scooped up the switch-hitting infielder on waivers. Across parts of four seasons with the Giants, Adrianza slashed .220/.292/.313 in 331 plate appearances while also swiping 60 bases over that time. He'll provide some infield depth for the Brewers heading into spring training. Milwaukee designated RHP Rob Scahill for assignment in a corresponding move.

Story (thumb) will have to improve his home/road splits in the coming season to reduce the chance of major regression, according to Manny Randhawa of Sports on Earth.

Story was a force to be reckoned with in 176 at-bats at Coors Field, batting .313 with 16 home runs and a 1.086 OPS. However, as one would expect, his numbers tapered off significantly on the road, as he only batted .235 in 196 road at-bats and saw his OPS drop over 300 points. The 24-year-old's future will depend largely on whether he fixes the holes in his swing and adjusts in away games -- five-time All-Star Troy Tulowitzki managed to overcome the Coors Field Effect in his sophomore season, while former Rockies bust Wilin Rosario saw his stats at home decrease after failing to adjust to the away environments. Story seems to be on track to be ready for spring training following thumb surgery in August.

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.

Adrianza was designated for assignment Tuesday, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area reports.

San Francisco opted to designate Adrianza for assignment following the acquisition of Nick Hundley. Adrianza held his own in the majors during the 2016 campaign, but failed to stand out as he posted a mediocre .254/.299/.381 line over 63 at-bats (40 games). If he clears waivers, Adrianza will likely end up at Triple-A Sacramento.

Owings signed a one-year, $2.3 million deal with the Diamondbacks on Friday, FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman reports.

The 25-year-old middle infielder faces a job battle this spring, as he, Nick Ahmed, Brandon Drury and Ketel Marte will be competing for two starting spots. Owings is considered the favorite to start at shortstop in 2017, but his 86 wRC+ and subpar defense last season certainly opens the door for competition.

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.

Crawford received an invitation to major league spring training, the Morning Call's Stephen Gross reports.

Considering Crawford is the Phillies' top prospect and already has 385 plate appearances under his belt at Triple-A, it is not surprising that he will spend most of the spring in big league camp. He is expected to open the year back at Triple-A, but could receive a promotion as early as late-April, once the Phillies gain an extra year of control. Of course, after posting a 90 wRC+ last year with Lehigh Valley, he will need to force the issue with his bat, otherwise we may not see him make his big league debut until sometime this summer.

Jackson signed a minor league deal with the Marlins that includes an invitation to spring training, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Jackson has spent the vast majority of his career in the minor leagues. He split his most recent campaign between the Angels and Phillies Triple-A affiliates, where he batted .248/.350/.286 in 343 plate appearances. He doesn't figure to make much of an impact with the Marlins.