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.

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.

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.

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.