MLB Player News

Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Sunday that Hernandez (elbow) should resume taking swings soon, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Hernandez underwent surgery in November to repair a torn tendon in his left elbow and isn't expected to be ready to make his 2026 debut for the Dodgers until around the middle of the season. The 34-year-old utility player will be eased into his hitting program before eventually getting cleared to take part in live batting practice. Since the surgery was to Hernandez's non-throwing elbow, he should be able to take part in defensive drills during the spring.

Smith confirmed Sunday that he's preparing to mainly play second base in 2026 following the trade of Marcus Semien, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Smith finished second on the Rangers with 563 plate appearances a season ago, but he didn't have a permanent home at any one position. The super-utility player instead filled in as injuries dictated, logging 46 starts at shortstop, 28 at third base, 23 at first base, 14 in the outfield, 10 at designated hitter and three at second base. He'll carry eligibility at shortstop, third base and first base in most fantasy leagues heading into 2026, and he should also be usable for at keystone quickly if manager Skip Schumaker commits to him as the club's primary second baseman. The Rangers could look to deploy the left-handed-hitting Smith on the strong side of a platoon, as slashed just .206/.277/.224 (47 wRC+) in 121 plate appearances against southpaws last season.

The Dodgers re-signed Hernandez (elbow) to a one-year contract Thursday, Hernandez announced in an Instagram post.

It had been considered a formality that Hernandez would return to the Dodgers. He is recovering from left elbow surgery and is expected to begin the season on the 60-day injured list, per Noah Camras of DodgersNation.com. Once healthy, Hernandez will operate in a utility role, seeing much of his action versus left-handed pitching. The 34-year-old has hit just .219/.270/.370 over the last two regular seasons, but he's a career .272/.339/.486 hitter in the postseason.

Bliss (knee/biceps) went through a full infield workout and was scheduled to hit Thursday in Mariners camp, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Bliss missed virtually all of the 2025 season, first due to April biceps surgery and later a September meniscus tear. However, it would seem he has been cleared to participate fully at the beginning of spring training. The 26-year-old is theoretically in the mix for the second-base job, but it's likely he will begin the season at Triple-A Tacoma as he knocks off some rust.

Bichette isn't expected to take any reps at shortstop while Francisco Lindor (hand) is sidelined, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

The Mets don't believe Lindor will miss much regular-season action, so they'll keep Bichette at the hot corner and let him adapt to a new defensive position without interruption. That plan could change, however, if Lindor has any kind of setback. Bichette has never played a professional game at third base, but he did handle second base during the Blue Jays' run to the World Series last season without much difficulty.

Walcott will undergo UCL surgery on his right elbow and will miss most, if not all, of the 2026 season, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

The hope is that Walcott needs internal brace surgery rather than a full Tommy John repair, but the Rangers won't know until he has the procedure in a few days. The former would give him a slight chance to return late in the season. Slated to turn 20 in March, Walcott is one of the game's elite prospects and could have pushed for a major-league debut this season. He slashed .255/.355/.386 with 13 home runs and 32 stolen bases over 124 games in 2025 at Double-A Frisco as a 19-year-old.

Jimenez seems likely to have a spot on the Blue Jays' Opening Day roster, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Toronto's infield depth got a little thinner after it was announced that Anthony Santander (shoulder) would miss most of all of the 2026 season, which pushed Addison Barger out of the third-base mix and into right field. Ernie Clement was the team's main utility infielder last year, but with Bo Bichette now a Met, he's stepping into a starting role at second base. That leaves Jimenez as the next man up to handle backup duties at the middle-infield spots. The 24-year-old shown hasn't shown much at the plate, managing a .635 OPS in 242 career big-league plate appearances, and he could be joined on the bench, or even pushed aside, by glove-first prospect Josh Kasevich.

Barger will see most of his playing time in right field this season, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

The 26-year-old might have bounced between right field and third base once again if the Blue Jays had headed into 2026 fully healthy, but with Anthony Santander (shoulder) set for another long absence, Barger will be needed more in the outfield. He could still wind up on the strong side of a platoon after slashing just .217/.270/.337 against left-handed pitching in 2025, but Toronto doesn't have an obvious candidate to pair him with in right field aside from the light-hitting Myles Straw. Maintaining his stamina in a full-time role will be Barger's biggest task, however -- he held a .264/.318/.512 slash line at the end of July last year, but managed just a .205/.270/.360 line the rest of the way in the regular season.

Lawlar could see regular playing time in center field this spring, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Lawlar came up through the system as a shortstop and was introduced to second and third base over the last couple of seasons. With established starters ahead of him in the infield, the plan, which began during winter ball, was to turn Lawlar into an outfielder. He was in line for playing time in left field this spring as part of a group of players that will fill in for the injured Lourdes Gurriel (knee). Those plans could change after the Diamondbacks lost another outfielder; right-fielder Corbin Carroll suffered a wrist injury Tuesday that will him keep out until at least the start of the regular season. As a replacement for Carroll, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo mused about shifting center-fielder Alek Thomas to right. That would give Lawlar an opportunity to acclimate to center field, which was the team's first choice for the infielder-turned-outfielder.

Ritter will have the chance to compete for the starting role at second base during spring training, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Ritter made his big-league debut in 2025 and split his playing time almost exactly evenly between second base and shortstop. Ezequiel Tovar will likely play nearly every day at the latter position, while Edouard Julien and Willi Castro are both offseason additions that will factor in at the keystone. That seemingly leaves a narrow path for Ritter to make the Opening Day roster, though a strong spring could change his outlook.