MLB Player News

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday in an interview on WFAN Sports Radio that he plans to play Bellinger in center field and Jasson Dominguez in left field this season.

The team didn't want to commit to a position for Bellinger when it traded for him last month, but the Yankees have since signed Paul Goldschmidt and have opted to keep Dominguez in left field. Boone did add that he expects Bellinger to move around to other positions at times on days when others fill the designated-hitter spot.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday in an interview on WFAN Sports Radio that he's likely to use Dominguez in left field and Cody Bellinger in center field this season.

Boone noted that Bellinger will move around to other positions a bit, as needed, while the skipper prefers to keep Dominguez in one spot. Dominguez -- who was mostly a center fielder in the minors -- had some gaffes in left field last season, but the Yankees are confident he'll be fine there with more experience. Boone also mentioned Dominguez as a potential candidate to bat leadoff, per Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News.

The Blue Jays signed Kloffenstein (shoulder) to a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to spring training Tuesday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Kloffenstein missed the final two months of the 2024 season with a right shoulder injury and was non-tendered by the Cardinals even though he was not yet eligible for arbitration. It's not clear what his health status is, but the Blue Jays felt good enough about the righty to invite him to camp. Kloffenstein was dealt from Toronto to St. Louis at the 2023 trade deadline as part of the return for Jordan Hicks.

Brito could be a long shot to win the Guardians' second-base job, Joe Noga of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Manager Stephen Vogt spoke to reporters recently, and when asked about the second-base job, mentioned Brito fifth among the five names he brought up as being in the competition, with Gabriel Arias, Tyler Freeman, Angel Martinez and Daniel Schneemann being the others. While it doesn't necessarily mean Brito is indeed a long shot for the gig, it could indicate he won't be at the top of the pecking order heading into camp. Brito is the only one in the group without major-league experience, although he is on the 40-man roster. The 23-year-old slashed .256/.365/.443 with 21 homers and 13 steals in 2024 at Triple-A Columbus.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Tuesday that Altuve could get some reps in left field in addition to second base this season, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Brown added the caveat that Altuve playing left field might only happen if the team makes another roster addition. It's clear he's referring to the possibility of re-signing Alex Bregman, which would result in Isaac Paredes shifting to second base and Altuve playing left field, a position he's never manned before. Altuve said recently at the team's FanFest event that he would be willing to move to left field to accommodate the return of Bregman.

The Red Sox signed Toro to a minor-league contract Tuesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

Toro slashed .240/.293/.350 with six homers in 94 games with the Athletics in 2024. The 28-year-old will compete for a reserve role this spring but will likely begin the 2025 season at Triple-A Worcester as utility depth.

The Mariners signed Lopez to a minor-league contract Jan. 14.

Lopez got into 27 games with the Angels in 2024, posting a .629 OPS. The 32-year-old is likely to begin the 2025 campaign at Triple-A Tacoma, where he'll give the Mariners some utility depth.

Thomas signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Monday.

Thomas spent the 2024 campaign overseas playing in the Japan Western League for the Orix Buffaloes, batting .242 with two home runs, 19 RBI and 18 runs scored in 89 games. He made it to the big leagues with the A's in 2022 and 2023 but appeared in only 29 games over this stretch. Thomas will have a chance to compete against big-league arms during spring training but will presumably open 2025 at Triple-A.

Buxton is feeling "as good as he's felt in a lot of years," general manager Derek Falvey said at Saturday's TwinsFest, Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports.

Unlike last year when Buxton had offseason knee surgery and had finished the previous season with a hamstring issue, Buxton entered the offseason relatively healthy and doesn't have a major rehab entering spring training. It's not quite "best shape of his life" territory for Buxton, but it's as good as we're going to get at this stage of his career.

The Rangers signed Chavez to a minor-league contract Monday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Chavez, 41, showed in 2024 with Atlanta that he still has something left in the tank, posting a 3.13 ERA and 55:19 K:BB over 63.1 regular-season innings. The 17-year veteran should have a decent chance to crack the Rangers' Opening Day roster as a middle reliever.