Manny Machado, who had expressed his desire to play shortstop this winter, will get his wish this season.
Manny Machado, who had expressed his desire to play shortstop this winter, will get his wish this season.
Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter announced Saturday that he plans to start Machado at shortstop and move Tim Beckham at third base.
“We’re moving him back to his natural position,” said Showalter at FanFest. “He’s really excited about this.”
By granting him his wish, it could have a long-term effect. Machado, who had been the subject of trade rumors all winter, becomes a free agent after the season. He had been lobbying for the move for when he hits free agency.
Showalter said the change is subject to change based on how things go during spring training. Machado, a two-time Gold Glove third baseman, has logged only 52 games at shortstop in 767 career games. He has been the regular third baseman since he broke into the majors in 2012. Beckham has played only nine games at third base to his 173 career games at shortstop.
