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MLB Player News

  • Orioles' Emmanuel Rivera: Accepts outright assignment

    The Orioles outrighted Rivera to Triple-A Norfolk on Monday, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

    Rivera had the option to decline the assignment and elect free agency, but that would have meant forfeiting the $1 million salary he and the Orioles already agreed to earlier this offseason. He will now receive that salary whether he begins the season in the majors or minors, and the 28-year-old is likely ticketed for Triple-A Norfolk.

  • Curtis Mead 3B | TB

    Rays' Curtis Mead: Battling for bench spot

    Mead will enter spring training battling with Eloy Jimenez for one of Tampa Bay's final bench spots, Marc Topkin of the Tamp Bay Times reports.

    Mead was once a highly regarded prospect in the Rays' system, but he has managed just a 78 wRC+ across 224 big-league plate appearances. Though he's capable of playing both second and third base, the team boasts considerable depth at each position and could instead opt to keep the potential power bat of Jimenez on the roster.

  • Anthony Rendon 3B | LAA

    Angels' Anthony Rendon: Not likely to start

    Rendon isn't expected to be the Angels' Opening Day third baseman, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

    Rendon played in just 57 games last season, marking the fifth time in as many years that he appeared in fewer than 60 contests for the Angels. The 34-year-old also wasn't particularly effective when he was active, slashing just .218/.307/.267 with 14 RBI and six stolen bases over 238 plate appearances. The Halos agreed to a one-year pact with Yoan Moncada on Thursday, and the expectation is that Moncada will take over at the hot corner while Rendon presumably moves to the bench.

  • Yoan Moncada 3B | CHW

    Angels' Yoan Moncada: Expected to start for Halos

    Moncada is expected to open the season as the Angels' starting third baseman, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

    Moncada agreed to a one-year contract with Los Angeles on Thursday, and it now seems the Angels brought him in with the intent of replacing Anthony Rendon, who has yet to play more than 58 games in a season since joining the Angels in 2020. Moncada has also struggled to stay on the field recently, appearing in just 104 games over the past two years to Rendon's 100, but the former's production in that span (.733 OPS) far outpaces the latter's (.618 OPS).

  • Carter Kieboom 3B | LAA

    Angels' Carter Kieboom: Signs with Angels, gets camp invite

    Kieboom signed a minor-league contract with the Angels in December, per Maren Angus-Coombs of SI.com, and he has been invited to major-league spring training.

    Kieboom was a first-round pick in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft, but he's been unable to find success in the majors, slashing .199/.297/.301 with 12 home runs, 42 RBI, 57 runs and no stolen bases over 508 regular-season plate appearances with Washington. He spent all of last season at Triple-A and recorded a mediocre .751 OPS across 359 trips to the plate. Kieboom likely faces an uphill battle in trying to break camp with Los Angeles, but there's at least a feasible path to doing so, as the Angels have suggested that Anthony Rendon isn't going to be handed the starting third-baseman role given his struggles in recent campaigns.

  • Yoan Moncada 3B | CHW

    Angels' Yoan Moncada: Signs with Halos

    The Angels signed Moncada to a one-year, $5 million contract Thursday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

    Moncada spent the previous eight seasons in Chicago with the White Sox, but he appeared in just 12 games last season due to an adductor injury. Across 45 plate appearances, Moncada slashed .275/.356/.400 with three extra-base hits, five walks and four runs scored. Injuries have plagued Moncada throughout much of his career, but he now gets a change of scenery. With experience at both second and third base, Moncada gives the Angels another option alongside Anthony Rendon and Luis Rengifo (wrist).

  • Jhonkensy Noel 3B | CLE

    Guardians' Jhonkensy Noel: Competing for starting job

    Noel and Will Brennan enter spring training in a competition for the starting job in right field, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

    Those two platooned in right for the second half of 2024, and that arrangement could return this season. The Guardians would like to have a bat that replaces the power lost when Josh Naylor was traded to Arizona. Brennan hasn't replicated the promise he showed when he first appeared in the majors in 2022. The right-handed hitting Noel bopped more home runs (13) and slugged higher (.486) than Brennan (eight, .388), but he could be a liability against righty pitching and needs to improve selectivity at the dish to become a lineup regular. Noel had a 31.8 strikeout percentage with a chase percentage of 45.0, both among the lowest in MLB. If neither player delivers what manager Stephen Vogt wants, Cleveland could seek another option.

  • Orioles' Emmanuel Rivera: Booted from 40-man roster

    The Orioles designated Rivera for assignment Friday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

    The transaction frees up room on the 40-man roster for Luis Vazquez, who was acquired from the Cubs on Friday. Rivera slashed .313/.370/.578 in 73 plate appearances down the stretch with the Orioles last season and agreed to a one-year, $1 million contract earlier this offseason to avoid arbitration, but he'll now go through the waivers process.

  • Royce Lewis 3B | MIN

    Twins' Royce Lewis: Will play third base

    Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said during the team's Winter Meltdown fan event last week that Lewis will play third base this season, La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

    The Twins have toyed with the idea of moving Lewis to second base, and while he will get some reps at the keystone during spring training, the plan is for him to be the primary third baseman again in 2025. It's possible things change during the season, but fantasy managers shouldn't be counting on Lewis picking up second base eligibility. Brooks Lee might be the favorite to open the season as the Twins' second baseman, but Edouard Julien, Willi Castro and Austin Martin are also candidates to see action there.

  • Abraham Toro 3B | ATH

    Red Sox's Abraham Toro: NRI pact from Boston

    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.

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