MLB Player News

The Angels claimed Rivas off waivers from Cleveland on Friday.

Rivas will switch teams for the second time this winter after being claimed and later DFA'd by the Guardians earlier in the offseason. The 27-year-old Rivas will compete with Nolan Schanuel for reps at first base during spring training after slashing .229/.303/.422 with 15 RBI across 123 plate appearances last season.

The Guardians designated Rivas for assignment Friday.

Rivas was pushed off the 40-man roster in order to clear room for Austin Hedges, who officially signed with the Guardians on Friday. Rivas slashed .229/.303/.422 across 123 plate appearances with the Pirates and Padres last season, and he could potentially attract interest on the waiver wire from teams looking for depth at first base.

The Angels acquired White (hip) and Tyler Thomas from Atlanta on Friday in exchange for Max Stassi (hip/personal) and David Fletcher, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

This is basically a swap of bad contracts, with White's maybe being the worst of them all. He hasn't appeared in a major-league game since 2021 and holds a career .544 OPS in 306 plate appearances at baseball's highest level. On top of that, he is currently in recovery mode from May hip surgery. The 27-year-old former top prospect is due $15 million guaranteed between 2024-25 and carries a total of $4 million in buyouts on his club options for 2026, 2027 and 2028.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Rizzo (concussion) was probably "game ready" by the end of the regular season and is expected to be fine for spring training, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

This tracks with what Rizzo told reporters in late September. The veteran first baseman wound up being limited to just 99 games during the 2023 season and didn't play after early August due to a concussion, which he initially suffered back in late May. It sounds like Rizzo has put the issue in the rearview mirror, though, and will look to bounce back in 2024.

Porter signed a minor-league contract with the Royals on Saturday.

After being non-tendered by the Royals on Friday, Carter will officially remain with the organization. The 28-year-old backstop spent most of his time at Triple-A Omaha last season, slashing .232/.339/.377 with 13 homers and 48 RBI.

Porter was designated for assignment by the Royals on Tuesday.

Porter went 6-for-31 (.194) with 11 strikeouts over his first 11 major-league games in 2023. The 28-year-old catcher is no longer part of the 40-man roster in Kansas City.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Wednesday that Casas (shoulder) is close to starting a hitting program, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Casas missed the final few weeks of the 2023 regular season because of inflammation in his right shoulder, but he is basically back to full strength here in early November. When healthy this year, the young first baseman put up a strong .856 OPS with 24 home runs and 65 RBI over 132 games.

The Guardians claimed Rivas off waivers from Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Rivas slashed .229/.303/.422 across 123 major-league plate appearances in 2023. He likely won't get the majority of reps at first base with Josh Naylor already in Cleveland, but Rivas could certainly contend for a spot on the bench next season.

No labrum tear was discovered during Kirilloff's recent shoulder surgery, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Kirilloff, accordingly, required a less invasive procedure than initially anticipated and seems to have a good shot of being fully recovered by the beginning of spring training next February. The 25-year-old battled right (non-throwing) shoulder issues in the second half of the 2023 regular season and was removed from the Twins' postseason roster before Game 4 of the ALDS because of renewed discomfort. When healthy, he put up a .793 OPS with 11 home runs across 319 plate appearances for the American League Central champions.

Abreu went 1-for-3 with a three run home run and a stolen base, adding two runs and three RBI in Thursday's 10-3 victory over the Rangers in Game 3 of the ALCS.

Abreu has continued to develop upon his recent late-season power-hitting success right into the playoffs. He had a .505 slugging percentage over 93 at-bats in September, but he is now up to a .677 mark in 31 ABs since the postseason began. One area Abreu did not cover during the regular season was stolen bases, and Thursday was the first time Abreu has stolen a base all year and the first time in his postseason career. In the current playoff run, Abreu is slashing .258/.343/.677 with eight runs and 11 RBI, adding four home runs and Thursday's stolen base in 31 at-bats.