MLB Player News

O'Hearn agreed to a one-year, $1.4 million contract with the Royals on Tuesday, avoiding arbitration.

O'Hearn, 29, has been a below-replacement-level player in the majors in each of the last four seasons, so it's a little surprising that he's sticking around on a big-league pact. Last year he saw time at first base, designated hitter and right field. O'Hearn is a career .219/.293/.390 hitter in 342 games and has been worth -1.4 fWAR over that time.

The Tigers outrighted Lester to Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old received the chance to make his MLB debut late in the 2022 campaign, appearing in two games and going hitless across five plate appearances while sticking on the Tigers' active roster for less than a week. Given Lester's advanced age and lack of a prospect pedigree, it's not especially surprising that he went unclaimed off waivers after he was booted off the Tigers' 40-man roster.

Casas' knee injury will prevent him from returning to play for Tigres del Licey in the Dominican winter league, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Casas had only played three games for the Tigres before developing knee soreness in mid-October. The Red Sox are reportedly unconcerned about long-term issues but didn't want him risking anything in winter ball. He was down in the Dominican to make up for lost development time after missing nearly two months with a high ankle sprain. Casas is expected to head into 2023 as the Red Sox's primary first baseman or designated hitter without the benefit of those extra at-batas.

Gurriel was diagnosed with a sprained right MCL on Saturday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Gurriel suffered the injury after a collision during a rundown in Game 5 of the World Series and will miss the remainder of the series as a result. The Astros have yet to say anything about his availability for next season, and a 38-year-old soon-to-be free agent coming off a down season isn't guaranteed to continue playing, but it seems as though he'd have time to get back to full health by Opening Day.

Gurriel (knee) was removed from the Astros' World Series roster Saturday, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

Gurriel collided with Rhys Hoskins during a rundown in Game 5 and was forced to leave with a knee injury. The problem was evidently serious enough to end his season a day or two early. Korey Lee was added to the roster in his absence. He'll give the Astros an extra option behind the plate, allowing Christian Vasquez to serve as the designated hitter while Trey Mancini starts at first base.

Gurriel exited Game 5 of the World Series on Thursday due to right knee discomfort, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Gurriel got caught in a rundown and twisted his knee before exiting the game in the eighth inning. Manager Dusty Baker labeled Gurriel day-to-day, and with a day off between Game 5 and 6, it's possible that he isn't forced to miss any additional time. If Gurriel is unable to suit up, Trey Mancini is likely to enter the lineup and start at first base.

Ellis cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday.

Ellis appeared in one game for Seattle after he was claimed off waivers in mid-June, and he spent the rest of the season at the Triple-A level. The 26-year-old had a .231/.346/.488 slash line with 15 home runs and 39 RBI in 70 games with Tacoma, though it wasn't enough to retain his spot on the 40-man roster.

Rizzo went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and a run scored and was hit by a pitch in Sunday's 6-5 loss to the Astros during Game 4 of the ALCS.

Rizzo reached base on his first three at-bats Sunday night, getting hit by a pitch in the first inning, hitting an RBI double in the second and tying the game with an RBI single in the fourth. The 33-year-old bounced back after two hitless performances, recording his eighth RBI of the postseason, but his efforts were not enough as the Astros escaped with a one-run victory to close out the ALCS. Rizzo finished the 2022 postseason hitting .276 with two homers and eight RBI.

Gurriel went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALCS.

Gurriel broke the tie with a solo shot to left off Clarke Schmidt in the bottom of the sixth inning. The 38-year-old righty is now 6-for-19 with two homers in the 2022 postseason. Gurriel had a down year in 2022, hitting only .242 with eight homers after he compiled 15 round trippers and a .319 batting average in 2021. Nonetheless, Gurriel has nearly 300 postseason at-bats and will look to use that experience to his benefit as the ALCS progresses.

Rizzo went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, one walk and a hit-by-pitch during the 4-2 loss to the Astros in Game 1 of the ALCS.

Rizzo hit a fastball from Rafael Montero 387 feet to right field in the top of the eighth inning, but the Yankees were unable to complete the comeback in Game 1. The 33-year-old first baseman has continued to do a solid job of reaching base during the postseason. He is now 6-for-19 with four walks and two HBP, which has helped accumulate a .480 OBP. On the surface, Rizzo has a tough matchup against southpaw Framber Valdez in Game 2, but he actually achieved better numbers across the board versus lefty pitching than righty pitching in the last two seasons.