MLB Player News

Julien was added to Minnesota's 40-man roster Tuesday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Julien spent the 2022 campaign with Double-A Wichita and cemented his status as one of Minnesota's top prospects with a .303/.443/.491 slash line, 17 home runs and 19 steals in 114 games. The 23-year-old posted an incredible 19.7 percent walk rate and should move to Triple-A St. Paul this coming year, and he could also sniff the majors.

Ortiz was added to the Orioles' 40-man roster Tuesday.

Few minor leaguers were more productive than Ortiz in the final three months of last season. He hit .351/.416/.625 with 17 home runs and seven steals in 74 games from July through September across stops at Double-A and Triple-A. Ortiz also grades out as a quality defensive shortstop, which makes him one of the game's most underrated prospects.

Acuna was added to the Rangers' 40-man roster Tuesday, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.

One of Ronald Acuna's younger brothers, Luisangel hit .278/.367/.425 with a 23.6 percent strikeout rate, 11 home runs and 40 stolen bases in 91 games across High-A and Double-A as a 20-year-old. At roughly 5-foot-8, he lacks his big brother's power potential and physicality, but Acuna is still ahead of schedule on his ascent up the organizational ladder.

The White Sox added Rodriguez (hand) to their 40-man roster Tuesday.

Rodriguez spent all of 2022 with Double-A Birmingham, where he slashed a respectable .280/.340/.430 through 483 plate appearances and stole 40 bases before suffering a season-ending left hand fracture in August.

The Red Sox added Valdez to the 40-man roster Thursday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

The 23-year-old was slated to become a minor-league free agent due to his service time in the minors, but the move to the 40-man roster will keep him in the organization. Valdez was acquired by the Red Sox from the Astros at the 2022 trade deadline along with Wilyer Abreu in exchange for Christian Vazquez.

Ibanez was claimed off waivers by the Tigers on Thursday.

Ibanez appeared in 40 games for Texas last season and had a .550 OPS before he was sent to Triple-A in June, which is where he spent the rest of the campaign. The 29-year-old should compete for a utility role for Detroit during spring training.

Altuve went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and two runs scored during Thursday's 3-2 win over the Phillies in Game 5 of the World Series.

Altuve got the Houston offense started Thursday night, doubling off Noah Syndergaard to begin Game 5 and coming around to score on a single for the game's first run. The 32-year-old has now scored four times in the World Series, and he has reached base safely in four of the five games. After starting the postseason 0-for-23, Altuve is now 10-for-31 over the last seven games, heating up at just the right time for Houston. The veteran is slated to face Zack Wheeler in Game 6 with the chance to close out the series -- he was 2-for-3 with a double against Wheeler in Game 2.

The Athletics outrighted Mondou to Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 27-year-old was promoted for his first taste of the big leagues during the final week of the season, and he went 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout in his lone appearance. Mondou had a .283/.374/.431 slash line in 108 games at Las Vegas and is likely to receive an invite to big-league camp in February.

Hernandez (calf) was claimed off waivers by the A's on Thursday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Hernandez finished the season on Arizona's injured list with a calf strain, and he was recently removed from the 40-man roster. The 24-year-old appeared in 12 big-league games in 2022 and went 2-for-24 with two runs and two stolen bases.

Altuve went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored during Saturday's 5-2 win over the Phillies in Game 2 of the World Series.

Altuve set the tone in Game 2, leading off the bottom of the first inning with a double off Zack Wheeler and coming around to score the game's first run. After going 0-for-23 in his first 23 postseason at bats, Altuve has completely turned it around, going 7-for-18 in the last four games and achieving a four-game hitting streak. The 32-year-old is heating up at the perfect time for the Astros as they head to Philadelphia for Game 3. Altuve is 0-for-5 with one walk in six career plate appearances against projected Game 3 starter Noah Syndergaard.