MLB Player News

The Astros claimed Bannon off waivers from the Cubs on Friday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Two weeks after being claimed by the Cubs from Atlanta, Bannon will now be on the move to Houston. Bannon did well during his time in Triple-A last season, though it's hard to imagine him getting consistent playing time in the Astros' star-studded infield. If anything, he'll compete with Mauricio Dubon and David Hensley for reps as a backup infielder.

White Sox assistant general manager Chris Getz said that Rodriguez (hand) is on track to be ready for spring training, James Fegan of The Athletic reports. "There certainly wasn't a hotter hitter in our system than Jose Rodriguez right before breaking his hamate bone [in an Aug. 20 game]," Getz said. "He's doing normal baseball activities right now, and he'll do that for a little bit longer. But he undoubtedly will be ready to go in spring training and show us what he's capable of doing."

Rodriguez was one of the more notable prospects that the White Sox added to their 40-man roster earlier this month. Before he was shut down for the season in late August after fracturing the hamate bone of his left hand on a home-run swing, Rodriguez produced a .280/.340/.430 slash line across 483 plate appearances at Double-A Birmingham. Though the second baseman looks like he'll get the opportunity to join big-league camp and theoretically compete for a spot on the White Sox's Opening Day roster, Rodriguez is more realistically headed for Triple-A Birmingham to begin the 2023 campaign.

Capra re-signed Sunday with the Blue Jays on a minor-league contract, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Non-tendered by Toronto just a few days ago, Capra will rejoin the Blue Jays, albeit no longer as a member of the 40-man roster. His minor-league deal presumably includes an invitation to big-league spring training, where he'll be vying for a reserve spot in an outfield that no longer includes Teoscar Hernandez, Raimel Tapia or Bradley Zimmer. Capra appeared in eight games for the big club in 2022 but otherwise spent the majority of the campaign at Triple-A Buffalo, where he produced a .789 OPS over 225 plate appearances.

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.