MLB Player News

Hernandez underwent double-hernia surgery Oct. 24, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Hernandez is expected to be able to resume baseball activities by early December, but this news will further cloud his free-agent appeal. The 32-year-old utility player has batted just .230/.290/.349 in 233 games (910 plate appearances) since the beginning of the 2022 campaign.

Donovan (elbow) has begun a throwing program at the Cardinals' spring training complex in Florida, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Donovan is coming along in his rehab after undergoing flexor tendon surgery in August. The expectation is that he will be ready to roll once spring training arrives. Donovan is expected to be a regular again for the Cardinals in 2024, although it might not necessarily be at a set position.

The Mets claimed Short off waivers from the Tigers on Monday.

Short, 28, is a career .174/.266/.308 hitter over 450 plate appearances in parts of three seasons at the big-league level. He has experience at shortstop, second base, third base and a little in the outfield. Short will compete for a utility job in spring training.

Mathias (shoulder) elected to become a free agent Friday.

Mathias rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A Sacramento after being pushed off the 40-man roster by San Francisco on Wednesday. The utility player went 14-for-62 (.226) with a .591 OPS in 27 major-league games this year between the Pirates and Giants before suffering a season-ending shoulder strain in mid-August.

Merrifield and the Blue Jays both declined his mutual option for the 2024 season Thursday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

The option was worth $18 million, so it's little surprise the team is willing to move on given that Merrifield lost playing down the final stretch. He'll be entering his age-35 season, so Merrifield could be looking for a final payday. He maintained a .700 OPS with 11 home runs and 26 steals across 592 plate appearances in 2023.

The Twins exercised Polanco's $10.5 million club option for 2024 on Thursday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Polanco again battled durability issues in 2023, missing significant time due to ankle, knee and hamstring injuries, but he registered a .789 OPS with 14 home runs across 80 games (343 plate appearances) when healthy. Minnesota could potentially look to trade the 30-year-old infielder this winter and install Edouard Julien at second base, but exercising the option was likely an easy early-offseason decision for the AL Central champs.

The Giants sent Mathias (shoulder) outright to Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday.

Mathias slashed just .226/.333/.258 across 72 plate appearances in the majors this season, and a strained shoulder put an early end to his season in mid-August. Mathias will have the option to elect free agency and should be able to draw a minor-league deal in the offseason.

Mendick elected free agency Tuesday.

Mendick went unclaimed on waivers after being pushed off the Mets' 40-man roster last week. The 30-year-old infielder slashed just .185/.232/.277 with one homer and one steal over 33 major-league games in 2023.

The Mets placed Mendick on outright waivers Friday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Mendick slashed just .185/.232/.277 during his time with the Mets, and he'll now join five other teammates on the waiver wire as the team clears space on its 40-man roster. The 32-year-old infielder can elect free agency if he clears waivers.

Dubon is batting second Thursday in Game 4 of the ALCS against the Rangers.

This is the highest lineup spot yet for Dubon, who hit seventh Wednesday in Game 3 and went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored as the Astros earned an 8-5 victory. He'll cover center field again Thursday, with Chas McCormick handling left field and Kyle Tucker patrolling right field. Michael Brantley is on the bench.