MLB Player News

Lewis (knee) is not expected to be ready to play for the Twins until late June or early July, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Lewis' rehab from a second tear of his right ACL is at the six-month mark and the process has gone as well as can be expected so far. Last week he was cleared to increase running and change-of-direction activities and he hopes to begin swinging a bat by mid-January. He'll report to spring training in February, with the goal being to further ramp up his activity level in early March. Lewis is tentatively slated to be the Twins' shortstop when he returns, although obviously that could change depending on what the team does between now and then and how the youngster's rehab goes.

Nevin was designated for assignment by the Orioles on Wednesday.

The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for James McCann. Nevin has managed just a .604 OPS across 202 plate appearances at the major-league level. The 25-year-old stands a good chance to pass through waivers.

LeMahieu will avoid surgery on his broken toe, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

The injury forced LeMahieu to miss the postseason, but the offseason rest appears to be doing its job. The veteran infielder has already been able to run, hit and field, so his availability for the start of spring training doesn't seem to be at much risk.

Peterson's two-year, $9.5 million contract with the Athletics was formally announced Tuesday.

Peterson has put up a .706 OPS with 14 home runs and 22 stolen bases over the last two seasons in a utility role with the Brewers. He should play pretty regularly against righties and offers some deep-league consideration mostly because of his speed.

Peterson signed a two-year contract with the Athletics on Tuesday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Peterson recorded a 76 wRC+ through the end of his age-29 season, but he's posted a 98 wRC+ since turning 30 prior to the 2020 campaign. That doesn't make him much more than a part-time player, though the Athletics have enough holes on their roster that Peterson could feature regularly. Between his mediocre bat, tough home park and weak surrounding lineup, even a regular role would leave Peterson without much fantasy appeal outside of deep leagues.

The Reds agreed to trade Farmer to the Twins on Friday in exchange for right-hander Casey Legumina, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

A late bloomer, Farmer became a regular for the Reds at shortstop over the past couple seasons. He led Cincinnati in plate appearances by a wide margin in 2022, though the team eventually moved Farmer off shortstop to give Jose Barrero, Spencer Steer and others some time late in the year. The 32-year-old Farmer is best utilized as a utility player, and that's almost certainly what he will be with Minnesota.

The Twins agreed to trade Urshela to the Angels on Friday in exchange for right-hander Alejandro Hidalgo, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports.

Urshela finished third on the team in plate appearances in 2022 with 551 and was worth a couple wins above replacement by fWAR. However, he's due north of $6.5 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility, and the Twins ultimately decided to flip him for a young prospect rather than pay up. Urshela could play some shortstop for his new club or move across the diamond to first base, but Anthony Rendon's inability to stay healthy could open up plenty of playing time at third base as well.

Mead (elbow) was added to the Rays' 40-man roster Tuesday.

Mead is one of Tampa Bay's most highly-regarded prospects, so it's no surprise he's been added to the 40-man roster in order to shield him from the Rule 5 draft. He split 2022 between the Double-A and Triple-A levels and had a .922 OPS with 13 home runs, 50 RBI and seven stolen bases in 76 games before he was shut down with an elbow injury.

Lipcius was added to the Tigers' 40-man roster Tuesday.

Lipcius had a productive year between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo with an .826 OPS in 2022, and the Tigers elected to protect him from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. The 24-year-old could be called up for his major-league debut sometime next season.

Rafaela was added to Boston's 40-man roster Tuesday, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Rafaela is one of the better prospects who needed to be protected from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. A 22-year-old center fielder, Rafaela hit .278/.324/.500 with 12 home runs and 14 steals in 71 games at Double-A. It's unclear if he'll head back to that level or get the bump to Triple-A at the start of 2023.