MLB Player News

LeMahieu and the Yankees agreed to a six-year, $90 million deal Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

LeMahieu has reached an entirely new level in his two years with the Yankees, hitting .336/.386/.536 overall, a significant step up from the .299/.352/.408 line he produced in seven years for the Rockies while calling Coors Field home. The deal will pay the veteran for his age-32 through age-37 seasons, so some age-related regression is to be expected, but $15 million per year is quite a cheap price to pay for the MVP candidate he's been so far during his time in the Bronx. He should look like a steal for at least the early part of the contract.

Agent Scott Boras said Chapman (hip) received clearance for increased activity and and should be ready for the start of spring training, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 27-year-old underwent surgery to address a torn right hip labrum in mid-September and was given a four-month recovery, and it appears he's progressing as planned. Chapman had a .232/.276/.353 slash line with 10 home runs, nine doubles and 25 RBI in 37 games last season and is poised to start at the hot corner again for the A's in 2021.

Urshela underwent surgery Friday to remove a bone chip from his right elbow.

Urshela wasn't initially expected to require surgery during the offseason, but he elected to undergo a procedure Friday that went smoothly. He's expected to need three months to recover from surgery, so he could be ready to participate in the majority of spring training if he doesn't encounter any setbacks.

Peraza was added to the Yankees' 40-man roster Friday.

Peraza wasn't part of the Yankees' 60-man roster during the 2020 season, but he'll be protected from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. He slashed .268/.343/.328 with 13 RBI and 17 stolen bases with Low-A Charleston in 2019.

Walls' contract was purchased by the Rays on Friday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Walls is a classic Rays player, as he is known for his control of the strike zone and ability to play multiple infield positions. He has not played above Double-A, but after a summer at the alternate training site, he is presumably poised to make his MLB debut sometime in 2021.

Burger's contract was purchased by the White Sox on Friday.

Burger's pro career has been greatly affected by Achilles injuries, but as the 11th overall pick in 2017, the team is too invested in his development to leave him exposed to the Rule 5 draft at this juncture. He is fully healthy but turns 25 in April and has never played above Low-A. Given his age and standing on the 40-man roster, he will probably be thrown into the deep end at some point during the 2021 season to see how he fares against upper-level pitching prospects.

Monasterio signed a minor-league contract to return to Cleveland on Tuesday.

The contract did not come with an invitation to big-league camp. That's hardly a surprise, as Monasterio has yet to advance beyond Double-A and posted a .217/.279/.253 slash line at that level in 70 games for Akron in 2019.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday that Urshela won't require offseason surgery to address the existing bone spur the third baseman has in his right elbow, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

Though Urshela was able to play through the bone spur after being reinstated from the 10-day injured list Sept. 15, he acknowledged shortly after his activation that offseason surgery could be needed. After posting an .826 OPS over the remainder of the regular season following his reinstatement, however, Urshela proved that the bone spur wasn't any hindrance at the plate. While rest and rehab won't necessarily resolve the elbow issue permanently, Urshela's 2021 outlook shouldn't be affected at all.

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn announced Monday that Madrigal recently underwent surgery on his left shoulder, James Fegan of The Athletic reports. The second baseman is expected to require 5-to-6 months of the recovery time.

After jamming his left shoulder in an Aug. 4 game, Madrigal spent most of the month on the injured list before being activated. Following his reinstatement, Madrigal quickly caught fire at the dish, slashing .349/.385/.384 over his final 24 regular-season contests. Despite closing the campaign with a flurry at the dish, offseason surgery was always expected to be in the cards for Madrigal. Based on the timeline the White Sox provided, Madrigal likely won't be at full strength for the start of spring training, but he'll still have a decent chance at being ready to go for Opening Day. Once cleared to play, Madrigal should be locked into an everyday role at the keystone.

Bregman went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, a walk and a pair of runs in Monday's ALDS Game 1 win over Oakland.

Bregman scored the first of Houston's 10 runs with a solo homer in the top of the fourth inning. He later came around to score on Carlos Correa's ninth-inning single. He's now homered 11 times in 47 career playoff games.