MLB Player News

Farmer played through a sports hernia injury over the second half of the season, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reported in October. He eventually sat out the final games of the season and found out he will not need surgery this offseason.

So far the Reds have not signed one of the many quality free agent shortstops out there, nor is it anticipated that they will do so. Farmer still has to beat out Jose Barrero for the job, if the Reds don't opt to put Barrero in center field first.

Escobar signed a two-year, $20 million deal with the Mets on Friday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. The contract includes a team option for a third season, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Escobar bounced back from a very poor shortened season in 2020 to hit .253/.314/.472 with 28 homers for the Diamondbacks and Brewers in 2021. That line was good for a 107 wRC+, meaning he's now been an above-average hitter in each of the last three 162-game seasons, averaging 28.7 homers in those campaigns. That doesn't make him a star given the high offensive bar at third base (though he can also be part of the mix at second), but he should still be a very useful player as long as his skills don't deteriorate too much heading into his age-33 season.

The Twins released Astudillo on Wednesday after he cleared waivers, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

After a four-year stint in the Minnesota organization, the 30-year-old Astudillo will try his luck elsewhere following his removal from the 40-man roster last week. Though he's seen the bulk of his work at catcher during his minor-league career, the Twins were reluctant to use him behind the plate at the big-league level for most of the past two seasons, with Astudillo instead serving mostly as a utility infielder. While Astudillo's 91.3 percent career contact rate is matched by few, a paucity of power and a minuscule 1.9 percent walk rate has thus far rendered him a below-average hitter (86 wRC+) during his time in the majors. He'll likely have to settle for a minor-league deal this winter.

Noel was added to Cleveland's 40-man roster Friday.

Noel is a rare case of a hitting prospect in the lower levels getting added to the 40-man roster as Rule 5 draft protection. However, he is one of Cleveland's best prospects, with a chance to develop a plus hit tool to go with easy plus power. He should spend a good chunk of next season at Double-A.

Freeman (shoulder) was added to Cleveland's 40-man roster Friday.

This move was a given, even though Freeman's 2021 season didn't go as planned. He performed up to his usual standards (.323/.372/.470), but was limited to 41 games at Double-A when a shoulder injury ended his season. He is recovering from left labrum surgery and should spend the bulk of the 2022 season at Triple-A.

Rosario was added to the Padres' 40-man roster Friday.

With the Padres' system a lot shallower than it used to be, Rosario is now one of the team's better hitting prospects in the upper levels. He hit .281/.360/.455 at Double-A and .262/.348/.361 in the Arizona Fall League.

Astudillo was designated for assignment Friday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Astudillo is a fan favorite with a very unique statistical profile, possessing a career 4.7 percent strikeout rate and a 1.9 percent walk rate. He posted impressive small-sample numbers in his debut in 2018 but hasn't done much since then, hitting .254/.278/.382 across 139 games. That line doesn't work even for a player who's nominally a catcher, and Astudillo's poor defense at that spot meant he only started 25 games behind the plate over the last three years.

Miranda was added to the Twins' 40-man roster Friday.

As Miranda was one of the most statistically impressive hitters in the minors last season, his protection from the Rule 5 draft was a cinch. He hit .343/.397/.563 with 17 home runs in 80 games at Triple-A and appears to be big-league ready. Miranda can play second base and third base and could also get some looks at designated hitter in 2022.

Lewis (knee) was added to the Twins' 40-man roster Friday.

A foregone conclusion, Lewis was protected from the Rule 5 draft. He missed the entire 2021 season after suffering a torn ACL in February. Lewis should be ready for spring training and 2022 represents an important season for him, especially now that he is on the 40-man roster. He will likely be assigned to Triple-A, where he could spend most of the season as he looks to re-establish himself as a big part of Minnesota's future.

The Orioles announced Monday that Urias recently underwent a core-muscle procedure, but the infielder is expected to be a full participant at the start of spring training, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Urias' core repair is likely related to the right adductor strain that kept him on the injured list for the final two weeks of the regular season. Before being shut down, Urias had emergency as an everyday player in the middle infield, ultimately finishing the campaign with a .279/.361/.412 slash line, seven home runs, one stolen base, 38 RBI and 33 runs across 296 plate appearances. He'll likely get a chance to compete for a regular role in spring training, but expect the Orioles to bring in some competition for the 27-year-old at either second base or shortstop.