MLB Player News

Candelario was added to the Cubs' 40-man roster on Friday, the Daily Herald's Bruce Miles reports.

The slick-fielding third baseman has a future in the big leagues, but it will be hard for him to crack the Cubs' lineup, given their abundance of infield talent. This makes him an intriguing trade chip this winter, although his glove-first profile makes him unappealing in dynasty leagues.

Donaldson was named the 2015 AL MVP by the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Thursday.

Of the 30 first-place votes, Donaldson received 23 while the Angels' Mike Trout received seven. Traded to Toronto from Oakland last winter, Donaldson finished top-3 in the AL in most offensive statistical categories, including home runs (41), RBI (123), runs (122), slugging (.568) and OPS (.939). He will turn 30 in December, but there's little reason to think Donaldson won't return first-round value again next season.

Ramirez was carted off the field on a stretcher after suffering a leg injury while playing in the Dominican Winter League on Wednesday, but X-rays were negative and he is considered day-to-day, Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reports.

It looked like the injury could have been much worse, as Ramirez was in obvious pain after taking a hard slide at second base, but X-rays showed no break. While it's uncertain when Ramirez may return to Winter League action, it does not sound like this will jeopardize his status for spring training, where he will look to solidify his hold on the top utility infielder role.

The Red Sox traded Asuaje and three other prospects to the Padres on Friday for Craig Kimbrel, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports.

An 11th-round pick in 2013, Asuaje made the jump to Double-A as a 23-year-old last season and saw a significant drop in production. He turned in a .251/.334/.374 line after slashing .310/.393/.533 between Low-A and High-A the year before, though Asuaje did actually improve his strikeout rate from High-A and maintained a walk rate close to 10 percent.

Almanzar re-signed with the Orioles on a minor league contract Wednesday, Steve Melewski of MASN Sports reports.

Almanzar spent all of 2015 with Triple-A Norfolk, hitting .225 with four home runs and 50 RBI. With the depth the Orioles have at third base, the 24-year-old could spend 2016 in Norfolk once again.

Moncada may be forced to skip winter ball due to a bruised right hand, WEEI.com reports.

The plan was for Moncada to play under former Red Sox infielder Alex Cora in Puerto Rico this winter, but he's still feeling the effects of a HBP during a recent instructional league game. Moncada, 20, lived up to expectations in his first season in affiliated baseball, posting an .817 OPS while going 49-for-52 on the basepaths with Low-A Greenville. Look for him to make the jump to High-A to begin 2016.

Wilson has elected to become a free agent.

Wilson bounced around between Triple-A and the majors this season, but he still managed to appear in 21 games with the Tigers this year. The 34-year-old actually posted a career high in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, slashing a surprising .316/.350/.395 in his limited amount of opportunities this season. That being said, he's mainly served as organizational depth for the last four years of his career and he will likely continue to stay in that role if he is signed by another club.

Reyes will have surgery to repair a broken hamate bone in his left hand, Steve Melewski of MASN Sports reports.

The highly regarded prospect was injured during one of the final instructional league workouts and will likely miss one or two months as he rehabs the injury. Reyes stumbled through an injury plagued 2015 season, missing games due to a variety of injuries including a sprained thumb and a mild concussion.

Reynolds has officially been added to the Mets' NLDS roster Monday.

Reynolds will replace Ruben Tejada on the Mets' NLDS roster now that he's officially done for the season because of a broken fibula suffered in Game 2. If he were to receive the start at shortstop Monday, it would represent his major league debut.

Donaldson (head) is in the lineup for Game 2 of the ALDS Friday against the Rangers, MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm reports.

Donaldson took a knee to his head on a slide into second base in Thursday's Game 1, but he passed concussion tests after the game, and will be able to take the field Friday. As he regularly does, Donaldson will man third base and hit second in the Blue Jays' batting order.