MLB Player News

The Dodgers have agreed to send Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs, and Wong to the Red Sox in exchange for Mookie Betts and David Price, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Wong finished the 2019 season with Double-A Tulsa, hitting .349/.393/.604 with nine home runs, 31 RBI and 17 runs scored in 163 plate appearances. Plate discipline has been an area of concern for the 23-year-old catching prospect, recording a 32:147 BB:K across all minor league levels last year. Wong will look to make a positive impression on the Red Sox this spring.

Kirk will join the Blue Jays' big-league camp this spring.

Kirk will get to work with the big-league coaching staff for a few weeks, though he's unlikely to join them for good this season. He's yet to reach the Double-A level, though his .288/.395/.446 slash line in 71 games for High-A Dunedin was quite impressive, especially when factoring in his 13.8 percent walk rate and 11.2 percent strikeout rate.

Rupp joined Cleveland as a non-roster invitee Friday, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Rupp's career .243/.298/.407 slash line in 296 big-league games looks good enough for him to at least contend for a backup catcher spot, but he's spent time with five different organizations over the last two seasons and failed to return to the majors with any of them. He looks to be minor-league depth behind Roberto Perez and Sandy Leon this season but could potentially make the major-league roster if one of that pair gets injured.

Jeffers was invited to big-league camp by the Twins on Monday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Jeffers has just 24 games at the Double-A level under his belt, so he's unlikely to be under consideration for an Opening Day roster spot. The 22-year-old catcher hit .264/.341/.421 with 14 homers in 103 games at the High-A and Double-A levels last season.

Thole signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Tuesday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Thole has played 478 career big-league games, but none of them have come since 2016. With a career .242/.313/.306 slash line and no recent major-league experience, he'll likely serve as organizational depth this season.

Perez (elbow) threw down to second base Friday for the first time since his surgery and expects to be ready for Opening Day, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Perez missed the entire 2019 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but he continues to prove that he's right on track with his rehab. He's expected to be restriction-free heading into spring training and should begin ramping up his baseball activities in the near future.

Davis agreed Thursday with the Orioles on a minor-league contract, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

The exact terms of Davis' deal aren't known, but it likely includes an invitation to big-league spring training. Davis had previously spent his entire professional career with the Cubs organization since signing as an amateur free agent in July 2011. The 30-year-old backstop received the majority of his work at Triple-A Iowa over the past three seasons, but he has seen limited big-league action in each of those years, submitting a .222/.256/.333 slash line over 39 career plate appearances with Chicago.

Rutschman was invited to the Orioles' big-league spring training camp on Monday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

The 2019 first-overall pick will spend his first spring as a professional with the Orioles' major-league coaching staff. He's expected to spend several summers with that group as well, though that's unlikely to begin in 2020, as he's yet to reach High-A ball.

Sanchez and the Yankees agreed to a one-year, $5 million deal to avoid arbitration Friday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Sanchez bounced back from a shaky 2018 season to hit .232/.316/.525 with 34 homers in 106 games last season. He's now broken the 30-homer plateau two out of the last three seasons.

Stassi (hip) signed a one-year, $800,000 contract with Los Angeles on Thursday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Stassi and the Angels will avoid arbitration by settling on a one-year deal. It remains unclear if he'll be ready for Opening Day after undergoing hip surgery in September, likely giving Jason Castro and Anthony Bemboom a leg up on the competition.