MLB Player News

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.

Plawecki agreed to a contract with the Red Sox on Thursday, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports.

Plawecki struggled at the plate in 2019 by hitting .222/.287/.342 with only three home runs and 17 RBI over 60 games with Cleveland, but he'll get a chance to play for his third team in as many seasons. The deal is worth $900,000 over one year, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. Plawecki will likely serve as a backup behind Christian Vazquez to begin the 2020 season.

Haase was designated for assignment by the Indians on Sunday.

Haase appeared in 10 games (17 plate appearances) with the Indians in 2019 and went 1-for-16 with a home run, three RBI and eight strikeouts. Cleveland already has a solid major-league catching duo with Roberto Perez and the recently signed Sandy Leon.

Maldonado signed a two-year, $7 million contract with the Astros on Friday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Maldonado made three stops in 2019, playing for the Cubs, Astros and Royals. He slashed .213/.293/.378 with 12 home runs and 27 RBI over 105 contests. Maldonado will bring a veteran presence behind the dish and is set to compete for playing time with Garrett Stubbs and Dustin Garneau.