MLB Player News

The White Sox sent Perez outright to Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports.

After being DFA'd off the 40-man roster Saturday, Perez will officially remain in the White Sox's minor-league system to begin 2024. Perez has slashed just .209/.254/.343 across 71 career MLB plate appearances, but Chicago's weak catcher room leaves a slim chance for Perez to contribute in the majors at some point in the summer.

Wynns cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Louisville on Thursday.

Wynns is no longer on the Reds' 40-man roster but will be in major-league camp as a non-roster invitee. The veteran catcher is likely to be assigned to Louisville at the outset of the 2024 campaign.

Plawecki signed a minor-league contract with the Padres on Thursday, Michael Mayer of MetsmerizedOnline.com reports.

Plawecki spent time with three organizations in 2023, with San Diego being one of them. He didn't see any action at the major-league level last year, producing a .739 OPS with four homers in 67 games at the Triple-A level. The Padres appear set at catcher with Luis Campusano and Kyle Higashioka, pointing toward a ticket to Triple-A El Paso for Plawecki.

Barnhart signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Tuesday and received an invitation to major-league spring training.

Barnhart slashed .202/.285/.257 with nine RBI across 123 plate appearances with the Cubs last season before being DFA'd and finishing the year with the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate. With Gabriel Moreno virtually locked in as Arizona's everyday catcher, Barnhart will compete with Jose Herrera in the spring for the backup job.

Wynns was designated for assignment by the Reds on Tuesday.

Cincinnati needed to clear a spot on its 40-man roster for the addition of Frankie Montas. Wynns was just signed to a one-year, $950,000 contract last month and the Reds are betting he'll clear waivers, at which point he would presumably head to spring training as a non-roster invitee.

Perez signed a minor-league contract with the Orioles on Saturday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Perez appeared in three games last season for the Mets, going 4-for-8 while coming across to score once. Perez will offer organizational depth at Triple-A Norfolk after slashing .204/.309/.352 with 27 RBI in the minors in 2023.

The White Sox designated Perez for assignment Saturday.

Perez's odds of making Chicago's Opening Day roster were already low following the addition of Martin Maldonado, and he'll officially be pushed off the 40-man to clear a spot for Chris Flexen. Perez should serve as organizational depth at Triple-A Charlotte, where he slashed .240/.295/.408 with 34 RBI across 312 plate appearances last season.

Knapp signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Wednesday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Knapp spent all of the 2023 season at the Triple-A level between the Tigers and Astros organizations, posting a .705 OPS with nine homers. He's slashed .209/.310/.313 over parts of six seasons in the majors and will compete for the right to back up Jonah Heim at catcher.

Maldonado signed a one-year contract with the White Sox on Tuesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the deal is for $4 million and also includes a $4 million vesting option for 2025. With the White Sox searching for a solution behind the plate, they will bring in Maldonado to reunite with Korey Lee in Chicago's catcher room. The 37-year-old Maldonado will likely still have the upper hand over Lee in the battle for playing time, but after slashing .183/.260/.333 across the past three seasons, Maldonado's days as a viable fantasy option are seemingly over.

Wallach signed a minor-league contract with the Angels on Saturday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Wallach will return to the Angels organization for a third season after slashing .188/.254/.354 with the major-league club across the past two years. Los Angeles already has plenty of options behind the plate at the big-league level, so Wallach will likely fill in as organizational depth with Triple-A Salt Lake.