MLB Player News

Choi was acquired by the Pirates from the Rays on Thursday in exchange for minor-league pitcher Jack Hartman.

Choi had a .233/.341/.388 slash line with 11 home runs and 52 RBI in 113 games for Tampa Bay in 2022, and the team opted to move on as he enters his final year of arbitration eligibility. The 31-year-old should enter spring training as Pittsburgh's primary option at first base.

Solak (foot) was acquired by the Reds from the Rangers on Thursday in exchange for cash considerations.

Solak appeared in only 35 games for the Rangers in 2022 before he suffered a fractured right foot in September. He has a .246/.317/.354 slash line in 749 plate appearances across the past three seasons and should compete for a utility role with Cincinnati during spring training.

Soler (back) elected not to opt out of his contract Tuesday, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

The three-year deal Soler signed with the Marlins back in March allows him the chance to opt out after each of the first two seasons. With injuries limiting him to 72 games and a disappointing .207/.295/.400 slash line, it's no surprise that he doesn't see this winter as a good time to get back on the open market.

Harper is expected to undergo an MRI later this week that will determine whether or not he'll require offseason surgery to address the torn UCL in his right elbow that he played through for most of the 2022 season, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

The torn UCL first cropped up in mid-April and limited the lefty-hitting Harper to serving exclusively as a designated hitter the rest of the season, after the injury to his throwing elbow didn't respond well enough to platelet-rich plasma injections to allow the 30-year-old to resume duties in the outfield. Harper also missed considerable time after undergoing surgery in late June to repair a fractured thumb and struggled down the stretch in the regular season when he was activated from the injured list in late August, but the reigning National League MVP finally appeared to return to elite form at the plate during the Phillies' run to the World Series. At this point, neither the elbow or thumb injuries look to be anything that will affect the Harper at the dish heading into 2023, but the Phillies would ideally like to have him available to play in the outfield on a more frequent basis during the upcoming season while deploying either Kyle Schwarber or Nick Castellanos more frequently at DH. Harper's upcoming evaluation should help guide those plans, though it could influence his readiness for spring training depending on what kind of surgery he requires, if any. In a worst-case scenario, Harper may need Tommy John surgery to fully repair the ligament, but even then, he would still likely be able to play on an everyday basis as a DH before potentially gaining clearance to play the outfield late in the 2023 campaign.

The Mets will exercise Vogelbach's $1.5 million team option for 2023, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Vogelbach will unsurprisingly remain in New York after a strong showing with the Mets in the second half of the 2022 campaign. After being traded from the Pirates to the Mets on July 22, the slugger slashed .255/.393/.436 with six homers, 25 RBI and 18 runs scored over 55 contests.

Alvarez went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run during Saturday night's 4-1 win over the Phillies in Game 6 of the World Series.

Alvarez hit a 450-foot blast off Jose Alvarado in the sixth inning to give the Astros a 3-1 lead. It was Alvarez's first homer since the ALDS but a monumental one nonetheless. The 25-year-old hit .192 across 52 at bats in the playoffs, but he managed to knock in 14 runs and help the Astros win their second World Series in the last five years. Alvarez will remain a vital piece to the heart of the Houston lineup for the foreseeable future.

Harper went 0-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base during Wednesday's 5-0 loss to the Astros in Game 5 of the World Series.

Harper had a quiet night offensively, as did the rest of the Philadelphia offense, but he was able to steal second off pitcher Cristian Javier and catcher Christian Vazquez in the second inning. The steal marked his 12th of the season in 16 attempts and his first of the postseason. The 30-year-old will look to get back in the hit column Thursday night during the crucial Game 5 in the 2-2 series. Harper is slated to face righty Justin Verlander in Game 5 -- he is 3-for-8 lifetime against Verlander.

Harper went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer during Tuesday's 7-0 win over the Astros in Game 3 of the World Series.

Harper started the Phillies' barrage of home runs, hitting a Lance McCullers curveball deep into the bleachers for a two-run homer to make the score 2-0 in the first inning. The 30-year-old lost an 11-game hit streak after going 0-for-4 in Game 2, but he bounced back with his sixth homer and 12th extra-base hit of the postseason. Harper is now hitting .382 across 55 at bats in what has been his best postseason by far -- to put things into perspective, he has 21 hits in the 2022 playoffs, and his previous high across four other postseasons was five hits. Harper will look to stay hot against projected starter Cristian Javier in Game 4 of the World Series.

Martinez is unlikely to get a qualifying offer from the Red Sox, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

As a 35-year-old designated hitter who was only worth 1.0 fWAR in 139 games last season, Martinez was unlikely to get the qualifying offer. He will likely sign this winter on a short-term deal to serve as another team's primary designated hitter.

Harper went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk during Sunday's 4-3 win over the Padres in Game 5 of the NLCS.

Harper came to the plate after a leadoff single by J.T. Realmuto in the bottom of the eighth inning, and he sent a Robert Suarez sinker into the left-field seats, igniting the crowd and putting the Phillies ahead 4-3. The 30-year-old lefty came into Game 5 with 10 extra-base hits in the postseason, a career high, and he added another for one of the most clutch hits of his career. Harper earned the NLCS MVP award by completing the series with a .400 average, three doubles, two homers and five RBI. He will take his red-hot bat into the World Series to face the Astros.