The Yankees designated Hamel for assignment Wednesday.

Hamel will be exiting a 40-man roster for the fourth time in under five months; he had previously been DFA'd by the Mets and Orioles in September and the Rangers in January. The Yankees will drop Hamel from the roster in order to clear room for outfielder Yanquiel Fernandez, who was claimed off waivers from the Rockies. The 26-year-old Hamel made his MLB debut last season in a Sept. 17 relief appearance with the Mets but otherwise spent the entire campaign at Triple-A Syracuse, where he turned in a 5.32 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 75:22 K:BB in 67.2 innings.

Taylor has a goal of reaching 100 innings in 2026, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

The White Sox will deploy Taylor as a reliever this season before transitioning him back to a starting role in 2027. He threw a total of 63.1 innings in 2025 between the majors and minors, which was a career high after he dealt with numerous injuries in previous seasons. Many of Taylor's appearances in 2026 could come in long relief since that's the best way to build his workload, but the White Sox haven't ruled out giving him some high-leverage opportunities, as well. It's a role that might not lead to much fantasy value during the upcoming season, but Taylor's upside remains high.

The Twins claimed Kowar off waivers from the Mariners on Tuesday.

The right-hander was designated for assignment by the Mariners last week after they acquired Jhonny Pereda from the Twins, so this ended up being somewhat of a trade. Before landing on the injured list with a shoulder impingement in August, Kowar posted a 4.24 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 15:7 K:BB across 17 innings out of the bullpen for Seattle.

Salazar signed a minor-league contract with the Twins on Tuesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

The 27-year-old hit free agency after being removed from the Nationals' 40-man roster in October. Salazar made 30 relief appearances for Washington last season and struggled to an 8.38 ERA, 2.17 WHIP and 23:16 K:BB over 29 innings. His deal with the Twins includes a foreign-team inquiry clause.

The Red Sox signed Nittoli to a minor-league contract Monday that includes an invitation to spring training, Ari Alexander of 7 News Boston reports.

Nittoli saw limited action in the majors every season from 2021-2024 but spent all of 2025 at the Triple-A level, collecting a 4.58 ERA and 46:15 K:BB over 39.1 innings. The 35-year-old will compete for a bullpen role in Boston but is likely ticketed for Triple-A Worcester.

The Guardians re-signed Allard to a minor-league contract Monday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Allard elected free agency after being outrighted off the Guardians' 40-man roster back in November, but he's ultimately found his way back into the organization. The left-hander was effective as a multi-inning reliever in 2025, posting a 2.63 ERA and 1.20 WHIP to go along with a 42:14 K:BB across 65 regular-season frames. Allard will have to win a roster spot but could fill a long relief role again.

The Angels designated Laweryson for assignment Monday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The transaction frees a spot on the 40-man roster for the re-signing of Yoan Moncada, which was officially announced Monday. Laweryson was a waiver claim of the Angels back in November after he yielded two runs (one earned) with a 7:0 K:BB over 7.2 frames covering five relief outings for the Twins in 2025. He could be appealing on waivers to teams in need of bullpen depth.

The White Sox are acquiring Hicks (shoulder), David Sandlin, two players-to-be-named and cash from the Red Sox on Sunday in exchange for Gage Ziehl and a player-to-be-named, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.

Hicks was shipped from San Francisco to Boston in the Rafael Devers trade last year and is now on the move once again. The right-hander signed a four-year, $44.83 million contract with the Giants in January of 2024 to serve as a starter, and he pitched decently that year with a 4.10 ERA across 109.2 innings. However, he struggled early last year and was shifted to the bullpen, finishing the regular season with a 6.95 ERA over 67.1 frames between the Giants and Red Sox. According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Red Sox are covering $8 million of Hicks' salary across the remaining two years of his contract. The 29-year-old missed most of September due to shoulder tendinitis but should be ready for the start of spring training since he was back to throwing before the end of the season.

Evans underwent UCL reconstruction surgery with an internal brace Jan. 23 on his right elbow.

Evans missed several weeks during the second half of last season with right elbow inflammation, so it's possible he had UCL damage for a while that was only recently discovered. He will miss the entire 2026 season, and given the timing of the procedure, could get a late start to the 2027 campaign, as well. Evans had been likely to open the upcoming season at Triple-A Tacoma, but his absence is a blow to the Mariners' pitching depth. The 24-year-old posted a 4.32 ERA and 59:31 K:BB over 81.1 innings covering 15 starts and one relief outing last season.

Bradford (elbow) could begin a rehab assignment around Opening Day, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young indicated that May is the target for the left-hander's return.

Bradford, who recently threw a bullpen session, missed all of 2025 after sustaining an elbow injury during spring training that required an internal brace procedure in June. He showed promise in 2024, posting a 3.54 ERA over 76.1 innings, but missed months due to back and rib injuries. Texas bolstered its rotation during the offseason with the acquisition of MacKenzie Gore from the Nationals and may not have a spot in the rotation for Bradford upon his return. Beyond the top three of Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi (groin) and Gore, other candidates for the back end of the rotation include Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker, Jacob Latz, Austin Gomber and Cal Quantrill .