MLB Player News

Jackson was designated for assignment by the Braves on Wednesday.

Jackson was dropped from the 40-man roster in order to make room for the recently-acquired Preston Tucker in a deal with the Astros. During the 2017 season, Jackson appeared in 43 games out of the bullpen for Atlanta, posting a 4.62 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 50.2 innings. Although he provided another middle-relief arm for the Braves this past year, Jackson wasn't able to make hitters miss, accumulating just 33 strikeouts, which has been indicative of his professional career up to this point.

Zagurski has agreed to a minor-league deal with Milwaukee, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports.

Zagurski has bounced around throughout his career, spending time with four other teams before signing with the Brewers. He last saw an opportunity to pitch in the major leagues back in 2013, tossing just 6.1 innings and accruing a 17.05 ERA. Zagurski will look to find his niche in Milwaukee, though he'll likely start the season at Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Collins signed a minor-league deal to return to Washington on Friday, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports.

Collins made his first appearance in professional baseball since 2014 this summer, following a pair of Tommy John surgeries. Over 18 games with various affiliates in the Nationals' system, the 28-year-old posted a 7.79 ERA and 1.79 WHIP while holding a 23:14 K:BB. Collins still has a lot of work to do to prove he can regain his old form, making him a long shot to return to the majors in 2018.

De Los Santos was traded to the Phillies on Friday in exchange for Freddy Galvis, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

A 6-foot-3 righty who turns 22 later this month, De Los Santos commands a plus fastball and logged 150 innings at Double-A in the Padres' system last year. His secondary pitches are inconsistent, but his command is decent enough. If he can make strides with his breaking ball and changeup, he could become a No. 3 or No. 4 starter, but the most likely scenario is that he ends up as a seventh- or eighth-inning reliever. De Los Santos notched a 3.78 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 138 strikeouts in 150 innings in the Texas League last season. He will likely head to Triple-A and could get an audition in the big-league rotation this summer.

Burdi (elbow) was traded to the Pirates for international slot money.

Originally selected by the Phillies with the third pick in Thursday's Rule 5 draft, he was then sent to Pittsburgh. The hard-throwing righty is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in late May. He made 75 pitches from 80 feet earlier this week, so his rehab appears to be going well. Burdi can touch triple digits with his fastball and has a wipeout slider, but his command/control was an issue even before the surgery, so it may be a year or two before he can locate well enough to reliably handle high-leverage situations. The Pirates can stash him on the disabled list to start the season, but he must be active (off the DL) for a minimum of 90 days in 2018, otherwise they would need to keep him on the active roster throughout the offseason and into the 2019 season. Burdi could return to game action sometime this summer.

Burdi (elbow) was selected by the Phillies with the third pick in the Rule 5 draft Thursday.

The hard-throwing righty is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in late May. He made 75 pitches from 80 feet earlier this week, so his rehab appears to be going well. Burdi can touch triple digits with his fastball and has a wipeout slider, but his command/control was an issue even before the surgery, so it may be a year or two before he can locate well enough to reliably handle high-leverage situations. This is a nice landing spot, however, as the Phillies don't have a long-term closer entrenched, so Burdi could earn that role at some point in the coming seasons. He will need to be kept on the active roster all season, otherwise he will be exposed to waivers and offered back to the Twins. Burdi could return to game action sometime this summer.

Shaw has agreed to sign with the Rockies, Jon Heyman of FanRagSports.com reports.

In seven seasons, Shaw has posted a 3.13 ERA, 2.64 K/BB and 8.0 K/9 across 446.1 innings. The 30-year-old has also impressed with his durability, as he has never seen the disabled list in his career. He worked mainly in a setup/middle-relief role with the Indians last season, and it would seem likely he will do the same in his new surroundings, unless the Rockies are unable to land another reliever.

Smith (elbow) is expected to be ready for Opening Day assuming he stays on schedule in his rehab, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Smith missed all of 2017 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March. He was able to resume throwing in September, and barring any setbacks, it seems like the left-handed reliever will be ready to go by the start of next season. Smith has proven to be a reliable bullpen option in years past, and should work as one of the Giants' top setup men in 2018, assuming he's healthy.

Melancon (forearm) played catch pain-free Monday, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

This is an encouraging sign, as it marks the first time Melancon is throwing pain-free since undergoing flexor pronator surgery in September. The procedure only carries a 6-to-8 week rehab timeline, so he appears to be progressing on schedule and should be ready to go well before spring training rolls around. While he struggled in his first season with the Giants, compiling a 4.50 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in just 30 innings, the veteran right-hander is still expected to enter 2018 as the team's closer. Assuming he's healthy, Melancon will be a popular rebound candidate for next season.

During his session with assembled media at the Winter Meetings on Monday morning, Brewers manager Craig Counsell said it's too early to project a return date for Nelson (shoulder) as he's approximately 10 weeks removed from surgery.

Counsell suggested spring training as a more realistic point for the Brewers to have a timetable for Nelson's expected return date, though he told reporters that he spoke to Nelson last week, and that the right-hander is encouraged by his recovery to this point. Even with the progress Nelson has made to this point, the Brewers are expected to bolster their rotation over the course of the offseason, as Nelson will miss a "meaningful" portion of the 2018 season.