MLB Player News

Jackson agreed to a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays on Wednesday, which includes an invite to major-league spring training, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Jackson spent the 2022 campaign with Atlanta but appeared in just two big-league contests. He pitched well at the Triple-A level with a 2.29 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 25:4 K:BB across 19.2 innings after he sat out first couple months of the season with a lat strain.

Bukauskas was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Bukauskas sustained a shoulder injury in March of 2022 that forced him to miss the start of last season, and he didn't make any major-league appearances for Arizona. He posted a 2.79 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 19.1 innings over 20 relief appearances at Triple-A Reno in 2022, and he'll lose his spot on the Diamondbacks' 40-man roster after the team re-signed Zach Davies on Wednesday.

Fujinami agreed Wednesday with the Athletics on a one-year contract, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

According to Passan, the 28-year-old right-hander is expected to slot into the Oakland rotation while he makes the jump to MLB after spending the past 10 seasons in his native Japan with Nippon Professional Baseball's Hanshin Tigers. Fujinami stands at imposing 6-foot-6 and sports an upper-90s fastball that can touch the triple digits, but he didn't dominate against NPB competition to the extent his skill set might suggest. While moving between the rotation and bullpen in 2022 for Hanshin, he turned in a 3.38 ERA and struck out 23.6 percent of the batters he faced. He was able to trim his walk rate to a palatable 7.5 percent after often struggling with his control in his prior seasons with Japan, but the move to MLB could make it difficult to maintain that improvement while he faces higher-caliber hitters.

Kelley elected free agency Wednesday after clearing outright waivers, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Kelley will move on from Milwaukee after he was booted off the 40-man roster last week to make room for right-hander Bryse Wilson, whom the Brewers acquired in a trade with the Pirates. Over his 18 relief appearances with Milwaukee in 2022, Kelley struck out 23 over 23.2 innings, but he gave up a whopping seven home runs and walked 8.4 percent of the batters he faced.

The Tigers claimed Uceta off waivers from the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Detroit will likely give Uceta the chance to compete for a spot in its Opening Day bullpen during spring training, provided he's not moved off the 40-man roster before then and scooped up by another organization. Between stops with the Dodgers and Diamondbacks, the 25-year-old right-hander has submitted a 6.27 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 11.5 K-BB% across 37.1 career innings in the majors.

Nittoli was released by Philadelphia on Tuesday.

After the club designated him for assignment Wednesday, the 32-year-old reliever will now attempt to latch on with a new team. Nittoli spent most of his time in Triple-A last season, posting a 3.81 ERA and 1.04 WHIP between three different organizations, though he was able to throw two scoreless frames for the Phillies late in the season. His solid performance should warrant him a minor-league deal from a team in need of bullpen depth.

Merryweather was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on Tuesday.

Merryweather has flashed plenty of upside at times out of the Blue Jays' bullpen, but he's ultimately had trouble with health and consistency with a career 5.64 ERA over parts of three seasons. The 31-year-old doesn't have any options left, which could affect his appeal on waivers.

Machado was designated for assignment by the Nationals on Tuesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Machado recorded a 3.34 ERA in 59.1 innings last season, but the Nationals seemingly don't believe he'll repeat that figure. Both his 17.6 percent strikeout rate and 10.0 percent walk rate were poor, and his 4.51 FIP suggests he overachieved by more than a run. He posted similar numbers in 2021, managing a 3.53 ERA in 35.2 frames despite a 4.63 FIP, so it's possible another team will buy into him as a pitcher who can reliably outperform his peripherals, but it's unlikely he earns anything more than a lower-leverage role.

Ortega was designated for assignment by the Twins on Tuesday.

The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for A.J. Alexy, who was acquired via trade. Ortega was just picked up off waivers a few days ago and now could be on the move again. He holds a 3.95 ERA over 35 relief appearances in the majors covering the last two seasons.

Alexy was acquired by the Twins from the Nationals on Tuesday in exchange for Cristian Jimenez.

Alexy has bounced around from the Rangers to the Nationals and now to the Twins over the last month. The right-hander struggled both at the minor- and major-league level in 2022, but he's just 24 and has some bat-missing ability. Alexy also has an option remaining, which surely appealed to the Twins.