MLB Player News

Pena had his contract selected by the Astros on Friday.

Pena is one of Houston's top prospects, so it's hardly a surprise the organization opted to add him to the 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 draft. The 24-year-old hit .287/.346/.598 with 10 homer, 19 RBI, 22 runs and five stolen bases in 30 games at Triple-A Sugar Land last season, and he could make his major-league debut in 2022, especially if Carlos Correa signs elsewhere in free agency.

Allen was added to Oakland's 40-man roster Friday.

The move means Allen won't be available for selection in the Rule 5 draft. He still has to conquer Triple-A before pushing for a big-league roster spot, as he struggled to a .243/.302/.301 line in 39 games after a promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas late in the year, but he should make his major-league debut at some point next season if all goes well.

Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said Tuesday that Crawford will be the team's starting shortstop in 2022, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Dipoto noted that Crawford's presence would dissuade the Mariners from pursuing free-agent shortstops such as Marcus Semien, Javier Baez or Trevor Story, but any potential additions would seemingly be in line to move to another position to keep Crawford entrenched at his normal spot. Crawford has proven to be a plus defender at shortstop throughout his career, but it wasn't until 2021 that he emerged as a league-average hitter. He wrapped up the past campaign with a .257/.333/.380 slash line to go with 12 home runs, 57 RBI, 82 runs and nine stolen bases, but he could see his production suffer in the latter two categories if the Mariners bring in a more established leadoff option this offseason.

Velazquez was claimed off waivers by the Angels on Friday.

Velazquez hit .224/.235/.358 in 68 trips to the plate for the Yankees this season. He owns a career 44 wRC+ in 181 plate appearances at the major-league level, so he may face an uphill battle in spring training just to win a bench spot.

Bogaerts went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer, a double and two strikeouts in Tuesday's loss to the Astros in Game 4 of the ALCS.

Bogaerts hit a two-run homer in the top of the first inning that gave the Red Sox the lead for most of the game, but the Astros scored eight runs across the final two frames. The 29-year-old has recorded hits in each of the last three contests and has gone 5-for-15 with a homer, two doubles, two RBI, a run and seven strikeouts during that time.

Correa went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-4 win over the Red Sox in Game 1 of the ALCS.

Correa recorded his third multi-hit performance of the postseason in Friday's contest, and he gave the Astros the lead with his solo blast in the bottom of the seventh inning. Across his five playoff appearances this year, the shortstop has gone 8-for-17 with a home run, two doubles, five runs and five RBI.

Wendle is out of the lineup Monday for the Rays' Game 4 matchup with the Red Sox in the ALDS, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

The lefty-hitting Wendle will retreat to the bench with a southpaw (Eduardo Rodriguez) on the hill for Boston. With Wendle out of the lineup, Yandy Diaz will pick up a start at third base and bat sixth.

Anderson went 3-for-6 with two runs and an RBI in Sunday's 12-6 win over the Astros in Game 3 of the ALDS.

Anderson has done his part to spark the White Sox at the top of the order through the first three games of the series, going 7-for-15 while crossing home four times. Dating back to the regular season, Anderson will carry a nine-game hitting streak into Monday's Game 4.

Franco went 2-for-6 with a solo homer and two runs in Sunday's 6-4 loss to the Red Sox in Game 3 of the ALDS.

Franco sparked a rally in the top of the eighth inning with his first home run of the postseason. The 20-year-old has been effective across his first three playoff appearances, going 6-for-15 with a homer, two doubles, four runs and two RBI.

Bogaerts went 3-for-5 with a homer, two runs, two RBI and a strikeout in Friday's 14-6 win over the Rays in Game 2 of the ALDS.

Bogaerts has recorded hits in each of his first three postseason appearances in 2021, and he was one of five players to have a multi-hit performance to propel the Red Sox to the Game 2 win. Since the start of the playoffs, the shortstop has gone 6-for-11 with two homers, four runs, two RBI and two walks.