MLB Player News

Barger was added to the Blue Jays' 40-man roster Tuesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Barger vaulted up Toronto's prospect list in 2022 and has now been protected from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. The 23-year-old began last season with High-A Vancouver and worked his way up to Triple-A Buffalo by mid-September. He went 10-for-32 with two home runs during his brief stint at Triple-A and had a .933 OPS for the season.

Martinez was added to the Blue Jays' 40-man roster Tuesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Martinez is one of Toronto's top prospects, so it's not a surprise the organization opted to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The young third baseman played in 118 games for Double-A New Hampshire last season and had a .203/.286/.446 slash line with 30 home runs, 76 RBI and six stolen bases.

Marte was added to the Reds' 40-man roster Tuesday.

Marte is considered to be one of the best prospects in the Reds' farm system, highlighted by his powerful swing as he hit 19 homers in 2022. He still has yet to play beyond the High-A level, but it seems as though it's only a matter of time before the young shortstop gets his call to the majors.

Swanson rejected Atlanta's $19.65 million qualifying offer Tuesday and will remain a free agent, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Swanson is likely to receive more in average-annual value via a multi-year deal on the open market, so it's no surprise to see him reject the qualifying offer. However, the rejection will affect the 28-year-old's market since whichever team signs him will have to forfeit a draft pick. Swanson had a .277/.329/.447 slash line with 25 home runs, 96 RBI and 18 stolen bases while playing in all 162 games last season, and he remains one of the better defensive shortstops in the game.

Perez was added to the Tigers' 40-man roster Tuesday.

Detroit added Perez to the 40-man roster in order to protect him from being selected during the upcoming Rule 5 draft. The 23-year-old split 2022 between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie, and he posted a .903 OPS with 14 home runs and 18 steals between the two levels.

Ornelas was added to the Rangers' 40-man roster Tuesday, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.

After slashing .301/.362/.425 with Double-A Frisco in 2022, Ornelas was deemed worthy of a spot on the 40-man roster for Rule 5 protection. Given a bit more time to develop in the minors, the 22-year-old infielder has a good shot at cracking the big leagues.

Hamilton was added to Boston's 40-man roster Tuesday, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Hamilton is so fast that he could be used as a pinch runner at times now that he is on the 40-man roster. The 25-year-old middle infielder was just a touch above league average as a hitter at Double-A (104 wRC+) but hit 12 home runs with 70 steals in 119 games.

Shewmake was added to Atlanta's 40-man roster Tuesday.

After selecting Shewmake in the first round of the 2019 draft, Atlanta is pretty invested in developing him into at least a utility player. The lanky shortstop hit .259/.316/.399 with seven home runs and nine steals in 76 games at Triple-A as a 24-year-old.

Wendle's $6.6 million mutual option was declined by Miami on Tuesday, but he remains with the team for his final year of arbitration eligibility, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The Marlins still retain team control over Wendle and likely expect to be able to bring him back at a lower salary. He's coming off a down season in which he hit .259/.297/.360 but should be able to continue filling a part-time role.

The Dodgers claimed Williams off of waivers from Miami on Tuesday, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Despite finding success during his limited appearances in Triple-A, where he slashed .327/.414/.469 last season, Williams struggled to carry it over into the majors. Now he joins a Dodgers organization that is filled with outfield talent, which will give him time to develop more in the minors before potentially getting a look in Los Angeles.