Judge was named the American League's Most Valuable Player by the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Thursday.

He narrowly beat out Cal Raleigh to win the third MVP award of his career. Judge hit a career-best .331 across 679 plate appearances during the 2025 regular season while also topping 50 home runs for the third time in his last four campaigns. The 33-year-old played through an elbow injury during the second half of the season but won't require offseason surgery and should be fully healthy for spring training.

The Rays outrighted Van Belle (elbow) to Triple-A Durham on Thursday.

Van Belle was diagnosed with a UCL sprain in September, and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports that the righty had surgery and will miss all of the 2026 season. It's unclear what specific procedure he had, but if it was Tommy John, it would be the second of his career. Van Belle will remain in the organization while he rehabs.

The Red Sox outrighted Guerrero to Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Guerrero had been designated for assignment last week, and he will remain in the organization after somewhat surprisingly clearing waivers. The hard-throwing reliever has posted a 2.63 ERA but a problematic 19:16 K:BB across 27.1 frames covering parts of two major-league seasons.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Wednesday that Smith could begin next season at Triple-A Sugar Land "if he hasn't turned the corner," Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Brown remains high on Smith's potential, saying he "could be a star one day," but added that "we're going to need him to be more consistent." Smith forced his way onto the Astros' Opening Day roster with a huge showing in spring training, but he went on to slash just .236/.312/.358 with nine home runs and a 27.8 percent strikeout rate across 134 contests. The rookie started only six of the Astros' final 20 games, including just two of their final 16 tilts versus right-handed pitching. Smith did play a surprisingly solid right field, a position he had never manned before. Slated to turn 23 in February, Smith should enter spring training with a chance to win a starting job, but some seasoning in the minors might not be the worst thing for him and the Astros. The 2024 first-round pick has logged just 32 games and 134 plate appearances at the minor-league level.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday that he has yet to discuss a contract extension with Chisholm and his representation, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Cashman did note he is open to having "a legitimate conversation about value" with Chisholm, who is currently slated to reach free agency following the 2026 season. Chisholm, who turns 28 in February, has said previously that he wants to remain with the Yankees over the long haul. The second baseman put up the fourth 30-30 season in franchise history in 2025, slashing .242/.332/.481 across 130 regular-season contests.

General manager Chris Getz said Wednesday that Taylor will likely work as a multi-inning reliever in 2026, Kyle Williams of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Taylor posted a 4.91 ERA and 1.42 WHIP across 36.2 innings with the White Sox in 2025, although just five of his 36 big-league appearances lasted longer than one inning. It's possible Taylor's new role may be the next step in a plan to introduce him to the rotation down the line, but for now, the 23-year-old holds minimal fantasy value since he's out of the rotation and unlikely to receive late-inning work.

Skubal was named the winner of the 2025 American League Cy Young Award on Wednesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The 28-year-old lefty didn't receive all 30 first-place votes like he did in 2024, with four votes going to Garrett Crochet, but Skubal will still take home the award for a second consecutive season. He set career bests in ERA (2.21), WHIP (0.89), strikeouts (241) and innings (195.1) while making 31 starts for a second straight regular season.

General manager Dana Brown said Wednesday that Alvarez (ankle) has begun jogging at roughly 70 percent intensity, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Alvarez suffered a severe left ankle sprain during the final weeks of the regular season. Brown's comments indicate that the 28-year-old is coming along nicely in his recovery, and the GM added that he expects Alvarez to be ready to go by the start of spring training. The righty-hitting slugger also missed significant time in 2025 due to a fracture in his right hand and finished the season with just a .797 OPS across 199 plate appearances.

General manager Dana Brown said Wednesday that Hader (shoulder) has thrown off a mound three times, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Hader's season ended in mid-August after he suffered a left shoulder strain, but he appears to be progressing well in his rehab program. The Astros have yet to establish a return timeline for the lefty closer, however, so his availability for the start of spring training remains unknown.

The Tigers claimed Darnell (hip) off waivers from the Pirates on Wednesday.

Darnell spent most of the 2025 season at Triple-A Albuquerque in the Rockies organization, holding a 3.19 ERA and 63:19 K:BB over 53.2 innings. He had surgery in September to repair a torn labrum in his left hip, but the Tigers appear confident in his ability to make a full recovery.