MLB Player News

The Yankees claimed Fernandez off waivers from the Rockies on Wednesday.

After the Rockies designated him for assignment last week, Rodriguez was quickly able to find his way to a new organization. Rodriguez reached the majors for the first time in 2025 and slashed just .225/.265/.348 with a 29.9 percent strikeout rate over 147 plate appearances, but he's just 23 years old and brings plus raw power from the left side of the plate. Barring multiple injuries to other outfielders coming out of spring training, the Yankees likely won't have room for Rodriguez on their Opening Day roster, but his power upside makes him an intriguing flier for New York at the back end of the 40-man roster.

Taylor has a goal of reaching 100 innings in 2026, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

The White Sox will deploy Taylor as a reliever this season before transitioning him back to a starting role in 2027. He threw a total of 63.1 innings in 2025 between the majors and minors, which was a career high after he dealt with numerous injuries in previous seasons. Many of Taylor's appearances in 2026 could come in long relief since that's the best way to build his workload, but the White Sox haven't ruled out giving him some high-leverage opportunities, as well. It's a role that might not lead to much fantasy value during the upcoming season, but Taylor's upside remains high.

The Tigers have extended McGonigle an invitation to big-league camp during spring training.

Fellow top prospects Max Clark, Max Anderson and Jose Briceno, among others, will also be in major-league camp. Arguably the top prospect in all of baseball, McGonigle is an extremely advanced hitter at just 21 years of age, having slashed .305/.408/.583 with 19 home runs, 10 stolen bases and a 59:46 BB:K across 88 games covering three levels in 2025. He can handle shortstop, second base and third base, and it's at shortstop where the left-handed batter has the clearest opening for playing time with the big club. The Tigers might not be ready to carry McGonigle on their Opening Day roster, but he should make an impact at some point during the 2026 season.

Henderson worked out at Tinsley Performance this offseason with the goal of increasing his speed, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner reports.

Henderson stole 30 bases in 2025 and ranked in the 79th percentile in sprint speed, but he believes he had room for improvement. Specifically, the 24-year-old has been working on his first few steps, staying more horizontal rather than getting too vertical too soon. Henderson had a disappointing 2025 season at the plate while playing through a shoulder impingement for much of the year, but he's fully healthy now and is a good bet to have a bounce-back showing in 2026.

Drury signed a minor-league contract Wednesday with the Royals that includes an invitation to big-league spring training.

With parts of 10 seasons of big-league experience on his resume, Drury will be one of the more accomplished non-roster invitees in Royals camp. However, the 33-year-old infielder didn't appear in the majors at any point in 2025, and he struggled to a .214/.338/.323 slash line over 53 games across three minor-league stops in the White Sox and Angels organizations. With that in mind, Drury is likely to face an uphill battle to win a spot on the Royals' Opening Day roster.

Walls (sports hernia) appears to be in position to begin the season as Tampa Bay's top shortstop, per Adam Berry of MLB.com.

With spring training on the horizon, Walls is set to compete primarily with top prospect Carson Williams for everyday reps at shortstop. Walls is coming off sports hernia surgery, which ended his 2025 campaign in August, so he'll need to prove he's healthy during Grapefruit League play as well. Even in a potential full-time role, the switch-hitting infielder could struggle for fantasy relevance after slashing just .220/.280/.319 with four home runs, 38 RBI, 36 runs scored and 14 stolen bases across 317 regular-season plate appearances (101 games) last year.

Diaz will make $4.5 million in 2026 after winning his arbitration hearing with the Astros on Tuesday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

Diaz slashed .256/.284/.417 in 2025 while tallying 20 homers, 70 RBI and 56 runs scored across 567 plate appearances. His success ultimately led to the arbitration panel choosing his $4.5 million figure over the $3 million that the Astros submitted. The 27-year-old backstop is expected to continue playing nearly every day in 2026 and has two years of arbitration eligibility remaining.

The Yankees outrighted Luciano to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday.

After bouncing around via waivers for the past two months, Luciano cleared this time and will remain in the Yankees organization. The 24-year-old has managed just a .217/.286/.304 batting line over 41 games in the majors.

Bradish will be paid $3.55 million in 2026 after winning his arbitration hearing with the Orioles, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

The arbitration panel chose Bradish's $3.55 million figure rather than the $2.875 million submitted by the Orioles. Bradish returned from Tommy John surgery late last season and looked sharp, producing a 2.53 ERA and 47:10 K:BB over 32 innings covering six starts. The righty should be able to handle a relatively normal workload for Baltimore in 2026.

The Twins claimed Kowar off waivers from the Mariners on Tuesday.

The right-hander was designated for assignment by the Mariners last week after they acquired Jhonny Pereda from the Twins, so this ended up being somewhat of a trade. Before landing on the injured list with a shoulder impingement in August, Kowar posted a 4.24 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 15:7 K:BB across 17 innings out of the bullpen for Seattle.