MLB Player News

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Judge's right elbow is "doing really well" as the outfielder ramps up his throwing ahead of the World Baseball Classic, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Judge spent time on the injured list and was limited to serving as a designated hitter for a while during the second half of last season due to a flexor strain. He returned to the outfield in September and surgery was deemed unnecessary. At this point, there does not seem to be any worry from the Yankees or Judge that the reigning AL MVP's elbow issue will linger into 2026.

The Angels designated Meckler for assignment Wednesday.

The Angels needed to free up a spot on their 40-man roster for the addition of waiver claim Kaleb Ort (elbow). Meckler was a waiver claim himself earlier this month and will now go through the waiver process again. He slashed .287/.390/.370 at Triple-A Sacramento in the Giants organization in 2025 but swatted only one home run over 87 contests.

The Angels claimed Ort (elbow) off waivers from the Yankees on Wednesday.

After posting a 2.55 ERA and 26:4 K:BB over 24.2 regular-season innings in 2024, Ort regressed to a 4.89 ERA and 49:27 K:BB over 46 innings with the Astros in 2025. He also missed the final month of this past season with elbow inflammation, and it's unclear whether he'll be full-go for the start of spring training. Ort is out of minor-league options.

The Yankees designated Siani for assignment Wednesday.

The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of Angel Chivilli, who was acquired via trade Wednesday. Siani was just claimed off waivers by the Yankees last week, the third time this offseason he's been scooped up via waivers. The 26-year-old outfielder will be available again for other teams to claim.

The Yankees acquired Chivilli from the Rockies on Wednesday in exchange for T.J. Rumfield, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

Chivilli has managed just a 6.18 ERA and 71:33 K:BB over 90.1 innings covering two major-league seasons. However, the 23-year-old ranked in the 88th percentile in fastball velocity, the 84th percentile in groundball rate and had whiff rates exceeding 40 percent with both his changeup and slider. There could be some untapped potential for Chivilli as he gets out of Colorado and into the Yankees' pitching development.

Carter said last week that one of his goals this season is to steal 30 bases, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Carter is 19-for-21 on stolen-base attempts in 131 career games, and he ranked in the 90th percentile in sprint speed in 2025. The outfielder believes new first-base coach Travis Jankowski -- who stole 104 bases in his career -- will be able to help him get the most out of his speed on the bases. Injuries have been Carter's biggest downfall, as he's played only 108 games with the big club over the last two seasons. However, he's fully recovered from the fractured wrist that ended his 2025 season and said that "I actually feel really good right now" after merely "kind of telling myself that I feel good in the past." Carter remains a major injury risk in 2026 -- particularly since his back issues have been chronic -- and the left-handed hitter is unlikely to play much versus southpaws. There's still some breakout potential with the 23-year-old, though, and he only costs a late-round flier in fantasy leagues.

The Mariners designated Kowar (shoulder) for assignment Tuesday.

The 29-year-old righty will give up his place on Seattle's 40-man roster for Jhonny Pereda, who was acquired from the Twins on Tuesday. Kowar made 15 regular-season appearances for the Mariners in 2025 and finished the year with a 4.24 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 17 frames before a right shoulder impingement ended his season in mid-August.

The Twins traded Pereda to the Mariners on Tuesday in exchange for cash.

The Twins DFA'd Pereda on Friday after signing Victor Caratini, but the former will reclaim a 40-man roster spot now that he's been dealt to the M's. He won't take playing time away from Cal Raleigh, but Pereda could provide some quality organizational depth after slashing .308/.422/.465 across 192 Triple-A plate appearances last year.

The Yankees designated Luciano for assignment Tuesday.

Luciano has already spent time in four different organizations this offseason and could make it a fifth if he gets scooped up via waivers again. He's hit .217/.286/.304 over 41 games in the majors and .227/.351/.401 at the Triple-A level and does not have minor-league options remaining. Luciano is also a former top prospect and is still just 24, so it's possible another club takes a shot on him.

The Yankees designated Sandridge for assignment Tuesday.

Sandridge got his feet wet in the big leagues in 2025, getting knocked around in his lone appearance for the Yankees. The left-hander posted a 4.55 ERA and 47:17 K:BB over 31.2 frames last season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Sandridge's career 32.4 percent strikeout rate in the minors could pique the interest of teams on waivers, but he's also posted a bloated 17 percent walk rate on the farm.