MLB Player News

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.

The Dodgers designated Ibanez for assignment Tuesday.

The 32-year-old inked a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the Dodgers in early January, but his stay on the big-league roster didn't even last a month. Ibanez posted a .653 OPS in 91 regular-season games for Detroit last season, but his career .280/.327/.452 slash line versus lefties could garner some interest on the waiver wire.

The Dodgers claimed Siani off waivers from the Yankees on Tuesday.

Siani went from the Dodgers to the Yankees via waivers in January and is now headed back in the other direction. The slick-fielding center fielder is a career .221/.277/.270 hitter at the big-league level and will likely begin the season at Triple-A Oklahoma City if he's still in the Dodgers organization at that point.

The Brewers signed Adams to a minor-league contract Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Adams went hitless in five plate appearances for the Orioles and slashed only .213/.291/.379 at Triple-A Norfolk in 2025. The 26-year-old is a tremendous athlete but has been unable to find a foothold in the majors. Adams is likely ticketed for Triple-A Nashville to begin the upcoming season.

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.

Santana agreed to a one-year, $2 million contract with the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports.

The 39-year-old split the 2025 campaign between the Cubs and Guardians, finishing the regular season with 11 home runs, seven steals and a .219/.308/.325 slash line in 124 games. Santana was cut loose by Cleveland in late August before being picked up by Chicago, but he played just eight games with the Cubs before he accepted being optioned to the Arizona Complex League in late September. The veteran first baseman should fill the small side of a platoon with Pavin Smith in Arizona, with Santana's ability as a switch hitter providing a path to more at-bats than a traditional platoon player.

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.