MLB Player News

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski indicated Tuesday that Crawford has a strong chance to open the season in the majors, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

The Phillies lost Max Kepler and Harrison Bader to free agency and are expected to trade or release Nick Castellanos, which would leave Brandon Marsh as the team's only returning outfielder. Even if they sign an outfielder in free agency, that would still leave a spot open for Crawford. The 21-year-old makes good contact, striking out 18.0 percent of the time in 112 Triple-A games last season en route to a .334 batting average, and he's stolen 40-plus bags for three straight years. He pounds the ball into the ground, however, and has topped out at nine home runs in a season.

President of baseball operations David Stearns said Tuesday that Benge will have an opportunity to make the Mets' Opening Day roster during spring training, Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.

Benge began 2025 at High-A Brooklyn but made it to Triple-A Syracuse by the end of the season, slashing .282/.389/.467 with 14 homers, 69 RBI, 85 runs scored and 24 steals between three affiliates. However, his progress noticeably stalled at Syracuse, where he posted just a .583 OPS over 103 Triple-A plate appearances. Although the 22-year-old's rapid ascent through New York's farm system will give him a chance to win the center field job in Queens, the club may want to see Benge perform better at Triple-A before calling him up to the bigs.

Atlanta claimed Siani off waivers from the Cardinals on Thursday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Siani, who turns 27 in July, appeared in just 19 games for the Cardinals in 2025 after logging 334 plate appearances for the team in 2024. The defense-first outfielder will head to Atlanta with hopes of securing a larger role. Siani slashed .209/.307/.329 with eight home runs and 28 stolen bases for the Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate last season.

The Cardinals selected Torees' contract Thursday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The move ensures Torres won't become a minor-league free agent. The outfielder, who turns 29 in July, hasn't made his MLB debut yet. He slashed .326/.441/.456 with nine homers and 28 stolen bases in 2025 for Triple-A Memphis.

The Giants claimed Dean off waivers from the Dodgers on Thursday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Dean logged two plate appearances in 18 big-league games during the 2025 regular season before serving as a defensive specialist for Los Angeles' World Series run. The outfielder spent most of the season at Triple-A Oklahoma City and slashed .289/.378/431 with six homers and 27 stolen bases over 347 plate appearances

The Mets claimed Bae off waivers from the Pirates on Thursday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Bae was placed on waivers earlier this week, and he'll have a new home ahead of the 2026 season. The outfielder appeared in 13 games for Pittsburgh during 2025, going 1-for-20 with nine Ks. He slashed .292/.380/.424 with a homer and four stolen bases in 305 plate appearances at Triple-A Indianapolis.

The Dodgers selected Ward's contract from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ward spent the entire 2025 campaign at Oklahoma City, where he slashed .292/.382/.558 with 36 homers, 122 RBI, 113 runs scored and 16 stolen bases over 143 games. The 27-year-old outfielder will now receive a spot on the 40-man as a reward for his impressive performance, though he may have to wait a bit longer for his chance to play regularly on a talent-laden Dodgers squad.

Atlanta outrighted Rodriguez to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.

Rodriguez spent the entirety of the 2025 season on Atlanta's 40-man roster, but he never made it to the big leagues, hitting .247/.317/.323 with eight homers and 17 steals in 128 games during his time with Gwinnett. The 24-year-old will remain in the organization as outfield depth.

The Padres exercised Laureano's (finger) $6.5 million club option for 2026 on Thursday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Laureano had a big 2025 season between the Orioles and Padres, slashing .281/.342/.512 with 24 home runs and seven stolen bases across 132 regular-season contests. The 31-year-old's season ended in late September when he suffered a fractured right index finger, but he'll be healed in time for spring training. Laureano is set to open the 2026 campaign as the Padres' everyday left fielder.

The Pirates placed Bae on waivers Tuesday, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.

Bae spent nearly all of 2025 at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he slashed .292/.380/.424 with 21 RBI, 55 runs scored and 23 steals over 67 games. Any club interested in adding the 26-year-old to its 40-man roster will now have the opportunity to do so; otherwise, Bae will most likely report to Indianapolis to begin the 2026 campaign.