MLB Player News

Giants general manager Zack Minasian said Monday of Rodriguez's (elbow) showing in the Arizona Fall League that he was "really encouraged by how he looked," Justice delos Santos of The Mercury News reports.

Rodriguez's three appearances in the AFL were his first since he underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2025. The results weren't great -- he allowed three runs with a 3:3 K:BB over two innings -- but Rodriguez touched 98 mph with his four-seamer and also showed off a new changeup. The 27-year-old reliever had a dominant 2025 season for San Francisco, posting a 1.78 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 67:11 K:BB over 50.2 frames. Rodriguez could be back in the closer mix for the Giants in 2027.

White Sox GM Chris Getz announced on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM on Tuesday that Smith will remain in the bullpen for 2027.

The 23-year-old was one of Chicago's top relievers as a rookie in 2026, posting a 1.29 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 41:16 K:BB across 28 regular-season innings. Grant Taylor is being shifted to the rotation after recording 10 saves, so Smith could have a chance to compete for the closer job if the White Sox don't make any significant additions to the back end of their bullpen this offseason. Similar to Taylor and Garrett Crochet previously, Smith could move back into the rotation down the line.

White Sox general manager Chris Getz said Tuesday on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that Taylor will move into the rotation next season.

All 96 regular-season appearances for Taylor to this point in the majors have been either as a reliever or opener, but he's been a starting pitcher in the past and the White Sox are ready to reintroduce him to the role. Taylor logged a 2.25 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 106:30 K:BB over 84 regular-season frames in 2026, notching 10 saves along the way. He threw a total of 92.2 innings between the regular and postseason, so Taylor will have workload limitations in place in 2027, though it's unclear at this point what exactly that will look like.

Brown has yet to be cleared to resume throwing, and surgery to repair his neck injury has not been ruled out, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Brown was shelved for the final three-plus months of the 2026 season due to a stress reaction in his neck, which is an injury that also forced him to miss substantial action in 2024. The Cubs and Brown are still determining the best course of action to treat the chronic injury, and it has the right-hander's status for 2027 unclear. Brown was terrific this season when on the mound, logging a 1.85 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 65:19 K:BB over 68 frames covering eight starts and 12 relief outings.

The Red Sox released Kelly (elbow) on Friday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

The right-hander was designated for assignment by Boston on Monday and will hit the open market after passing through waivers unclaimed. Kelly had a 3.31 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 14:7 K:BB across 16.1 innings this year for the Red Sox but spent the final three months of the season on the IL due to elbow inflammation.

Estrada signed a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays on Saturday and was invited to spring training, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

Estrada gave up eight earned runs across 13 big-league innings with the Blue Jays this year but posted a 3.25 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over 36 innings at Triple-A Buffalo -- good enough for the Jays to keep him in the organization for another year. The 27-year-old will compete for a spot in Toronto's bullpen during the spring but is likely to spend most of his time at Buffalo.

The Red Sox outrighted Kelly (elbow) to Triple-A Worcester on Friday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Kelly has the ability to elect free agency, and he's expected to do so in the coming days, per Cotillo. The right-handed reliever has spent parts of the last five seasons with the Red Sox, authoring a 4.04 ERA and 127:58 K:BB across 131.1 frames. Kelly ended the 2026 season on the 60-day injured list with right elbow inflammation.

The Tigers outrighted Diaz to Triple-A Toledo on Friday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Diaz was scrubbed from the Tigers' 40-man roster earlier this week, but he's cleared waivers and will remain in the organization. The right-handed hurler has made four starts and nine relief appearances at the big-league level, collecting a 6.27 ERA and 26:20 K:BB across 37.1 frames.

The Nationals designated Nicolas for assignment Friday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

The club needed to free up a spot on its 40-man roster for the addition of Reiver Sanmartin, who was acquired via trade Friday. Nicolas is a hard thrower with a fastball velocity in the 85th percentile in 2026, but he's bounced around over the past year, spending time in four different organizations.

The Nationals acquired Sanmartin from the Giants on Friday in exchange for Robert Cranz, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.

Sanmartin was removed from the Giants' 40-man roster earlier this week, and now he's headed to a new organization. The 30-year-old holds a career 5.37 ERA, 18.8 percent strikeout rate and 10.3 percent walk rate over parts of five major-league seasons, but he has induced grounders at a 55.1 percent clip over that span.