MLB Player News
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Marco Luciano SS | SF
Pirates' Marco Luciano: Claimed off waivers by Pirates
The Pirates claimed Luciano off waivers from the Giants on Friday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Luciano was one of the top prospects in baseball a few years ago, but he has not progressed as hoped, slashing just .217/.286/.304 over 41 games in the majors and .227/.351/.401 at the Triple-A level. He's still just 24, though, so the Pirates felt he was worth a roll of the dice. Luciano -- who does not have minor-league options remaining -- has primarily been a shortstop but shifted to left field at Triple-A Sacramento in 2025. It's unclear at this point what position the Pirates have planned for him.
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Casey Schmitt SS | SF
Giants' Casey Schmitt: Recovering from wrist surgery
Schmitt underwent surgery on his left wrist Tuesday and was given a rehab timeline of 8-to-10 weeks, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
The 26-year-old could be limited for the start of spring training in February but should have plenty of time to get back to full health before Opening Day. Schmitt played in 95 games for the Giants last season and clubbed 12 home runs with a .237/.305/.401 slash line in 348 plate appearances. He should be in the mix to start at second base to begin 2026 but is likely better suited for more of a utility role.
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Vidal Brujan 2B | ATL
Braves' Vidal Brujan: Re-signs to split contract
Brujan (hip) signed a one-year split contract with Atlanta on Thursday.
The split contract is a minor-league deal that will allow Brujan to get a higher salary whenever he's on the major-league roster. The utility man had been a non-tender candidate prior to agreeing to the contract Thursday. Brujan ended the 2025 campaign dealing with a hip injury, but it isn't expected to linger into spring training.
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Elly De La Cruz SS | CIN
Reds' Elly De La Cruz: Played with second-half quad strain
Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall revealed this week that De La Cruz played through a left quad strain from late July through the end of the season, Mark Sheldon and Manny Randhawa of MLB.com report.
It's not clear when exactly De La Cruz was first hurt, and Krall indicated the injury wasn't overly serious. However, after slashing .284/.359/.495 with 18 home runs and 25 stolen bases in the first half, De La Cruz hit only .236/.303/.363 with four homers and 12 steals in the second half, so it's reasonable to think the injury affected him to some degree. De La Cruz is expected to be fully healthy at the beginning of spring training.
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Liover Peguero SS | PIT
Phillies' Liover Peguero: Inks minors deal with Phillies
The Phillies signed Peguero to a minor-league contract Tuesday, Aram Leighton of JustBaseball.com reports.
Peguero never got settled in during his four seasons with the Pirates, slashing just .227/.278/.368 over 315 plate appearances. He'll turn just 25 next month and can play all over the infield, so Peguero could be useful organizational depth for Philadelphia.
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Jose Fernandez SS | ARI
Diamondbacks' Jose Fernandez: Nabs 40-man spot
The Diamondbacks selected Fernandez's contract from Double-A Amarillo on Tuesday.
Fernandez enjoyed his best minor-league season yet while spending all of 2025 at Double-A, slashing .272/.321/.454 with 17 home runs, 81 RBI, 68 runs scored and 12 stolen bases across 510 plate appearances. His breakout season has earned him protection from the Rule 5 Draft in December and may also allow him to be promoted to Triple-A in 2026.
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Edwin Arroyo SS | CIN
Reds' Edwin Arroyo: Added to 40-man roster
The Reds selected Arroyo's contract from Double-A Chattanooga on Tuesday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
Arroyo slashed .284/.345/.371 with three home runs and 12 stolen bases over 120 games with Chattanooga in 2025 after missing the 2024 campaign due to shoulder labrum surgery. The 22-year-old is now on the 40-man roster and could move up to Triple-A Louisville to begin the 2026 season.
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Konnor Griffin SS | PIT
Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Could compete for shortstop job
The Pirates are "strongly considering" giving Griffin the opportunity to win their starting shortstop job, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
The No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, Griffin slashed .333/.415/.527 with 21 home runs and 65 stolen bases across three levels in 2025 in his first professional season, finishing the year at Double-A Altoona. Griffin will not turn 20 until late April, and the last teenage position player to debut in the big leagues was Juan Soto in 2018. The Pirates have a clear opening at shortstop, though, and the organization is sending signals that it wants to surround ace Paul Skenes with more talent. Griffin's stock in redraft leagues will soar if it looks like the Pirates will indeed give him a real chance to crack the Opening Day roster.
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Jackson Cluff SS | WAS
Mets' Jackson Cluff: Nets NRI pact from Mets
The Mets signed Cluff to a minor-league contract Friday with an invitation to spring training.
Cluff spent the 2025 season at Triple-A Rochester in the Nationals organization, collecting a .242/.349/.422 batting line with 12 home runs and 23 stolen bases. He'll turn 29 next month and is likely to open the 2026 season in a utility role at Triple-A Syracuse.
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Eddys Leonard SS | DET
Brewers' Eddys Leonard: Nabs MiLB deal with Brewers
The Brewers signed Leonard to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training Wednesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
Leonard spent the 2025 season at Triple-A Gwinnett in the Atlanta organization, slashing .239/.304/.435 with 20 homers and 11 steals. The 25-year-old infielder has yet to play in the majors and will likely begin the 2026 campaign at Triple-A Nashville.