MLB Player News

Duffy joined the Cubs on a minor-league deal Monday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Duffy will make $1 million plus incentives if he cracks the big-league roster. The veteran infielder owns a respectable .282/.338/.380 career slash line, good for a technically above-average 101 wRC+. He's been good enough for at least a bench role for most of his career, though he couldn't crack the Yankees' active roster at any point last season and hit a modest .252/.343/.327 for the Rays in 2019.

Kieboom is the favorite to be the Nationals' starting third baseman, though he'll have to earn his opportunities, according to manager Dave Martinez, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Kieboom came with plenty of promise as a prospect and is still just 23 years old, but he's yet to come close to delivering on that promise so far. In 44 games over the past two seasons, he's hitting just .181/.309/.232, a line that wouldn't play anywhere and certainly not at an important offensive position like third base. The Nationals hope his talent will finally shine through this time around, but they presumably want to get back to their winning ways following a poor showing in 2020 and won't have much patience with him if his struggles remain significant at the start of the upcoming season.

Asuaje signed a minor-league contract with the Dodgers on Friday, Alanna Rizzo of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

Asuaje was released by the Cubs in May and failed to land with another organization during the 2020 season. However, he'll join the Dodgers heading into 2021, and he'll serve as a non-roster invitee during spring training. The 29-year-old spent the entire 2019 season with Triple-A Reno, slashing .239/.339/.403 with five home runs and 29 RBI, and he's likely to serve as organizational depth next year.

Farmer agreed to a one-year deal with the Reds on Wednesday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

He was non-tendered by the Reds and then just minutes later it was announced that the two sides had already agreed on a new deal. Farmer doesn't do much damage at the plate, but he can play almost every position on the field, and it's that defensive versatility that appealed to the Reds.

Maton was added to the Phillies' 40-man roster Friday, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

Maton continued his development at the Phillies' alternate training site in 2020, and he'll now be protected from the Rule 5 draft as part of the 40-man roster. The 23-year-old advanced to Double-A Reading late in 2019, but he struggled a bit, hitting .210 with two home runs and 14 strikeouts over 62 at-bats.

Castro's contract was selected by the Pirates on Friday.

Castro is best known for posting some pretty elite exit velocity readings in the lower levels by middle infielder standards. He hit 14 home runs in 61 games at Low-A in 2019 as a 20-year-old, which is quite the feat, but he fell flat after a promotion to High-A. Castro will likely open the year at High-A or Double-A and could reach the majors in 2022.

Vosler signed a major-league deal with the Giants on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old spent the shortened season at the Padres' alternate training site and had a .291/.367/.523 slash line with 20 home runs and 63 RBI in 116 games at Triple-A in 2019. Vosler has yet to make his major-league debut, but he's now on the 40-man roster and would seem to stand a strong chance of cracking San Francisco's Opening Day roster next year.

Muncy went 2-for-3 with a walk and a solo homer in Sunday's World Series Game 5 win over the Rays.

Muncy's fifth-inning solo shot off Tyler Glasnow provided an insurance run that ultimately proved unnecessary, as no more runs would be scored the rest of the way. He's now homered three times in the postseason to go along with a .268/.461/.500 slash line, a huge step up from his .192/.331/.389 line during the regular season. A jump in BABIP from .203 in the regular season to .364 in the playoffs accounts for much of that difference.

Muncy went 2-for-4 with two walks, two runs scored and a grand slam in Wednesday's NLCS Game 3 win over the Braves.

Muncy's grand slam off lefty Grant Dayton capped off the Dodgers' 11-run first inning. He later doubled and came around to score the team's 15th run just two innings later. It was a very encouraging performance for the slugger, who slumped to a .192/.331/.389 line during the regular season.

Riley went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Monday's NLCS Game 1 win against the Dodgers.

Riley's homer, a solo shot off Blake Treinen in the top of the ninth inning, broke a 1-1 deadlock and proved to be all the Braves would need in a game they'd eventually win 5-1. The game-winning blast makes up for the fact that the 23-year-old is hitting a modest .238 with a 41.7 percent strikeout rate through six playoff games this season.