MLB Player News

Riley will be vying for the everyday third-base job in spring training, Grant McAuley of 680 The Fan reports.

General manager Alex Anthopoulos addressed the media after the Marcell Ozuna signing became official and said that he's received promising reports on Riley this winter in regard to Riley making corrections with his swing. That is good to hear as Riley fell apart after a hot start and was ultimately left off the NLDS roster. Johan Camargo is Riley's top competition for a starting job with Josh Donaldson now in Minnesota. Both can move around but Camargo can play the middle-infield positions (which Riley cannot) and would probably be the better fit on the bench.

Madrigal will join the White Sox's big-league camp this spring, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Madrigal has experienced success at every minor league level the past two seasons, finishing his sophomore campaign by hitting .331/.398/.424 with 12 RBI in 118 at-bats for Triple-A Charlotte. The 22-year-old prospect will spend a few weeks with the big-league coaching staff before likely returning to the minors prior to making his major-league debut at some point.

Donaldson signed a four-year contract with the Twins on Tuesday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN.com, the deal is worth $92 million guaranteed and includes a fifth-year option that would push the value over $100 million, placing the 2015 American League MVP into a Twins lineup that already led the league in home runs last season. Donaldson had an impressive year himself in 2019 with the Braves, posting a .259/.379/.521 slash line with 37 home runs and 94 RBI in 155 games. Miguel Sano started 90 games at third base last season and just signed a three-year, $30 million extension with Minnesota last week, but he figures to be shifted to first base while Donaldson takes over at the hot corner.

Maton was invited to the Phillies' major-league spring training Monday.

Maton had an effective year with High-A Clearwater in 2019 with a .276/.358/.380 slash line and five home runs, and that performance earned him a promotion to the Double-A level. He experienced some growing pains with Double-A Reading, hitting just .210/.306/.355 with two home runs over 21 games. The 22-year-old will get to work with the big-league coaching staff during the spring, but he'll likely require some more time in the minors before making his major-league debut due to his lack of experience against higher-end competition.

Rivera signed with the Rangers as a non-roster invitee Friday.

Rivera hit a poor .183/.258/.217 in 34 games for the Marlins last season. That translates to a 33 wRC+, though that's actually stronger than his career 28 wRC+ over parts of five seasons.

Urshela agreed to a one-year, $2.475 million deal with the Yankees on Friday, avoiding arbitration, freelance baseball writer Robert Murray reports.

His breakout 2019 season came at a good time, just before his first offseason as an arbitration-eligible player. He will go through the process three more times before hitting the open market after the 2023 season.

Robinson (elbow) received an invitation to major-league spring training Monday, Amy Gutierrez of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Robinson inked a minor-league deal with the Giants in mid-October, and he'll have the opportunity to begin the spring with the big-league club. He appeared in just five major-league contests a season ago with the Cardinals, going 1-for-7 with three strikeouts. Despite undergoing partial Tommy John surgery in August, it appears as though Robinson will be ready to go for camp.

Asuaje signed a minor-league contract with Chicago on Monday, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Asuaje spent the 2019 season in Arizona's farm system, slashing .239/.339/.403 with five home runs and 29 RBI for Triple-A Reno. He hasn't made an appearance in the big leagues since the 2018 campaign while with San Diego, though he'll have a chance to crack the 25-man roster for the Cubs to begin the year with a strong spring.

Asche signed a minor-league contract with the Twins on Thursday.

Asche has not appeared in the majors since 2017, when he played in 19 games with the White Sox. The 29-year-old struggled in limited action at the Double-A level last season, recording a .655 OPS with one home run and 28 strikeouts over 23 games. Given Asche's past experience in the big leagues, it wouldn't be surprising if he's a non-roster invitee during spring training.

Maggi signed a minor-league contract with the Twins on Thursday.

Maggi spent last season in the Twins' organization, where he hit .258/.384/.405 with 10 home runs, 46 RBI and nine stolen bases while playing for Triple-A Rochester. The 30-year-old has yet to appear in the majors, but he will likely be a non-roster invitee during spring training.