MLB Player News

Wisdom was traded from the Cardinals to the Rangers on Tuesday in exchange for Drew Robinson.

Wisdom was no longer needed as corner infield depth in St. Louis following the acquisition of Paul Goldschmidt. The 27-year-old spent the majority of the 2018 season with Triple-A Memphis, hitting .288/.363/.480 with 15 homers and 11 stolen bases across 107 games. He also made his major-league debut, slashing .260/.362/.520 with four homers and a pair of steals across 32 games for the big club. Wisdom currently projects as infield depth for Texas, though he could also compete for a starting job if Jurickson Profar is traded before Opening Day.

Rivera was outrighted to Triple-A New Orleans on Tuesday, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic reports.

The utility man hit just .173/.269/.216 across 111 games (160 plate appearances) with the Marlins in 2018.

Asuaje was claimed off waivers by the Rangers on Monday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Asuaje has appeared in 175 games over the last three seasons with the Padres, hitting .240/.312/.329. Those numbers are acceptable enough for a utility infielder but hardly make him a fantasy asset, and the fact that he doesn't play shortstop may make it harder for him to win a bench spot in Texas.

Asuaje was designated for assignment by San Diego on Friday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Asuaje played in 79 games for the Padres this past year but slashed a dreadful .196/.286/.280 with just two home runs and 19 RBI. This move allowed the club to free up another spot on the 40-man roster while Asuaje will take a spin through waivers to determine if he will remain in the organization.

The Braves are anticipating Donaldson hitting second in the order during the 2019 season, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Per O'Brien, Ronald Acuna will sit atop the order or man the cleanup spot while Freddie Freeman hits third. Ozzie Albies and Ender Inciarte are also under consideration to bat leadoff. Prior to Donaldson's injury-plagued 2018 campaign, he slashed .270/.385/.559 with 33 home runs and 78 RBI in 2017. The Braves are obviously betting on Donaldson staying healthy and returning to that form after signing him to a one-year, $23 million deal. Donaldson is in line to be the club's everyday third baseman while Johan Camargo takes on a utility role to begin the year.

Senzel (elbow) said he will resume baseball activities "in the next week or so," Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

The highly-touted prospect is nearing a return to full health after an injury-riddled year. After missing extended time during the 2018 season due to vertigo and later a fractured finger, Senzel underwent surgery in October to remove bone spurs from his left elbow. He was recently cleared to begin lifting weights and is expected to begin swinging a bat by the end of December. Barring any setbacks, Senzel is expected to be ready to go by the start of spring training. The 23-year-old will compete for an Opening Day roster spot with Cincinnati after hitting .310/.378/.509 with six homers and eight steals in his first taste of Triple-A in 2018 (44 games with Triple-A Louisville).

Alvarez signed a minor-league contract with the Marlins on Monday which includes an invitation to spring training, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

There are few organizations easier to battle for a roster spot with than the Marlins, but even so, Alvarez doesn't necessarily have an inside shot. He's primarily a designated hitter, having started just 13 games in the field over the last two seasons. He no longer appears to have the bat capable of carrying his value as a bat-only player, though, as he hit just .180/.283/.414 in 45 games with the Orioles last season. Some positive regression from his .179 BABIP could help, but he'll be 32 years old next season and the rebuilding Marlins will likely prefer to give playing time to younger players.

The Mariners agreed in principle Monday to send Segura to the Phillies in a multi-player trade, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Carlos Santana and J.P. Crawford are the key principals headed back to Seattle, with other prospects believed to be involved in the deal. The transactions won't become official until all players included in the deal pass their physicals, though that's expected to be a formality. In Philadelphia, Segura should slide in as the everyday shortstop, a position the team struggled to generate production from last season between Crawford and Scott Kingery. It's likely that Segura will also occupy a spot near the top of the order, which should continue to afford him ample run-scoring opportunities and a green light on the basepaths.

The Mariners have agreed in principle to send Segura to the Phillies for J.P. Crawford and Carlos Santana along with additional prospects, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

The deal hasn't been finalized just yet, although both sides could work out the details as soon as Monday. Segura slashed .304/.341/.415 with 63 RBI and 20 stolen bases over 144 games with Seattle a season ago, and he figures to benefit from heading to a Philadelphia club that hopes to make a deep playoff run in 2019. The 28-year-old shortstop would have to waive his no-trade clause in order for the trade to go down, although sources close to Segura have noted that "Segura will gladly waive no trade clause ... he wants out worse than anyone.", Jon Heyman of FancredSports.com reports. Expect the exchange to come to fruition in the next few days.

Kieboom will work at shortstop and second base this offseason, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Kieboom only played shortstop this last season, but the Nationals are considering adding second base to his repertoire to aid his climb to the majors. Current shortstop Trea Turner is under team control for another four years, but second base is being held down by the combination of Howie Kendrick (Achilles), Wilmer Difo and Adrian Sanchez. After slashing .262/.326/.395 at Double-A Harrisburg this past season and performing well in the Arizona Fall League (.280/.426/.347), Kieboom could push for time in the big leagues if he can hit Triple-A pitching well enough.