MLB Player News

The Reds designated Rortvedt for assignment Tuesday.

Booting Rortvedt off the 40-man roster clears a spot for Eugenio Suarez, who was officially signed Tuesday. Rortvedt was a waiver claim by the Reds earlier this offseason and is now likely to be on the move again. The defensive-minded catcher is a career .190/.279/.270 hitter over parts of four big-league seasons.

Ford is expected to compete with Keibert Ruiz for the starting catcher spot heading into the 2026 season, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

Ford was acquired by the Nationals from the Mariners in an offseason deal, and he's immediately been identified as one of his new club's top young prospects. The 22-year-old struggled to see time behind Cal Raleigh in Seattle, logging six at-bats in eight games in 2025, but that's set to change in Washington. Ruiz is coming off a tough season in which he didn't see the field after suffering a concussion in July, so if Ford can stay healthy, he appears likely to break camp with the big-league squad and could even overtake Ruiz for the starting job.

Ruiz (concussion) will compete with Harry Ford for the starting catcher job heading into the 2026 season, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

Camerato states that it's not clear whether Ruiz is back at 100 percent after missing significant time a season ago due to a concussion, but the team should have more information on his status once he reports to spring training. Ruiz has had a firm handle on the starting catching gig over the last four seasons with Washington, but he'll be challenged by one of the Nationals' recently acquired prospects in Ford.

Villarroel was traded from the Astros to the Giants in exchange for Kai-Wei Teng on Thursday, Chandler Rome and Andrew Baaggarly of The Athletic report.

The Giants needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster after signing Harrison Bader, which was the motivation for this deal. Villarroel reached High-A in 2025 and batted 276/.306/.362 in 15 games, and it's unclear if he'll hit enough to be a productive big leaguer given his lack of defensive value.

Barnes signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Barnes appeared in 13 regular-season games for the Dodgers in 2025, posting a .519 OPS across 44 plate appearances before being cut loose by the team in May. The 36-year-old backstop will now aim to return to the big leagues with the Mets, though he'll most likely fill in as minor-league depth at Triple-A Syracuse.

Adams cleared waivers Wednesday and was sent outright to Triple-A Rochester.

The 29-year-old catcher was DFA'd by the Nationals last Thursday to create space on the 40-man roster for Gus Varland (undisclosed). Adams had the right to elect free agency after passing through waivers unclaimed, but he will instead accept his assignment to Rochester and is likely to remain there for the majority of 2026.

The Brewers signed McGuire to a minor-league contract Wednesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

McGuire participated in 44 regular-season games for the Cubs in 2025, slashing .226/.245/.444 with nine home runs. The Brewers have an opening at backup catcher behind William Contreras, and there's a good chance McGuire wins that job.

Ballesteros has a clearer path to the Cubs' starting DH job as a result of the trade that sent Owen Caissie to the Marlins for Edward Cabrera, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Ballesteros acquitted himself quite well in 66 major-league plate appearances during the 2025 regular season, slashing .298/.394/.474 with two homers. His 13.6 BB rate and 18.2 K rate were particularly encouraging for a player making his debut as a 21-year-old. Ballesteros might get pushed into the strong-side of a platoon with Matt Shaw, who lost his starting third base job when the Cubs signed Alex Bregman.

The Nationals designated Adams for assignment Thursday.

The 29-year-old backstop appeared in a career-high 83 games during the 2025 season but was a liability when holding a bat, as he slashed .186/.252/.308 across 286 plate appearances. With no need for five catchers on their 40-man roster, the Nationals will now move on from Adams in order to make room for Gus Varland (undisclosed), who was claimed off waivers from Arizona on Thursday.

The Nationals signed Barrera to a minor-league contract Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Barrera was drafted by the Nationals and broke into the big leagues with them. The 31-year-old catcher spent 2025 in the minors in the Rays organization and last saw action in the majors in 2023. Barrera will likely begin the 2026 season at Triple-A Rochester as catching depth.