MLB Player News

The Tigers designated Sands for assignment Friday.

Dropping Sands from the 40-man roster clears room for Shelby Miller, who agreed to a one-year deal with Detroit on Friday. Sands spent most of last season at Triple-A Toledo, where he slashed .225/.318/.353 with 36 RBI across 371 plate appearances.

Kolozsvary signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox on Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

Kolozsvary saw spot duty in the big leagues with the Reds and Orioles the last two seasons, going 4-for-20 at the plate. The 28-year-old is in line to begin the 2024 campaign at Triple-A Worcester as catching depth.

Murphy agreed to a two-year, $13 million contract with the Giants on Monday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Murphy has struggled to stay healthy over the last two seasons, appearing in only 61 total games during this stretch with Seattle. He'll look for a fresh start in San Francisco, where he's in line to serve as the backup catcher behind Patrick Bailey. The righty-hitting Murphy has a career .292/.361/.508 slash line against lefties and will likely be in the lineup whenever the Giants face a southpaw.

Wynns signed a one-year, $950,000 contract with the Reds on Thursday.

Wynns, 32, batted just .208/.268/.277 with one home run in 51 major-league games last season between the Giants, Dodgers and Rockies. He'll probably rank third on the Reds' organizational depth chart at catcher leading into the 2024 campaign, firmly behind Tyler Stephenson and Luke Maile.

Perez (shoulder) signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox on Wednesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Perez made the Giants' Opening Day roster out of spring training last year, but he tore his right rotator cuff in early April and underwent season-ending surgery. The veteran catcher is a career .207/.298/.358 hitter in 1,769 plate appearances at the major-league level and turns 35 years old later this month.

Rodriguez underwent surgery to repair the UCL and flexor tendon in his right elbow Tuesday.

Rodriguez injured himself on a swing while playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic on Nov. 13. He's expected to resume baseball activity within 10-12 months, ruling him out for all of next season. With Rodriguez out, Henry Davis will presumably take on a larger share of starts behind the plate, and Jason Delay and Ali Sanchez will be in the running for the backup catcher spot.

Bethancourt was acquired by the Marlins from the Guardians on Sunday for cash considerations, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

The 32-year-old was claimed off waivers by Cleveland in early November, but he's now being offloaded following the signing of Austin Hedges. Nick Fortes had a .562 OPS in 108 games for Miami last season and is the only other catcher currently on the big-league roster, which should give Bethancourt a decent path to playing time in 2024.

Hedges agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract with the Guardians on Sunday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Hedges split last season between Pittsburgh and Texas but will make a 2024 return to Cleveland, where he made 199 appearances from 2020 to 2022. The veteran backstop brings little offensively with a .478 OPS over the past two years but provides strong defense. Hedges should fill the backup job at catcher behind youngster Bo Naylor for the Guardians.

Atlanta traded Stassi (hip/personal) and cash considerations to the White Sox on Saturday in exchange for a player to be named later or cash.

Stassi was traded from the Angels to Atlanta on Friday, but it was assumed Atlanta would quickly send Stassi elsewhere given the presence of Sean Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud. Stassi slashed .180/.267/.303 in 375 plate appearances in 2022, and he failed to appear in a game last season due to a hip injury and a serious family medical issue. Stassi's extended time away from baseball means he will have to compete for a spot on the White Sox's Opening Day roster, but a weak catcher room in Chicago keeps him in the running for the starting job.

Atlanta acquired Stassi (hip/personal) and David Fletcher from the Angels on Friday in exchange for Evan White (hip) and Tyler Thomas, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The reigning NL East champs are already set at catcher with Sean Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud, so Stassi could quickly be flipped to another team -- assuming he's ready to resume his playing career. The 32-year-old did not appear in a game at any level in 2023 after suffering a hip injury late in spring training and then having to deal with a serious family medical issue.