MLB Player News

Vargas signed a minor-league contract with the Tigers on Monday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Vargas has most recently appeared in the Puerto Rican Winter League with Mayaguez, slashing .272/.434/.505 with five homers and 25 RBI in 31 games. His last big-league appearance dates back to 2017 with Minnesota, where he finished with a .253 average, 11 long balls and 41 RBI across 78 contests. Vargas figures to begin the year with Triple-A Toledo.

Buxton (shoulder) has been given medical clearance to swing a bat and the Twins expect him to progress to hitting off a machine later this month, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

If all goes well, he could be ready to hit off live pitching at the start of spring training. Buxton underwent season-ending surgery Sept. 10 to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. If healthy, he should be Minnesota's starting center fielder in 2020.

Buxton (shoulder) signed a one-year, $3.075 million contract with the Twins on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Buxton ended the 2019 season on the injured list after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, and it remains unclear if he'll be ready for the beginning of spring training. If healthy, he should be Minnesota's starting center fielder in 2020.

Soler agreed to a one-year, $7.3 million contract with the Royals on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Soler surprised many by cranking 48 homers while driving in 117 RBI over 162 contests during his first full season of big-league action. He's expected to be a key bat in the Royals lineup during the 2020 campaign.

Canha signed a one-year, $4.8 million contract with the Athletics on Friday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

The 30-year-old will more than double his pay from 2019 after posting a .913 OPS with 26 home runs and 58 RBI in 126 games. The 30-year-old struggled against right-handers in 2018 (.665 OPS) but reversed that trend last season (.966 OPS), opening the door for a larger workload.

Ohtani (elbow/knee) completed his throwing progression Thursday and is now finished with Tommy John rehab, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani was recovering from Tommy John surgery and knee surgery, but his rehab now appears to be complete after three weeks of throwing off a mound. The right-hander will now be shut down from throwing for the remainder of the offseason prior to spring training. The team will determine his usage going forward during spring training, but he is expected to have an innings cap and not pitch more than once per week in 2020, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani (elbow/knee) was cleared to throw off a mound Monday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani is working his way back from both Tommy John surgery and knee surgery. He's expected to throw off a mound for three or four weeks, at which point his recovery from the elbow procedure will be considered complete.

Goins signed a minor-league contract with the Athletics on Monday, which includes an invitation to spring training.

Goins became a free agent at the end of October after being outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte, though it didn't take long for him to latch on with a new team. He hit .250 with two home runs and 10 RBI over 52 games with the White Sox in 2019 and has appeared in the big leagues at some point in each of the last seven seasons.

Alvarez was unanimously named the 2019 American League Rookie of the Year on Monday, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

Upon being promoted in June, Alvarez took the league by storm, slashing .313/.412/.655 with 27 home runs and 78 RBI over 87 games. The 22-year-old slugger is expected to remain a fixture in Houston's lineup for years to come.

Ohtani (knee) remains on track to finish his rehab in mid-December, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani was limited to hitting duties all season while his arm recovered from Tommy John surgery. His time as a designated hitter ended prematurely as well after he was shut down for surgery on his left kneecap in mid-September. He's been running on an anti-gravity treadmill and throwing from a distance of 120 feet, with the goal of getting back on a mound by the end of the month.