MLB Player News

Santos agreed to a minor-league contract with the Rays earlier in January, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Santos' deal includes an invitation to big-league spring training. The 27-year-old reliever appeared in 25 games with Toronto over the past two seasons, logging a 5.15 ERA in those outings.

Povse (undisclosed) was designated for assignment by the Mariners on Sunday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Povse was booted off the 40-man roster to make room for Seattle's most recent acquisition, Hunter Strickland. Povse has yet to make his big-league debut, spending time with Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Tacoma a season ago. He figures to begin the 2019 campaign with the Rainiers.

Crockett signed a minor-league contract with the Athletics which includes an invitation to spring training, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Crockett spent the majority of the 2018 campaign with Triple-A Louisville, posting a 3.00 ERA and 38:7 K:BB across 39.0 innings of relief. The 29-year-old southpaw also made 15 appearances for the Reds, compiling a 5.79 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 9.1 frames. Crockett will likely serve as organizational depth, as he hasn't been productive at the highest level since an impressive rookie campaign in 2014.

Kiekhefer signed a minor-league contract with the Athletics, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The deal includes an invitation to spring training, though Kiekhefer figures to open the season at Triple-A. The southpaw appeared in four games for the A's last season, allowing four runs on seven hits in just two innings. He posted a 3.83 ERA and 7.3 K/9 across 44.2 innings with Triple-A Nashville.

Harvey (forearm/shoulder) said Saturday that he has felt good physically during his winter throwing program, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Harvey added that he hired a personal trainer this offseason with the hope of stabilizing his right shoulder and avoiding the arm-related setbacks that have stalled his development. While contending with shoulder problems in addition to a forearm strain in 2018, Harvey covered just 32.1 innings, all at Double-A Bowie. That innings total actually exceeded his combined output from the previous two seasons combined, so he'll almost certainly face a workload limitation of some sort during the upcoming campaign.

The Rays are hopeful that Honeywell (elbow) will be ready to pitch in games around June or July, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

That timeline represents a slight adjustment from what was reported nearly two months ago, when the right-hander suggested he would likely be ready to pitch competitively by May or June. Fortunately for Honeywell, there's no indication that he's experienced any setbacks to this point in his recovery from the Tommy John surgery he required 11 months earlier. The 23-year-old has been throwing with his full repertoire for the past three weeks and is gradually increasing the intensity of those sessions. Once he proves his health during a minor-league rehab assignment, Honeywell will likely be optioned to Triple-A Durham, though there's a chance he could join the Rays right away if the team is confident that he's an upgrade over its existing rotation options.

Leclerc was told by manager Chris Woodward on Friday that he will be the Rangers' closer, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Earlier in the offseason, there was a suggestion that Leclerc could have a flexible, multi-inning role. Plans have apparently changed, and it appears that he'll be used as a traditional closer. His team context doesn't provide for as many save opportunities as other closers, but he should be a reliable option when called upon. He posted a stellar 1.56 ERA with a 38.1 percent strikeout rate in 57.2 innings last season.

De Leon (elbow) is continuing his rehab and expects to resume minor-league games in May, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

De Leon underwent Tommy John surgery last March and is on track for a return in a little over a year. The 26-year-old resumed light throwing back in July and has been continuing with his rehab with no setbacks thus far.

Schultz will attend the Orioles' major-league spring training as a non-roster invitee, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Schultz last pitched in the majors with Toronto in 2016 as he missed 2017 after Tommy John surgery and spent 2018 in the minors with the Pirates. The 33-year-old has a career 4.54 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 67.1 major-league innings and should battle for a spot in a Baltimore bullpen that features little established talent.

Almonte cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.

Almonte was designated for assignment earlier in the week but will remain in the organization after going unclaimed on waivers. The 25-year-old struggled in both the majors and minors in 2018, posting an ERA over 10.00 while issuing 18 walks over 27.1 total innings.