MLB Player News

The Yankees claimed Luciano off waivers from the Orioles on Thursday.

It's Luciano's fourth organization this offseason, as he continues to bounce around via waivers. The former top prospect has slashed just .217/.286/.304 over 41 games in the majors and .227/.351/.401 at the Triple-A level, but he is still just 24 years old. Luciano does not have any minor-league options left, so he'll need to make the Yankees' Opening Day roster or risk going through waivers again.

The Twins acquired Gray from the Red Sox on Wednesday in exchange for Nate Baez, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

It's the second time this offseason that Gray has been traded, as he was dealt from the Rays to the Red Sox in November. The 29-year-old has slashed .207/.264/.369 over parts of three big-league seasons and he is capable of playing all four infield spots. Gray will compete for a reserve role in Minnesota.

Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said Friday that Lux will be the team's primary second baseman this season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Most of Lux's starts last season with the Reds came in left field and the designated hitter slot, but second base has been his primary position during his big-league career and the Rays have a clear hole at the keystone. The move from Cincinnati to Tampa Bay is a big ballpark downgrade for Lux, but he could get more playing time with the Rays than he had been projected to receive from the Reds. Lux slashed .269/.350/.374 with five home runs in 140 regular-season tilts for Cincinnati in 2025.

Lux was traded from the Reds to the Rays in a three-team deal Thursday that also includes the Angels, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. Chris Clark is also headed to Tampa Bay in the trade, with Brock Burke going to Cincinnati and Josh Lowe to Anaheim.

Lux is set to play out his final year of arbitration eligibility in 2026, making it surprising that the Rays seemingly targeted him in this deal. He should have a strong chance to serve on the large side of a platoon at second base, and that platoon is likely to be stricter in Tampa Bay compared to his situation in Cincinnati.

The Orioles designated Luciano for assignment Thursday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Luciano will enter the waiver process for the second time this winter to create room on Baltimore's 40-man roster for Jose Suarez. Luciano, 24, slashed .214/.335/.413 across 555 plate appearances with the Giants' Triple-A affiliate last season and doesn't have any minor-league options remaining.

The Rays designated Cheng for assignment Monday.

Cheng was claimed off waivers by the Rays last week, but he'll lose his spot on the 40-man roster in order to make room for Brett Wisely and Ken Waldichuk. The 24-year-old went hitless in a brief stint with the Pirates last season and slashed just .209/.307/.271 at Triple-A Indianapolis.

Volpe (shoulder) agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Yankees to avoid arbitration Thursday, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

Volpe is recovering from shoulder surgery and won't be ready to begin the 2026 season. This was the shortstop's first year of arbitration eligibility, and he'll see a raise of about $2.6 million from 2025 after posting a .212/.272/.391 slash line with 19 homers and 18 steals in 153 regular-season games.

Duran agreed to a one-year contract with the Rangers on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Duran played 90 games for the Rangers last season and had a career-worst .559 OPS, failing to hit a home run in 219 plate appearances. The 26-year-old has a contract for 2026 but likely won't have much roster security given that he has a .237/.278/.309 slash line across the past two seasons.

Smith agreed to a one-year, $3.225 million contract with the Rangers on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Smith will end up earning a little more than the $2.5 million that he was projected for in his first year of arbitration eligibility, per Spotrac.com. He's primarily worked as a super-utility player for the Rangers but could find a regular role at second base in 2026 following the offseason departure of Marcus Semien.

Allen agreed to a one-year, $1.4 million contract with the Astros on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The 27-year-old was traded from Atlanta to Houston earlier in the offseason and is now officially under contract for 2026. Allen played 135 games last season but with Jeremy Pena entrenched at shortstop, he'll work in a reserve role for the Astros after posting a .221/.284/.251 slash line in 2025.