MLB Player News

Swanson underwent surgery to address a core injury in early October, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Going under the knife immediately after the end of the regular season should allow Swanson to return in 2025 without missing any time. The 30-year-old infielder slashed .242/.312/.390 with 16 homers, 66 RBI and 19 steals during his second season in Chicago and is expected to remain the Cubs' everyday shortstop next season.

The Padres re-signed McCoy to a minor-league contract Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, Russell Dorsey of Yahoo Sports reports.

McCoy was non-tendered by San Diego last month but now returns as a spring training invitee. The utility player put up a .523 OPS in 19 games with the Padres in 2024.

Wade signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Padres on Friday to avoid arbitration, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Wade struggled at the big-league level in 2024, slashing just .217/.285/.239 across 155 plate appearances. However, the Padres will keep him around for another year to serve as bench depth, and the 29-year-old will earn a $50,000 raise in the process.

The Cubs selected Cowles to their 40-man roster Tuesday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Cowles was acquired from the Yankees at the trade deadline as part of the Mark Leiter deal, though a wrist injury limited Cowles to playing just four games with Double-A Tennessee at the very end of the year. Prior to his injury, the 24-year-old infielder had slashed .292/.372/.471 with 52 RBI across 379 plate appearances. He'll likely be bumped up to Triple-A Iowa for the start of 2025.

Barrero signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Saturday and received an invitation to spring training, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

Barrero owns just a .497 OPS across 447 plate appearances in his major-league career, and his offensive woes followed him to Triple-A last season, where he slashed .188/.277/.345 over 49 games. His chances of contributing for the Cardinals will remain low as long as he continues to struggle at the plate, though the 26-year-old may still see a healthy amount of playing time with Triple-A Memphis.

Atlanta acquired Allen from the Athletics on Monday in exchange for Jared Johnson.

Allen, 26, has managed just a .209/.254/.283 batting line over parts of three seasons at the major-league level. He does have a reputation as a solid glove at shortstop, although he came in at negative-2 Outs Above Average during his 41 games with the Athletics in 2024. Allen offers an alternative at shortstop to Orlando Arcia, who is coming off a disappointing season, but ultimately Allen should be more of a depth option.

Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Wednesday that the assumption is Betts will move back to the infield next season, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Betts was the Dodgers' regular shortstop and occasional second baseman for the first three months of the 2024 season before fracturing his hand. Upon his return in mid-August, he moved back to right field on a full-time basis. However, it would appear he'll be on the move again in 2025 to one of the middle infield spots (or perhaps both). The decision could negatively affect the playing time outlook of Miguel Rojas and/or Gavin Lux.

Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey indicated Tuesday the club is considering moving Luciano to the outfield, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Luciano has played only shortstop and second base but has struggled mightily defensively at both spots. Additionally, Posey believes a move to a less taxing position could unlock Luciano's potential at the plate. The 23-year-old has slashed just .217/.286/.304 with no home runs and a 35.7 percent strikeout rate in his first 126 major-league plate appearances.

Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey said Tuesday the team will be looking for a shortstop this offseason rather than putting Fitzgerald there on an everyday basis, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Posey referenced Fitzgerald's ability to play multiple positions, perhaps an indication the Giants have the 27-year-old pegged for a super-utility role in 2025. He trailed off in September (.677 OPS), but Fitzgerald still finished with a .280/.334/.497 batting line while hitting 15 homers and stealing 17 bases over 96 games. While his position doesn't appear nailed down yet, Fitzgerald should remain an everyday player for the Giants next season.

The Dodgers exercised Rojas' $5 million club option for 2025 on Saturday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

Rojas appeared in 103 regular-season games for the Dodgers in 2024 and slashed .283/.337/.410 with six home runs and 36 RBI across 337 plate appearances. Rojas suffered a torn adductor injury during the NLDS against the Padres, which will require surgery during the offseason, but he was able to play in Game 2 of the World Series against the Yankees, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout. It's unclear whether Rojas' procedure will have the 35-year-old shortstop sidelined for the start of spring training.