MLB Player News

Castillo was designated for assignment by the Orioles on Sunday.

The 26-year-old was claimed off waivers by Baltimore on Friday, but his stay on the 40-man roster was brief. Castillo has already been with five different organizations this offseason, and a sixth could be added to the list with him being put through the waiver process once again.

Soto was claimed off waivers by the Angels on Sunday.

The 23-year-old was designated for assignment by the Orioles on Friday and will now return to the Angels, who also designated him for assignment in early February. Soto is now back on the Halos' 40-man roster and will provide middle-infield depth.

Leonard is one of several players who figure to compete for Detroit's final bench spot this spring along with new acquisition Keston Hiura, Ryan Kreidler and others, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Leonard has yet to make his MLB debut, while Kreidler played with the Tigers some last season and Hiura has appeared in 284 games at the MLB level, so Leonard may be third in the pecking order to begin the regular season. However, he has some defensive versatility and posted a .904 OPS in 40 contests with Triple-A Toledo last season, so the youngster could be on the verge of cracking the big-league roster soon. Leonard's cause would be boosted if Kreidler and Hiura struggle at the plate in camp or early in the regular season.

Smith is expected to be the primary fill-in at shortstop this spring while Corey Seager (groin) is sidelined, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Smith and Ezequiel Duran were expected to get a ton of reps at shortstop, but third baseman Josh Jung's calf injury means Duran will cover the hot corner the next two-to-three weeks at least. Both Seager and Jung are expected to be ready for Opening Day.

Duran will fill in at third base for Josh Jung (calf) who is expected to miss multiple weeks, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

The Rangers said Jung will miss a minimum of two-to-three weeks, and they will evaluate him during that time period, although the team expects him to be ready by Opening Day. In the meantime, Duran, who was already expected to get reps at shortstop due to Corey Seager's groin injury, will slide to the hot corner for the start of the Cactus League. That means there will be a lot of Duran and Josh Smith on the left side of the infield this spring, but both Jung and Seager are expected to be ready to go for the regular season.

Williams will get work in big-league camp at both shortstop and center field, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

With Francisco Lindor signed through 2031, Williams will likely have to move off shortstop when he gets to the majors. The Mets also indicated the 20-year-old top prospect would not get reps at second base this spring, so it looks as though center field will be his eventual defensive home. "I don't really care," Williams said Friday. "Whatever gets me to the big leagues the fastest." In his first full professional season after being selected with the 14th overall pick in 2022, Williams slashed .263/.425/.451 in 121 games across three levels last year with 13 homers and 45 steals, finishing the campaign at Double-A Binghamton. He'll likely spend most of 2024 in the high minors, but a late-season debut in the majors would set him up to replace Harrison Bader in center for the Mets in 2025.

Lux has been cleared to ditch the heavy knee brace he had been wearing on his surgically repaired right knee, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

He is still wearing a compression sleeve, however. Lux missed the entire 2023 season following surgery to repair the ACL and LCL in his knee, but he's full-go this spring and is slated to open the season as the Dodgers' starting shortstop.

Manager Torey Luvollo said Friday that Perdomo will begin the season as Arizona's primary shortstop, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.comreports.

Top prospect Jordan Lawlar made his MLB debut last season and will soon receive an extended look in the big leagues, but Perdomo's .712 OPS during the regular season last year and .754 OPS during the playoffs will help him keep the starting gig at shortstop for now. Perdomo totaled six home runs, 47 RBI, 71 runs and 16 steals in 144 contests, and he has a limited fantasy ceiling.

Soto was designated for assignment by Baltimore on Friday.

Soto was claimed off waivers from the Angels last week but didn't stick on the Orioles' 40-man roster for long. The 23-year-old appeared in four big-league games last season and had a .700 OPS over 477 plate appearances at Triple-A.

The Orioles claimed Castillo off waivers from the Phillies on Friday.

It marks the fifth organization Castillo has been in just this offseason, as he continues to bounce around via waivers. The 26-year-old utility player does have an option year remaining and seems likely to begin the year at Triple-A Norfolk, assuming he's still in the organization by Opening Day.