MLB Player News

Lindor said Wednesday that the back injury he dealt with in September has not been an issue during offseason workouts, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Lindor missed a little over a week of action down the stretch of the regular season with a back problem, but he showed no ill effects during the playoffs with a .275/.387/.490 slash line in 13 games, and it has been a non-issue this offseason. Following his National League MVP runner-up showing in 2024, the star shortstop will likely bat leadoff ahead of Juan Soto in 2025.

The Pirates signed Rainey to a minor-league contract Dec. 6 that includes an invitation to spring training.

Rainey was non-tendered by the Nationals in November after posting a 4.76 ERA and 44:29 K:BB over 51 frames in 2024 in his first year back from Tommy John surgery. The reliever's stuff hasn't looked the same post-op, but he's a fine gamble on a non-roster deal in hopes that he can rediscover it.

The Brewers signed Wolfram to a one-year contract Wednesday, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Wolfram has yet to pitch in the big leagues but managed to land a major-league deal from the Brewers after posting a 3.34 ERA and 61:26 K:BB across 56.2 innings at Triple-A Round Rock in the Rangers organization in 2024. The left-handed reliever will turn 28 this week.

Atlanta signed Capel to a minor-league contract Dec. 7.

Capel, 27, saw some spot duty with the Reds in 2024 but spent most of the year at Triple-A Louisville, putting up a .774 OPS with 12 homers in 74 contests. The outfielder is likely to begin the 2025 season at Triple-A Gwinnett.

The Brewers selected Thomas with the 13th pick in the Rule 5 draft Wednesday, JJ Cooper of Baseball America reports.

Thomas, a 26-year-old lefty the Brewers are poaching from the Cardinals, had operated primarily as a starter until last season, in which 53 of his 56 appearances at Triple-A were out of the bullpen. He logged a 2.89 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 79:24 K:BB in 90.1 innings, so while he worked as a reliever, he is stretched out enough to move back to the rotation this year if the Brewers wanted to go that route at some point. More likely, Thomas will work as a low-leverage multi-inning reliever for Milwaukee or be returned to St. Louis at some point this season.

The Padres selected Nunez (shoulder) with the 12th pick of the Rule 5 draft Wednesday, JJ Cooper of Baseball America reports.

A shoulder injury caused Nunez to miss the final four months of the minor-league season as a member of the Orioles, so it's possible the Padres will be able to stash him on the injured list for a good chunk of the season. Nunez logged a 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 38:10 K:BB in 29.1 innings over seven appearances at High-A prior to the injury. If the Padres stash him all season, Nunez could be sent back to the minors to stretch back out as a starter in 2026.

The Reds selected Bowman with the seventh pick in the Rule 5 draft Wednesday, JJ Cooper of Baseball America reports.

Bowman has at least plus speed and isn't a zero in the power department, so he could be fantasy relevant as a rookie if he were to find his way into steady playing time. A natural second baseman who can play a little bit in the outfield, Bowman had a strong run at Double-A in 2024, slashing .281/.378/.466 with 12 home runs, 35 steals, a 12.4 percent walk rate and a 20.2 percent strikeout rate in 80 games. His production slipped in his first exposure to Triple-A pitching, as he slashed .218/.284/.308 with zero home runs, eight steals and a 24.3 percent strikeout rate in 38 games in the Pacific Coast League. The Reds will likely use Bowman as a bench piece unless they're shorthanded, but he has fantasy-relevant tools and is now headed to a great home park to maximize his fringe-average power.

The Marlins selected Hicks with the second pick in the Rule 5 draft Wednesday, JJ Cooper of Baseball America reports.

The Rockies passed on selecting anyone with the second pick and the Marlins selected Hicks out of the three hole. Hicks was acquired by Detroit from the Rangers at the trade deadline in the deal that sent Carson Kelly to Texas. Hicks is nearly big-league ready but projects to be a backup catcher long term. He'll be competing with Nick Fortes and prospect Agustin Ramirez for playing time behind the dish.

Rockies manager Bud Black said Wednesday that he plans to bat Doyle leadoff next season, Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com reports.

The Rockies' primary leadoff hitter in 2024, Charlie Blackmon, is now retired, and it appears Black will put Doyle at the top of the batting order in 2025 rather than Ezequiel Tovar, who made the second-most starts at leadoff last season. Doyle doesn't have strong on-base skills with a career .289 OBP (.317 in 2024), but settling in as the Rockies' leadoff hitter will nonetheless boost his runs scored outlook. Tovar seems likely to be used in the two hole.

The Rangers traded Acosta to the Marlins on Tuesday alongside Echedry Vargas and Brayan Mendoza in exchange for Jake Burger, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

In 104 games with Double-A Frisco last season, Acosta slashed .286/.351/.423 with 56 RBI and swiped 26 bags. He was selected to the Rangers' 40-man roster in November to protect him from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft, which means he will now have a spot on Miami's 40-man roster. While the 22-year-old is unlikely to crack the big-league squad out of spring training, a promotion to Triple-A Jacksonville could come in the near future.