MLB Player News

Rucker was designated for assignment by the Cubs on Thursday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

The 29-year-old reliever loses his spot on the 40-man roster in favor Hector Neris, whose signing became official. Rucker has put up a 4.96 ERA and 120:50 K:BB covering 123.1 innings out of the Cubs' bullpen over the last three seasons.

Hughes signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Thursday and received an invitation to major-league spring training.

Hughes holds a 3.91 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in the majors since debuting in 2022, but he surrendered 11 earned runs in just 13.2 innings last season before undergoing season-ending knee surgery in June. The 28-year-old southpaw will now get a chance to redeem himself in the spring, and he could become an important part of Arizona's bullpen if he returns to his 2022 form.

Gsellman signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals on Wednesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Gsellman left affiliated ball in 2022 to pursue a career overseas in Japan, where he recorded a 4.32 ERA and 1.52 WHIP across 139.2 total innings. The 30-year-old righty will likely head to Triple-A Rochester and serve as organizational depth as he attempts to work his way back to the majors.

Paxton's guaranteed salary in his new contract with the Dodgers was lowered from $11 million to $7 million due to an unspecified health issue, Fabian Ardaya and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic report.

The health concern is not considered serious and obviously didn't prevent a deal from being completed, but the two sides did agree to some restructuring. Paxton received a $3 million signing bonus along with a guaranteed salary of $4 million, and he can get a $2 million roster bonus if he's on the roster either for the Dodgers' opening series in Korea against the Padres on March 20 or their domestic opener on March 28 versus the Cardinals. If he's added to the roster by April 15, Paxton will get a $1 million bonus, as well as another $1 million if he makes 20 starts. There are also additional games started incentives. All told, Paxton's contract could max out at $13 million. Paxton's 2023 season ended due to right knee inflammation, though it's not clear what injury led to the contract alterations.

Smith-Njigba was designated for assignment by the Pirates on Wednesday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster as the Pirates make the signing of Aroldis Chapman official. Smith-Njigba has struggled during his brief chances in the majors the last two seasons, but he slashed .280/.366/.473 with 15 homers and 21 steals in 2023 at Triple-A Indianapolis and will turn just 25 in April, so there could be some interest on waivers.

Peralta signed a four-year, $16.5 million contract with the Padres on Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The unusual contract contains three opt-out clauses. Peralta really struggled with his control in 2023 in walking 30 batters over 54 innings, but he still managed to post a sub-3.00 ERA for the second year in a row. The 32-year-old has a career strikeout rate of just 19.6 percent, but he also boasts a 52.9 percent groundball rate and can handle lefties and righties. He will handle high-leverage innings for San Diego.

The Mets designated Heineman for assignment Tuesday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Heineman will lose his spot on the 40-man roster to Adam Ottavino, whose signing was made official Tuesday. Heineman slashed .237/.383/.316 in 47 plate appearances between the Pirates and Blue Jays last season, and he logged similar numbers with the teams' Triple-A affiliates.

The Nationals announced Tuesday that Crews received an invitation to major-league spring training.

He'll join fellow prospects James Wood and Brady House, among others, in Nats camp. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, Crews slashed .292/.377/.467 with five home runs over three levels in his first 35 pro games last season. He did struggle in his 20 contests at Double-A Harrisburg (.595 OPS), but Crews should nonetheless reach the majors in short order, perhaps as soon as the 2024 season.

Snider was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

Snider is the 40-man roster casualty as the Diamondbacks officially add Joc Pederson. The 28-year-old was a waiver claim of Arizona's last month and will go through that process again. He holds a career 5.93 ERA and 33:28 K:BB over 54.2 innings in the majors.

The Pirates announced Tuesday that Skenes received an invitation to major-league spring training.

Pittsburgh will also have fellow top prospects Termarr Johnson, Bubba Chandler, Jared Jones and Anthony Solometo in big-league camp. Skenes, though, is the headliner as the first overall pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft and the consensus top pitching prospect in baseball. The 21-year-old tallied 129.1 innings between college and the minors last season, peaking at Double-A Altoona, so workload shouldn't be much of a hindrance in 2024. There's a good chance Skenes will make his major-league debut at some point during the upcoming season.