MLB Player News

Oviedo (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

It was announced in late November that Oviedo would require the reconstructive elbow procedure, and the long road back to full health can now get underway. The 25-year-old right-hander is certain to miss the entire 2024 campaign.

Smeltzer signed a minor-league contract with the Marlins on Wednesday, Andersen Pickard of Prime Time Sports Talk reports.

Smeltzer was pushed off the 40-man roster in Miami at the end of the regular season and then elected to become a free agent, but he is back as organizational depth for the 2024 campaign. The 28-year-old left-hander owns a career 4.32 ERA and 112:41 K:BB in 162.1 career major-league innings.

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

Presumably, Yepez will be given an invitation to the major-league side of spring training as part of the contract. The 25-year-old was non-tendered by the Cardinals last month following a disappointing 2023 season, but Yepez slugged 28 homers between the majors and minors in 2022. He will compete for the Nationals' first base job.

Pittsburgh selected Beer from the Diamondbacks in the minor-league phase of Wednesday's Rule 5 Draft.

Beer never quite got it going at the major-league level in Arizona, but he holds a career .863 OPS on the farm and is only 27 years old. He could get a legitimate look with the Pirates at first base or DH at some point in 2024.

Koch signed a minor-league contract with the Rockies on Wednesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Koch appeared in 39 games for the Rockies in 2023, posting a 5.12 ERA and 1.29 WHIP across 38.2 innings. He'll compete for a job in Colorado's Opening Day bullpen.

The Mets selected Slaten during the 2023 Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday.

Slaten spent most of last season at the Double-A level and had a 3.16 ERA and 76:16 K:BB over 51.1 innings, and he gave up just one run in his five appearances at Triple-A down the stretch. That apparently wasn't enough for the Rangers to justify adding him to the 40-man roster, allowing the Mets to select him. The 26-year-old has plenty of strikeout potential and will need to be with the big-league club for all of 2024 in order to stick in Queens.

The Marlins plan to stretch Puk out during spring training as they consider him for a rotation spot, Isaac Azout of SBNation.com reports.

All 142 appearances for Puk at the major-league level have come in relief, but he initially began his pro career as a starter with the Athletics. At this point, it seems like a long shot that Puk can be healthy and effective as a starter, but the Marlins are at least willing to give it a test drive.

The trade sending Soto to the Yankees is "close to being finalized," Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Morosi says it will be Michael King, Drew Thorpe and at least two additional players shipped to the Padres. At this point, it seems as if the two sides have agreed on the players and perhaps all that stands between the trade being completed is a review of medicals. Soto would play right field in the Bronx, with Aaron Judge shifting to center field and Alex Verdugo handling left field.

Tonkin signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Mets on Tuesday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

The 2023 campaign marked Tonkin's return to the majors after six seasons, and he logged a 4.28 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with a 75:23 K:BB across 80 innings. The 34-year-old righty will likely operate as a multi-inning reliever in a Mets bullpen that struggled to find consistent success last season.

Atlanta traded Gonzales (forearm) and cash to Pittsburgh on Tuesday in exchange for a player to be named later, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Gonzales was sent from Seattle to Atlanta as part of the Jarred Kelenic deal, but his time in Atlanta will last just 48 hours. Gonzales logged a 5.22 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 50 innings across 10 starts last season, but his 2023 campaign was cut short by a forearm injury in May, and he underwent surgery to address the issue in August. Gonzales is expected to be ready for spring training, where he will compete for a spot in the back of Pittsburgh's rotation.