MLB Player News

Chirinos (elbow) was designated for assignment by Atlanta on Tuesday.

The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for waiver claim Penn Murfee. Chirinos had seemed likely to be non-tendered, anyway, after posting a 5.40 ERA over 20 appearances for Tampa Bay and Atlanta in 2023. He ended the season on the 60-day injured list with an elbow problem and it's not clear what his current health status is.

Atlanta claimed Murfee (elbow) off waivers from the Mets on Tuesday.

The Mets claimed Murfee off waivers from the Mariners in late October, but he's now moving on to a different organization in the NL East. The 29-year-old reliever underwent surgery this past July to repair the UCL in his right elbow and is expected to miss the first half of the 2024 campaign.

The Nationals selected Parker's contract from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Parker is now on the 40-man roster and protected from the Rule 5 Draft. The 24-year-old southpaw collected a 4.72 ERA and 150:61 K:BB over 124 innings between Double-A Harrisburg and Rochester in 2023. He'll likely return to Rochester to begin next season.

The Nationals selected Herz to their 40-man roster Tuesday.

Herz was acquired from the Cubs this past July as part of the Jeimer Candelario trade and is now protected from being plucked away from another organization in next month's Rule 5 Draft. The 22-year-old left-hander holds a career 3.64 ERA with a whopping 413 strikeouts in 281.2 total minor-league innings.

The Nationals designated Abbott for assignment Tuesday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

The Nats needed to free up some space on the 40-man roster prior to the Rule 5 protection deadline and Abbott is one of the casualties. Abbott posted a 6.64 ERA across 22 relief appearances with the big club in 2023 and seems likely to pass through waivers unclaimed.

The Nationals designated Smith for assignment Tuesday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Smith is due a bit of a raise in his final year of arbitration eligibility and the Nationals evidently weren't willing to give him a salary bump. The 28-year-old made $2 million in 2023 while slashing just .254/.326/.366 with 12 home runs over 153 games. Smith is still just 28, but with a .666 OPS since the start of the 2021 season, it might be difficult for him to find regular at-bats in 2024.

The Brewers selected Blalock to their 40-man roster Monday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The 22-year-old right-hander is likely at least a year away from putting himself in consideration for a spot in the big leagues, but the Brewers saw enough from Blalock following his Aug. 1 acquisition from the Red Sox to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft this winter. After missing most of the first two months of the past season season while finishing up his recovery from March 2022 Tommy John surgery, Blalock proceeded to turn in a 2.82 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 75:20 K:BB over 67 innings between stops at the Single-A and High-A levels.

Higgins signed a minor-league contract with the Reds on Monday.

The deal includes an invitation to major-league spring training. The 30-year-old had a .639 OPS in 83 games for the Cubs from 2021 through 2022 but spent all of 2023 at the Triple-A level between the Diamondbacks and Cubs organizations, posting an .857 OPS with 11 home runs. The Reds already appear set at catcher with Tyler Stephenson and Luke Maile, so Higgins will likely begin the 2024 season at Triple-A Louisville.

Oviedo is dealing with a right elbow injury which could potentially require Tommy John surgery, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Oviedo didn't battle any known elbow issues during the regular season, so this news comes out of the blue. Mackey notes that while nothing has been decided yet in regards to how the injury will be treated, Tommy John surgery "has been discussed." Oviedo would be sidelined until 2025 if that procedure is ultimately required. The right-hander went through ups and downs with the Pirates in 2023 but had a fairly encouraging season overall in collecting a 4.31 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 158:83 K:BB over 177.2 innings. It was more than a 60-inning jump from his 2022 workload.

De La Rosa cleared waivers Friday and was sent outright to Triple-A Rochester, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

De La Rosa has yet to advance past High-A ball in his professional career, so it's likely he returns to High-A Wilmington or moves up to Double-A Harrisburg to begin 2024. The 21-year-old outfield prospect slashed .240/.324/.361 with 42 RBI across 383 plate appearances with Wilmington this season and no longer holds a spot on the 40-man roster.