MLB Player News

Nationals manager Dave Martinez revealed Monday that Meneses played through a knee injury this season, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

It's not clear when Meneses' knee began bothering him, but Martinez indicated it's a big reason why the 31-year-old was basically a full-time designated hitter. With Dominic Smith no longer around, Martinez would like to use Meneses some at first base in 2024 and possibly even some in the outfield. As for how Meneses is progressing in his recovery from the knee problem, Martinez said the right-handed hitter is "doing a lot of agility stuff" this offseason and "looks good so far."

The Mets claimed Hummel off waivers from the Mariners on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Hummel, 29, went 2-for-23 at the plate during his time with the Mariners in 2023 but slashed .262/.409/.435 with eight homers and 26 steals at Triple-A Tacoma. He offers unique versatility with an ability to catch and also play the outfield. New Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was the Brewers' general manager when they drafted Hummel in 2016.

Ford became a free agent Friday after being non-tendered by the Mariners.

Ford was designated for assignment Tuesday and will now officially head to the open market. He was productive at times for Seattle in 2023 but struggled badly down the stretch. The 31-year-old owns a career .211 batting average and .309 on-base percentage in 234 total major-league games.

Lewis became a free agent after being non-tendered by the Diamondbacks on Friday.

Lewis won American League Rookie of the Year honors with the Mariners in 2020, but he's slashed just .150/.216/.280 over 116 major-league plate appearances since the beginning of the 2022 campaign. The 28-year-old played in only 16 games with the NL champions in 2023.

Vogelbach was non-tendered by the Mets on Friday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Vogelbach served as the Mets' primary designated hitter for a large portion of the 2023 season, but he posted a relatively underwhelming .233/.339/.404 batting line in 104 games (319 plate appearances) and is a liability against left-handed pitching. Mark Vientos appears poised to take over the DH role in Queens next year, pending the team's other offseason moves.

Ford was designated for assignment by the Mariners on Tuesday.

Ford was probably going to be non-tendered ahead of Friday's deadline had he remained part of the 40-man roster mix in Seattle. The 31-year-old served as the Mariners' primary designated hitter for a portion of the 2023 season but batted just .193 with a .663 OPS over his final 130 plate appearances. He'll likely elect free agency if he passes through waivers unclaimed.

Madris signed a minor-league contract with the Tigers on Monday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

He'll be in major-league camp during spring training. Madris was a waiver claim by the Tigers two offseasons ago but was traded before playing for them. The 27-year-old has managed just a .500 OPS over 51 games to this point at the major-league level. He'll likely begin 2024 at Triple-A Toledo.

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Wednesday that Morel will play first base in winter ball, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Morel has never appeared in a game at first base at any level of professional ball, but the Cubs are hoping that he might take well to the position and be an option for them there in 2024. The 24-year-old was primarily used at designated hitter down the stretch in 2023 because his defense anywhere in the field proved to be too unreliable.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Wednesday that Harper will strictly play first base moving forward, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

Harper is almost a full calendar year removed from his November 2022 Tommy John surgery and there has been some thought that he could return to the outfield in 2024, but the 31-year-old slugger apparently took a liking to first base this past season and will now make it his permanent position in Philadelphia. Dombrowski noted that he spoke to Harper at length behind the scenes before making this information public. Dombrowski also said he relayed the news to Rhys Hoskins, who could depart in free agency this winter.

The Tigers declined Cabrera's $30 million option for 2024 on Friday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

This was a formality, of course, as Cabrera will receive an $8 million buyout and head into retirement. The future Hall of Famer will finish his career with 511 home runs, 3,174 hits, two MVPs and one triple crown.