MLB Player News

Barnhart is back in the fold with the Rangers as emergency catching depth at Triple-A Round Rock after electing free agency earlier this week. The 34-year-old journeyman passed through waivers unclaimed after being removed from the club’s active roster over the weekend.

Martínez, 37, began his pro career with the White Sox in 2006 and reached the majors 10 years later, hitting .298/.363/.458 with 41 homers in 1,288 plate appearances over four seasons for St. Louis. His big-league career ended in 2020, and he last played in the U.S. in the Mets system in 2021, but he stayed active in Mexico and in Venezuela, where he’s currently hitting .299/.378/.409 through 35 games for Aragua. Baseball Reference credits him with a total of 2,175 hits and a .303 average over 19 seasons of professional baseball.

Koperniak was designated for assignment on Wednesday to free up a spot on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster for Dustin May. He’ll remain on the big league side of camp in spring training where he’ll compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster. Koperniak hit .246/.317/.382 with 14 long balls and 65 RBI in 536 plate appearances at Triple-A Memphis in 2025.

The 23-year-old hurler had been designated for assignment earlier in the week but passed through waivers unclaimed this time around. He should get an opportunity in the spring to compete for a spot in the Braves’ Opening Day bullpen.

Forret, 21, was ranked as the 11th best prospect in the Orioles’ organization according to MLB Pipeline. A 14th round selection from the 2023 draft class, Forret posted a scintillating 1.58 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and a 91/21 K/BB ratio over 74 innings in 19 appearances (18 starts) between High-A Aberdeen and Double-A Chesapeake in 2025. There’s a whole lot to like about this right-hander and he could wind up making an impact in the big leagues sooner rather than later.

Bodine was a first round pick (30th overall) by the Orioles from the 2025 draft class after slashing a healthy .318/.454/.461 with five homers, 42 RBI and a 24/47 K/BB ratio in 313 plate appearances during his final season at Coastal Carolina. The 22-year-old backstop was ranked by MLB Pipeline as the 10th best prospect in the O’s organization.

Overn, 22, has drawn comparisons to outfielder Jake Mangum, who the Rays are trading away as part of a three-team deal with the Pirates on Friday. A third-round selection from the 2024 draft, Overn slashed .249/.355/.399 with 13 homers, 43 RBI, a blazing 64 stolen bases (in 72 attempts) and a 130/62 K/BB ratio over 477 plate appearances between High-A Aberdeen and Double-A Chesapeake in 2025.

The 18-year-old outfielder was a first round selection (37th overall) from this past June’s draft and has yet to play in a minor league game. He commanded a $4 million signing bonus, which was substantially higher than the $2.63 million allocated for the 37th pick in the draft. He’s a burner on the basepaths that projects as a player that will hit for a high batting average while playing quality defense in center field, though there are legitimate questions about his power potential.

Baz has always had more talent than his results have shown and given the massive haul of prospects that they were willing to give up, it appears as though the Orioles are a big believer that he can be a frontline piece of their rotation. The 26-year-old righty registered a 4.87 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and a 176/64 K/BB ratio over a career-high 166 1/3 frames across 31 starts in 2025. Baz is arbitration-eligible for the second time this winter and is under team control through the 2028 season.

The 31-year-old southpaw was just claimed off of waivers from the Braves last week, but he’ll get the boot from the O’s 40-man roster after Friday’s acquisition of Shane Baz. It’s possible that Walker could sneak through waivers this time around and continue to function as extra bullpen depth for the Orioles.

Bido had been designated for assignment by the Braves earlier in the week. The 30-year-old hurler posted an uninspiring 5.87 ERA over 79 2/3 innings in 26 appearances (10 starts) with the Athletics in 2025. He’ll add rotation depth for the Rays.