MLB teams have been checking on the availability of Baltimore Orioles 19-year-old catching prospect Samuel Basallo. However, executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias doesn't seem eager to move Basallo and would probably have to be blown away by an offer. Adley Rutschman is blocking him at the major-league level, but Basallo doesn't turn 20 until August and is the No. 10 prospect in Baseball America's top 100 and MLB Pipeline's No. 2 catching prospect. He has played in only four games at the Double-A level. Basallo also plays first base and could serve as the designated hitter if needed. He will keep developing in the minors in 2024 and will likely join Triple-A Norfolk later in the summer. There's growing speculation that Basallo could give the O's four straight No. 1 overall prospects in Baseball America's rankings, following Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday.

Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm) is throwing from 80 feet on flat ground and said that he's feeling good. He also said that a return later this summer seems feasible. McCullers had surgery to fix a torn flexor tendon in his right arm in June and was forced to miss all of the 2023 season. The 30-year-old oft-injured pitcher is making progress this offseason, though, but at best, he's going to pitch half a season in 2024. When healthy, McCullers will be a starting-rotation staple for the Astros, but he's probably going to need to knock off some rust and Houston isn't going to rush him back. McCullers hasn't pitched at any level since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series. He might be worth stashing in some fantasy leagues, but there's no telling which version of McCullers we're going to get when he returns in the second half of 2024.

The New York Yankees designated outfielder Bubba Thompson for assignment on Friday to make room on their 40-man roster for the addition of right-handed Luke Weaver, who was previously signed to a one-year major-league deal for the 2024 season. Thompson could remain with the organization if he's not claimed off waivers by another club. The 25-year-old former first-round pick of the Texas Rangers in 2017 hasn't panned out after hitting .242 (54-for-223) with a home run, 13 RBI and 22 stolen bases the last two years for the Rangers in 92 games played. In 37 games this past season, he went 9-for-53 (.170) with no homers, four RBI and 16 strikeouts in 60 plate appearances. Thompson hit .256/.334/.391 in 302 trips to the plate at Triple-A Round Rock.

Free-agent second baseman Rougned Odor has signed with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball on Saturday. Odor will take his talents overseas to Japan after playing 59 games in the big leagues for the San Diego Padres in 2023, where he slashed a weak .203/.299/.355 with four home runs and 18 RBI in 157 plate appearances before he was released in July. The 29-year-old left-handed slugger never made it back to the big leagues with another team to close out 2023. Odor will go to Japan hoping that a solid season overseas will get big-league teams interested in him again in 2025. Over 10 years in the majors with the Padres, Rangers, Yankees and Orioles, Odor has hit .230/.288/.422 with 178 home runs and 568 RBI in 1,154 career games.

Free-agent relief pitcher John Brebbia is in agreement with the Chicago White Sox on a one-year, $5.5 million deal on Saturday, pending a physical. Brebbia comes to the White Sox after going 3-5 with a 3.99 ERA (3.93 FIP) and 1.17 WHIP with 14 walks and 47 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings pitched over 40 appearances (10 starts) for the San Francisco Giants in his third year with the team. The 33-year-old also missed some time last season due to a lat injury and wasn't very good upon his return. The White Sox are entering the 2024 campaign in a rebuilding phase, so Brebbia should see plenty of work in a thin Chicago bullpen as either a middle reliever or a setup man while also seeing a handful of "starts" as an opener. Fantasy managers can ignore him in the vast majority of leagues.