#Roster moves

#Roster moves

Waller gets the activation with three practices under his belt after first being designated for return to practice this week from his pectoral injury. He missed the minimum four games on IR and then had the bye for an extra week of recuperation. He looked like himself in Friday's practice, catching routes on air in the red zone during a brief media viewing portion of drills.

Center Kirby Dach is out of action and on injured reserve with a fractured foot. Center Alex Newhook is out of action with a broken ankle and is also on injured reserve. Left winger Patrik Laine is out with an abdominal issue and defenseman Kaiden Guhle is on injured reserve and will miss 8-10 weeks after adductor muscle surgery. The center depth took a massive hit and so did the offense with the loss of Dach and NEwhook.

"It's a recognition that what we did last year wasn't good enough and running it back with the exact same group wasn't the right thing to do," Stearns said on a Monday Zoom with reporters. "He (Semien) balances our lineup from the right side which is something we were seeking to do."

A fifth-round pick out of Colorado State, Horton has caught 13 passes for 161 yards and five touchdowns. He also scored on a 95-yard punt return, the longest in team history. Horton fell to the fifth round after his final college season was cut short by a serious leg injury. He also missed time over the summer with a sprained ankle, but he still beat out veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling to be Seattle's third receiver.

The Atlanta Braves made yet another move this week, this time signing infielder Vidal Brujan to a split contract for the 2026 season. Brujan was acquired by the Braves in August. From there, he appeared in 24 games with a .268 batting average and a perfect fielding percentage. This split contract allows the Braves to gain position player depth while maintaining roster and financial flexibility if he's needed at the major league level.

After serving in a rotational role during his first season in Dallas, Hooker has emerged as one of the team's most dependable defenders in recent years. He missed only a pair of games between 2022 and 2024, starting 38 of his 49 appearances while hauling in six interceptions. For his efforts, Pro Football Focus graded him as an above-average safety in each of those three campaigns, including a 13th-place showing in 2022 and 14th-place finish in 2023.

Deommodore Lenoir is good to go for the 49ers today against the Arizona Cardinals. Lenoir was listed as questionable Friday with a calf injury which happened in practice Thursday while jogging off the field. We'll find out more when we get an MRI, coach Kyle Shanahan said. Apparently, for a change, the news was good as Lenoir is expected to take his place as a starting cornerback opposite Renardo Green.

Woll played two games with the AHL's Toronto Marlies, working his way back into game shape, after returning from a personal leave of absence on October 24. "Regardless of what situation I come into, I'm going to have the same mindset, whether it's game one or the Stanley Cup Final, it doesn't matter," Woll said after Friday's practice. "I think, you know, I've realized the importance of consistency in that way and I'm just going to come out and do my best, stick to my routine and things I know."

Apple, activated for the second time off the practice squad, was added to the roster for depth with Lenoir listed as questionable with a calf injury. Signed to a five-year, $92 million contract extension, last season, Lenoir has started all 10 games at cornerback after splitting time between corner and slot cyorner last season. The injury occurred during Thursday's practice and Shanahan said the following day Lenoir would be getting an MRI.

Conner, a sixth-round pick from Texas, has yet to debut as a rookie after suffering a knee injury in the preseason. The Cardinals placed Conner on IR with a return designation when they trimmed their roster to 53 players on Aug. 26. Now that Conner's back at practice, the Cardinals will have 21 days to activate him. Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson will miss Thursday's game against the Jets with a toe injury,

But let's be clear about one false narrative. The 49ers are not in a bad way because of their purge of the 2024 roster by coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. As much as the 49ers spoke of regret in bidding adieu to so many players, the process was logical and well thought out. With just one exception, the ex-49ers haven't exactly gone on to bigger and better things in their new homes.

"He really has that servant, leadership mentality behind the plate, which is really ingratiating himself with a lot of our pitchers," president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman added. "And obviously, the way they're throwing the ball has a lot to do with them, but at the same time, they feel so much comfort throwing to him as they're having that kind of success."

The Dodgers have 40 players under team control for the 2026 season and seven who are currently free agents. The Dodgers recently added prospects Robinson Ortiz and Ryan Ward to their 40-man roster in order to protect them from the upcoming MLB Rule 5 Draft. To make room for those additions, the Dodgers outrighted Justin Dean and Michael Grove to Triple-A Oklahoma City while designating Tony Gonsolin for assignment.

SEATTLE -- The Seattle Seahawks will be without Jarran Reed for at least the next four games after placing the veteran defensive tackle on injured reserve Saturday. Reed has been listed on Seattle's injury reports the last two weeks with a wrist injury but played in their win over the Washington Commanders last Sunday night and was a full participant in practice all three days this week.

The Nationals announced Thursday that infielder Trey Lipscomb went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Rochester. Washington also reinstated catcher Drew Millas, lefty and righties Trevor Williams and Josiah Gray from the 60-day injured list. The Nats currently have five openings on their 40-man roster. Lipscomb, 25, was the team's third-round pick in 2022. He's seen limited MLB time in each of the past two seasons, struggling to a .206/.272/.237 batting line in 215 turns at the plate.

The Marlins announced that five players have been outrighted off the 40-man roster. They are right-handers Jesús Tinoco, Tyler Zuber, Valente Bellozo and Freddy Tarnok, as well as catcher Brian Navarreto.

He wears a 'C' for a reason. He's an important part of this team, of this organization. He cares about winning, he cares about his teammates and I think when you're a team like ours that is looking forward to an opportunity to compete for a championship, you just don't get rid of guys like that.