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  • Justin Turner 1B | CHC

    Blue Jays' Justin Turner: Swats first spring homer

    Turner went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

    The veteran slugger got hold of a Roansy Contreras offering in the first inning and launched it down the left-field line for his first homer of the spring. Turner is batting .333 (8-for-24) in Grapefruit League action with a 5:4 BB:K, and the 39-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down as he gets ready for his first season in a Blue Jays uniform.

  • Justin Turner 1B | CHC

    Blue Jays' Justin Turner: Three hits in Tuesday's game

    Turner went 3-for-3 with two RBI in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

    New York didn't send its A-listers to Dunedin for the contest -- Turner's singles came off Dennis Santana, Duane Underwood and Clayton Andrews -- but it was still a nice performance from the 39-year-old slugger. Turner is batting .333 (7-for-21) through 10 spring contests with a 5:4 BB:K, although his only extra-base hit so far is a double. He's expected to spend most of the season as the Blue Jays' DH while hitting in the heart of the order.

  • Blue Jays' Daniel Vogelbach: Could fit on Jays' bench

    Vogelbach is making a strong push for a spot on Toronto's Opening Day roster, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

    The 31-year-old signed as a non-roster invitee in February with Toronto, and an early spring homer off Gerrit Cole served as a reminder of what Vogelbach can provide to the club off the bench. Meanwhile, his main competition for a role as a left-handed DH and pinch hitter, Spencer Horwitz, is still looking for his first hit of the spring through six games. After a rough start to the 2023 campaign with the Mets, Vogelbach rebounded to slash .245/.344/.481 after the All-Star break with eight home runs in 122 plate appearances.

  • Brent Rooker DH | ATH

    Athletics' Brent Rooker: Bat starting to come around

    Rooker went 1-for-3 with a run in a Cactus League win over the Angels on Wednesday.

    The Athletics' primary designated hitter was 0-for-4 through his first two spring games, but he's bounced back to go 4-for-15 with a home run, two RBI, a walk, a stolen base and four runs over his subsequent five exhibitions. Rooker broke out with an out-of-nowhere 30-homer tally in 2023 while playing a career-high 137 games, although a 32.7 percent strikeout rate he'll be looking to significantly shave down this season helped cap his adequate .246 average and encouraging .329 on-base percentage from being even better.

  • Rangel Ravelo DH | SEA

    Mariners' Rangel Ravelo: Removed from big-league camp

    The Mariners reassigned Ravelo to minor-league camp Saturday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

    After signing an NRI deal with Seattle in the offseason, Ravelo appeared in just two games and logged one hit in four trips to the plate. Ravelo slashed .310/.428/.473 with 35 RBI with the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate last year, and he may see time in the big leagues this season if his bat stays hot in the minors.

  • Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Struggling to begin spring

    Kjerstad has gone 2-for-14 over his first five Grapefruit League games.

    That's not a good sign for Kjerstad, who is in the midst of a tough battle for a roster spot. The Orioles' starting outfield is set with Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins and Anthony Santander, and while the team could carry two extra outfielders, Jorge Mateo includes outfield in his portfolio as a utility player. Kjerstad will need to get his bat going to separate himself from competition like Colton Cowser and Kyle Stowers.

  • Byron Buxton DH | MIN

    Twins' Byron Buxton: Makes another start in center field

    Buxton started in center field and went 0-for-2 with a walk in Friday's Grapefruit League win over Boston.

    Buxton played center field for the second time in four days without issue, which is a sign the Twins are confident he's healthy as the regular season approaches. The plan is for the talented 30-year-old to be the team's primary center fielder in 2024 after he was a full-time designated hitter in 2023. Buxton underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee in October in order to limit the chances of future flareups of the patella tendinitis that has kept him from playing in the field.

  • Eloy Jimenez DH | TB

    White Sox's Eloy Jimenez: Could play right field

    Jimenez is entering the 2024 season healthy and could occasionally play in right field, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

    Jimenez played 120 games in 2023, his highest mark since the 2019 season. However, he posted a career-worst .169 ISO while swatting only 18 home runs. Jimenez is set to hit free agency at the close of the season, so adding some defensive value back into his profile could help his cause on the open market.

  • Mitch Garver C | SEA

    Mariners' Mitch Garver: Slugs first Mariners homer

    Garver went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in the Mariners' Cactus League tie with the Giants on Tuesday.

    The offseason addition belted a Jordan Hicks offering in the first inning into the left field seats with Dylan Moore aboard to give Seattle an early 2-0 lead. The hit marked Garver's first in what was his second Cactus League game, and making it all the more impressive was it came off one of Hicks' signature triple-digit sinkers, per Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle. Garver drew the start at designated hitter, where he's expected to log nearly all his playing time in 2024.

  • Byron Buxton DH | MIN

    Twins' Byron Buxton: Starting in center field Tuesday

    Buxton is starting in center field and batting second for the Twins in Tuesday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Phillies, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

    It's Buxton's first start this spring and the first time he'll play center field since August 2022. The plan is for the talented 30-year-old to be the Twins' primary center fielder in 2024 after he was a full-time designated hitter in 2023. Buxton had knee surgery in October but reported to camp fully healthy.

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