MLB Player News

Miller went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's 10-8 loss to the Blue Jays.

The veteran utility player got the start in left field and hit leadoff against right-hander Jose Berrios, and he got Texas off to a flying start by ripping the fourth pitch of the game over the fence in left-center field. Miller figures to see the strong side of a platoon role after posting an OPS north of .800 against RHP each of the last two seasons, and if he also continues to hit leadoff in those games, his fantasy value would get a further bump.

Stanton went 1-for-5 with a solo home run and four strikeouts in Friday's 6-5 win over the Red Sox.

Although Stanton's four strikeouts were cause for some concern, he helped salvage his performance with a game-tying homer in the bottom of the fourth inning. The 32-year-old stayed relatively healthy last year and hit 35 home runs in 139 games, but he had a 27.1 percent strikeout rate that he'll attempt to improve in 2022.

Encarnacion-Strand went 4-for-5 with two home runs and nine RBI for High-A Cedar Rapids in Friday's win.

Encarnacion-Strand, the 128th overall pick in the 2021 first-year player draft, hit .379 with a .999 OPS last season for Low-A Fort Myers. He'll need to show a better eye at the plate as he had a 28.3 percent strikeout rate and 5.4 percent walk rate last year, but he's off to a good start at High-A.

Lewis (knee) was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Lewis is still working his way back from surgery to repair a torn meniscus, a procedure he underwent last May. The Mariners had said early in camp that he wasn't expected to be ready for Opening Day, and that's in fact what ended up happening. He's been taking steps in the right direction however, so his absence may not be a long one. He'll return to a very crowded outfield, as the Mariners acquired Jesse Winker from the Reds in March and promoted 21-year-old phenom Julio Rodriguez to the Opening Day roster, but Lewis has a strong enough bat to carve out a role once he proves he's healthy.

Choi will sit for Friday's game against the Orioles with lefty John Means on the mound, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Choi is a career .179/.275/.282 hitter against lefties, and the Rays like their platoons, so he's unlikely to start against many southpaws this season. Harold Ramirez will get the start at first base Friday.

Ohtani (0-1) was tagged with the loss Thursday against the Astros after allowing one run on four hits and a walk while fanning nine across 4.2 innings.

The two-way star could not get out of the fifth inning, and while he looked dominant at times, the one run he allowed -- an RBI single from Alex Bregman that scored Michael Brantley -- was enough to tag him with the loss as the Angels' offense had little success on the night. Ohtani contributed to those struggles with an 0-for-4 performance from the leadoff spot. He went 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA last season in addition to his massive numbers at the plate, and he'll aim to earn his first win on the season when he faces the Rangers on the road next week.

Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Thursday's win over the Angels.

Alvarez served as the designated hitter and hit fourth in the lineup for the team's opening game of the 2022 season. He delivered his first home run of the new campaign in the eighth inning, going back-to-back with Alex Bregman. Alvarez is looking to build off his strong 2021 results, as he blasted 33 homers while hitting .277.

Mercedes (hand) was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday, retroactive to April 4.

Mercedes sustained a hamate fracture in his left hand that required surgery in late March, and he has a recovery timetable of approximately 6-8 weeks. It wouldn't be surprising to see the 29-year-old spend time in the minors once he's back to full health, but he should be in the mix to return to the big leagues at some point in 2022.

Collins is expected to break camp with the Blue Jays, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Collins was acquired from the White Sox for Reese McGuire in a swap of backup catchers Sunday. The Blue Jays still have Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk on the team, but it looks like Collins will stick around as an additional bench bat. He doesn't appear to have a path to regular starts unless someone ahead of him gets injured, however.

Ford was reassigned to minor-league camp Monday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Ford was in camp on a minor-league deal but faced an uphill battle to win a roster spot. He'll serve as organizational depth at first base, but his .199/.301/.422 slash line in 101 career major-league games isn't good enough for a regular role at the position.