MLB Player News

Ohtani's fastball reached 100 mph in his bullpen session Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani topped out at 90 mph during his first bullpen session, which was either the sign of yet more arm troubles for the two-way sensation or simply the sign of a pitcher gradually getting up to speed to start camp. Thankfully, recent bullpen sessions have shown that it was clearly the latter, as he's now throwing significantly harder. Ohtani's fastball averaged 96.7 mph during his rookie season back in 2018 before he was shut down from pitching due to elbow troubles, and it looks as though he could sit in that range again this year.

Choi didn't work out with the Rays on Saturday due to a sore right knee, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Manager Kevin Cash said that Choi's knee issue likely stemmed from "over work" during the first few days of camp, and he'll be limited in the near future. He won't be able to play in Sunday's Grapefruit League opener, but Cash said that he should be fine in the coming days.

Alvarez (knee) will spend some time at first base during spring training if he's healthy, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

The Astros tried playing Alvarez at first base when he was in the minors, but the experiment never translated to major-league time at the position. While the team will test him out at first base once again this spring, it's not yet clear whether he'll be considered to play the position at any point during the regular season in 2021. The 23-year-old enters the season as a DH-only player and is "very unlikely" to play in the outfield this year, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Astros manager Dusty Baker suggested that it's "very unlikely" that Alvarez (knees) will play in the outfield this season, even if it's just for a game or two per week, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. "It's shown in the past that whenever [Alvarez] plays in the outfield, he's hurting for two or three days, you know what I mean?" Baker said. "Who knows? That's very speculative as to how much he's going to play or how he's going to feel. We're a long way from making that determination, I think. We're just trying to get him on the field as the DH first."

Alvarez already enters this season as a DH-only player, and while this news isn't really a surprise, it reinforces that he won't likely gain eligibility at another position this season. So long as his bat rebounds however, the 23-year-old will have more than enough fantasy value to compensate for any loss of roster flexibility.

Choi plans to focus exclusively on hitting from the left side this season after experimenting with switch-hitting during the 2020 campaign, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

The South Korean veteran saw all three components of his slash line decline in 2020, so he'll look to return to the form that helped him to a career-high 19 home runs and 63 RBI in 2019, a season during which he solely hit left-handed. Choi reports that he engaged in more heavy lifting than usual this winter since COVID-19 protocols in his native South Korea prevented him from taking any indoor fitness classes during the early part of the offseason.

Alvarez (knee) stretched and ran with his teammates Thursday but did not take batting practice, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez's knee issues limited him to just two games last season, and the fact that they're still limiting him to start camp this year doesn't seem like a good sign. It's possible the Astros are simply treating him with extreme caution with Opening Day still over a month away, and it's a positive that he's at least able to participate in some activities, but it's hard to be too confident in his health until he gets into game action.

Canha is a leading candidate to bat first for the Athletics this season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Marcus Semien and Tommy La Stella led off in all but four games for the Athletics last season, but neither of them are on the team this year. Canha primarily batted fifth and never hit higher than third, though he does seem like a natural fit for the role. He doesn't have the speed of a traditional leadoff man but has the on-base ability that managers look for. He owns a 14.1 percent walk rate over the last two seasons, helping him to an elite .393 on-base percentage, a number that ranks eighth among qualified hitters over that stretch. If he does indeed lead off, he'll trade a few RBI for a few runs. More importantly he'd see a bump in total plate appearances, which would slightly boost his fantasy value.

Ohtani said his fastball reached 97 mph during Wednesday's live batting practice session, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

There was some pessimism about Ohtani's pitching outlook after he topped out at just 90 mph during a bullpen session last Thursday, but the right-hander proved that those concerns were overblown during his time on the mound Wednesday. Notably, Ohtani hit 97 mph only once during his brief stint as a pitcher last season. The 26-year-old indicated that his elbow feels "much better" compared to 2020, and he could be poised for a bounceback as a hurler if he's able to keep healthy throughout the campaign.

Buxton reported to spring training at 212 pounds, up from 200 to 205 pounds in 2020, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Buxton has ranked in the 99th percentile among all players in sprint speed in each of his first six MLB seasons (per Statcast), going 62-for-71 on stolen-base attempts over that span. While the added weight might slow him a bit, it should help him more in terms of durability, which has long been a concern for the 27-year-old. The Twins have largely eschewed the run game in manager Rocco Baldelli's first two years at the helm, and though Buxton ranks as the team's top base-stealing threat, his opportunities to swipe bags could be more limited than his abilities suggest while he typically slots at the bottom of a strong Minnesota lineup. In fact, Buxton may be more of a power than speed play in fantasy these days; he mashed 13 home runs in 135 plate appearances in 2020, with his 9.6 HR/100 PA besting Luke Voit (9.4) for the MLB lead.

Ramirez (hamstring) was claimed off waivers by Cleveland on Wednesday.

Ramirez was designated for assignment by the Marlins earlier in February, but he'll land a spot on Cleveland's 40-man roster for spring training. The 26-year-old missed most of the 2020 season due to a positive COVID-19 test and a left hamstring strain. It's not yet clear whether he's fully healthy to begin spring training, but he should compete for a role in the outfield with his new club heading into the regular season.