MLB Player News

Brantley (ankle) took part in batting practice Monday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Brantley, who underwent ankle surgery in October, is still behind other outfielders as spring camp starts up, but he continues to progress through his rehab with hopes of being ready for the start of the season. For the time being, however, his status for Opening Day remains up in the air, as the Indians are looking to proceed cautiously with the 30-year-old outfielder in an attempt to increase his longevity. Cleveland will continue to evaluate Brantley as he tests out his ankle during camp, so his status will be worth monitoring throughout spring.

General Manager Jerry Dipoto said Lewis had a scope on his right knee, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

This is another tough break for Lewis, who just can't seem to stay healthy. In two seasons as a pro, the 22-year-old has appeared in just 81 games due to recurring knee issues stemming from ACL surgery he underwent in July of 2016. The hope is that Lewis, who underwent the procedure some 10 days ago, will be back on the field near the end of April, though the team will obviously proceed cautiously with the injury-prone outfielder.

Martinez signed with Boston on Monday, Pedro Gomez of ESPN reports.

The long-rumored deal has finally been signed, and Boston now has the power bat they've coveted all offseason. Moving from Chase Field to anywhere other than Colorado represents a downgrade in terms of park factors, but the move should still be a fine one for Martinez's fantasy value. While the Green Monster may depress Martinez's home run total a bit, his overall production should remain quite strong in a solid Red Sox lineup. Expect big things from the 30-year-old slugger in Boston this year.

Cabrera arrived at the Tigers' spring-training facility Sunday and said he feels healthy after focusing his offseason workouts on strengthening his core and back muscles, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Injuries to the two muscle groups not only played a role in limiting Cabrera to 130 games last season, but more significantly, they hampered him greatly at the plate. While playing with two herniated discs in his back in 2017, Cabrera struggled to a .249/.329/.399 slash line in 529 plate appearances, amounting to a 228-point drop in OPS from the season prior. It's likely that some of the 34-year-old's performance dip was also a byproduct of aging, but with a modicum of better health entering the upcoming season, Cabrera seems capable of bouncing back on some level, though to what extent is difficult to predict.

Brantley (ankle) is behind other outfielders and is questionable for Opening Day, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Brantley, who underwent surgery on his ankle in October, has taken part in loss toss and some limited hitting in the cages, but is limited to straight-ahead jogging for now. The Indians will continue to evaluate Brantley as he tests out the ankle during training camp, so he could still be ready for the start of the season, but president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said the team is taking a longer-view approach, one that gets Cleveland "the best version of Michael Brantley for as much of the season as possible."

Ohtani (ankle, elbow) will not only be available to pinch hit on days where he is not pitching or starting at DH, but he will be available as a pinch runner as well, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ohtani has famously been clocked as an 80-grade runner in the past, so from a pure talent standpoint, he may be the Angels' best pinch-running option late in games. This adds some minor value to his profile in leagues where owners can start him as a hitter. Ohtani will throw two innings of live batting practice Saturday and will hit in live batting practice Tuesday and Wednesday, suggesting that he is close to fully recovered from lingering ankle and elbow issues.

Miller (groin) has fully recovered from offseason core muscle surgery that addressed his groin and lower abdominals in late October, Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reports.

Last week, Rays manager Kevin Cash stated that Miller is the top in-house candidate to take over the first base job for this upcoming season, although there is always the chance that the club acquires veteran talent on the free-agent market at any given time. In the event that the Rays make a move, Miller would stilll be in line to receive a majority of time at the keystone. During the 2017 campaign he slashed .201/.327/.337 with nine home runs, 40 RBI and five stolen bases in 110 games.

The Angels hope that Ohtani (ankle, elbow) will be able to make two or three starts per week as a designated hitter, though manager Mike Scioscia noted the 23-year-old's greatest impact will come on the mound, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports. "He's probably going to influence our team more as a pitcher," Scioscia said. "But that's not to say he's not going to have a chance to make a difference on the offensive end, too."

Ohtani, who is easing back to full strength from a Grade 1 UCL sprain and an October ankle procedure, threw his first bullpen session of the spring Thursday and looks on track to be ready for the start of the season. In an effort to make the lefty's transition from Nippon Professional Baseball to MLB as seamless as possible, Scioscia said the Angels would deploy a six-man rotation to open the season, thereby allowing Ohtani to remain on the once-a-week pitching regimen he used in Japan. Though there's a good chance Ohtani will have his innings capped at some point in the second half if he stays healthy, his 100 mile-per-hour fastball and deep selection of breaking pitches could make him an elite fantasy option right away, at least on a per-start basis.

Ohtani (ankle, elbow) threw his first official bullpen Thursday, Pedro Moura of The Athletic Los Angeles reports.

Ohtani also took batting practice Wednesday, and the two-way superstar remains on track to be fully operational for the start of spring training. He shouldn't face any restrictions in camp, though the Angels may ultimately choose to monitor his workload seeing as he spent all offseason working his way back from a pair of injuries (an ankle injury that required surgery in October along with a Grade 1 UCL sprain).

Brantley (ankle) has been able to begin some partial hitting drills and will start to work in agility drills in the coming weeks, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports.

Brantley is also throwing and doing some straight-line running but hasn't started cutting or sprinting at this point in time. It appears as though he's on schedule to be fully cleared by Opening Day, although more should be known once he's allowed to start more extensive agility drills to test the ankle.