MLB Player News

Ramirez signed a minor-league contract with the Marlins on Monday, John Dreker of piratesprospects.com reports.

Ramirez has been stuck in neutral at the Double-A level for three seasons, but he should advance to Triple-A in the Marlins' organization this upcoming season after winning an Eastern League batting title (.320 average). Given the team's dearth of outfield options, it's not unreasonable to think Ramirez could even crack the big leagues at some point in 2019.

Reyes will undergo surgery Thursday to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Reyes picked up the injury earlier in the month while playing in the Dominican Winter League, and surgery was ultimately deemed necessary after further evaluation. The procedure typically carries a four-to-eight week recovery timetable, so the expectation is that Reyes will be ready to go for spring training. Prior to suffering the injury, Reyes hit .444/.510/.689 with three homers and six RBI in 13 games for Escogido.

Reyes is scheduled to have his right knee evaluated in San Diego this week, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Reyes was playing in the Dominican Winter League when he first experienced right knee discomfort earlier in the month. The 23-year-old sat out for a week before it was determined that he should return to San Diego for further evaluation. Reyes, who was in the midst of an 11-game hitting streak prior to suffering the injury, compiled a .444/.510/.689 slash line with three homers and six RBI in 13 games for Escogido.

Ramirez signed a minor-league contract with the Pirates on Monday, John Dreker of piratesprospects.com reports.

Ramirez was originally a member of the Pirates' organization before he was dealt to Toronto in 2016 as part of the Francisco Liriano trade. The 24-year-old was outrighted off the Blue Jays' 40-man roster after a poor 2017 campaign but remained in the organization in 2018, hitting an impressive .320/.365/.471 for Double-A New Hampshire.

Ozuna is scheduled to undergo a procedure to clean up his shoulder Tuesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Ozuna dealt with shoulder injuries throughout the 2018 season, and it was determined after a meeting with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Tuesday that the outfielder's best course of action would be a shoulder scope. Ozuna, who hit .280/.325/.433 with 23 homers and 88 RBI in his first season with the Cardinals in 2018, is expected to be fully healthy for spring training.

Pederson is not in the starting lineup for Game 5 of the World Series against Boston on Sunday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Pederson will begin the game on the bench with lefty David Price slated to toe the rubber for the opposition. Pederson will server as a valuable left-handed bat in the later innings.

Pederson is not in the lineup for Game 4 of the World Series against the Red Sox on Saturday.

As usual, Pederson will head to the bench to avoid a lefty-on-lefty matchup with Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez. Chris Taylor will get the starting nod in left field to replace him.

Cespedes underwent a second surgery to remove the calcifications in his left heel Friday.

Cespedes is expected to resume baseball activities around late February/early March, though the Mets aren't anticipating him to return until the second half of the 2019 season, per Mike Puma of the New York Post. The main reason his return to the field is projected for a few months after he's initially slated to start activities is due to the fact that he won't be able to advance to a running program until late March. The outfielder is hopeful that he'll be able to return before the All-Star break. Cespedes previously underwent a similar procedure on his right heel in early August.

Pederson is slated to bat leadoff in Game 3 of the World Series against Boston on Friday, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Pederson was kept on the bench against southpaws in the first two games, but he'll sit atop the lineup with right-hander Rick Porcello scheduled to toe the rubber for the opposition. After Los Angeles dropped both games on the road, manager Dave Roberts will look to shake up his starting nine to spark some offense.

Cespedes' second heel surgery has been delayed, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Cespedes was originally scheduled to go under the knife Tuesday, but the surgery was delayed due to a scheduling conflict. The veteran outfielder is still scheduled to undergo the procedure before the end of the month, keeping him on track to begin baseball activities around the end of February or beginning of March. Cespedes isn't expected to be able to run at that point, however, so he likely won't be ready for the start of spring training. Look for his status to be updated as he progresses in his post-surgery rehab program.