Pederson is out of the lineup Thursday's game against the Rockies.

Southpaw Kyle Freeland will start Thursday's game on the mound for Colorado, sending the lefty-hitting Pederson into the dugout. Blaze Alexander will serve as the Arizona's designated hitter, making his MLB debut while Pederson sits.

Ohtani (elbow) played catch Monday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery last September, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ohtani was spotted throwing in the outfield following a scheduled press conference Monday afternoon to address the formal investigation into the matter involving his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, where Ohtani denied knowledge of Mizuhara using his money to place bets with an allegedly illegal bookmaker and voiced his full cooperation with the investigation, per Sportsnet LA. "I never bet on baseball or any other sports, or never have asked somebody to do it on my behalf," said Ohtani. "And I have never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports. Up until a couple days ago, I didn't know this was happening." As for Ohtani's rehab from elbow surgery, the team previously indicated that he'd begin a throwing program upon returning to Los Angeles, and if all goes well, he could have an outside shot to play in the outfield or at first base later in the season.

The Cubs optioned Canario to Triple-A Iowa on Monday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Canario made a push for an Opening Day roster spot but ultimately came up short. The 23-year-old missed much of the 2023 season while recovering from multiple surgeries but did get a cup of coffee with the big club in September. He could be used at all three outfield spots at Iowa.

The Mets optioned Vientos to Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Vientos looked as though he might begin the season as the Mets' top designated hitter in the short term while the newly signed J.D. Martinez completed his ramp-up program, but Mets manager Carlos Mendoza may prefer to take a committee approach to the DH spot until Martinez is ready to go. As a result, Vientos won't join the Mets for Opening Day, while the team instead reserves its final backup spot for infielder Zack Short, who offers more defensive versatility than Vientos. The 24-year-old Vientos should still be at the top of the list for a call-up if the Mets lose starting corner infielders Pete Alonso or Brett Baty or Martinez to an injury at any point in 2024.

The Nationals selected Winker to the major-league roster Sunday.

The 30-year-old joined the Nationals as a non-roster invitee in February and earned a place on the Opening Day roster with a .932 OPS in 15 Grapefruit League games. Winker posted a .567 OPS with Milwaukee last season but was limited to 61 games while returning from neck and knee surgeries, and he'll likely need to be more productive in 2024 in order to stick around in Washington.

Harper (back) is starting at first base in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

Harper was able to take seven at-bats on a back field Friday, one of which resulted in him legging out an infield single. The 31-year-old slugger figures to be ready to go for Opening Day, but he has gone just 5-for-22 with three runs scored this spring.

Martinez will spend at least 10 days preparing to join the Mets after the season begins, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

It's unclear whether Martinez's preparation will occur in Triple-A games or at the Mets' spring training facility, but he won't be available to serve as New York's DH until after the second weekend of the season. Manager Carlos Mendoza said Saturday that once Martinez is ready to make his Mets debut, he will bat fourth in the lineup behind Pete Alonso, per Tim Healey of Newsday.

The Cardinals optioned Baker to Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.

Baker was never able to get his bat going this spring, tallying nine hits in 44 at-bats while striking out 13 times. Baker slashed .334/.439/.720 with 33 homers and 98 RBI in Triple-A last season, and if he's able to find his swing again in the minors, he may return to the Cardinals' bench at some point this summer.

Major League Baseball issued a statement Friday announcing that its Department of Investigations has begun the formal process of investigating the matter involving Ohtani and his longtime interpreter. "Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhari from the news media. Earlier today, our Department of Investigations (DOI) began their formal process investigating the matter."

Ohtani's interpreter was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday and Ohtani's camp is accusing Mizuhara of using the player's money to place bets with an allegedly illegal bookmaker. While it was reported Thursday that Ohtani was not under investigation by the league, the commissioner's office has since decided this matter warrants a closer look. There is a lot about the situation that is uncertain and that uncertainty will likely alter Ohtani's fantasy draft positioning over the rest of March.

The Reds reassigned Ford to Triple-A Louisville on Friday, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Ford slashed .455/.486/.727 with three homers this spring but nonetheless wasn't able to make the Opening Day roster. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him opt out and look for an opportunity elsewhere.