Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that Ohtani (shoulder/elbow) will not pitch in Cactus League games this spring, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

The announcement comes as little surprise, as the Dodgers don't yet have a date for Ohtani to resume throwing full bullpen sessions. While Ohtani is unlikely to join the Los Angeles rotation until May as he works his way back from right elbow surgery and left shoulder surgery, he's fully expected to serve as the team's designated hitter for its season-opening series against the Cubs in Tokyo on March 18 and 19.

Canario has a good chance at making Chicago's Opening Day roster in a bench role, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

After appearing in six games for the Cubs as a rookie in 2023, Canario saw 15 games of action last year. He's still just 24 years old and hit for significant power at Triple-A last year (.514 SLG, .271 ISO), but the main reason he's a favorite to make the club is that he's out of minor-league options. Given that Canario has a 42.2 percent strikeout rate and 4.4 percent walk rate in the majors and struck out at a 30.4 percent clip in the minors last year, he'd likely be limited to work against southpaws if he makes the club.

Vientos is slated to remain at third base for the Mets following their re-signing of Pete Alonso, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Vientos was set to shift to first base when it looked like Alonso was headed elsewhere, but he'll now get to stick at the hot corner. The 25-year-old appears set to bat cleanup behind Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Alonso, setting him up for plenty of RBI opportunities.

Manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that having Ohtani (shoulder) pitching by May "sounds about right," Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani has yet to take the mound for the Dodgers after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September of 2023, and he underwent another procedure to repair a labrum tear in his left shoulder after the World Series last year. While his hiatus from pitching will seemingly extend about a month into the regular season, there's been no indication that the two-way superstar's surgeries will prevent him from being part of Los Angeles' Opening Day lineup. Ohtani has already proven that rehabbing from surgery doesn't bother him much at the plate, as he slashed .310/.390/.646 while recording the first 50-50 season in MLB history en route to being unanimously named the National League's MVP -- all while recovering from his Tommy John procedure.

The Mets' current plan is to have Vientos be their first baseman this season, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

That's assuming Pete Alonso isn't re-signed, which is now the expectation. Vientos had a breakout season offensively in 2024, slashing .266/.322/.516 with 27 home runs over 111 regular-season contests for the Mets before adding another five long balls and a .998 OPS in the playoffs. The 25-year-old earned minus-6 Outs Above Average at third base, so a move to the cold corner isn't a surprise. Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio (knee) and Luisangel Acuna are in line to compete for the third base job.

The Mets and Torrens avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract Thursday.

Torrens was eligible for arbitration for the second time. He's slated to open the 2025 season as the Mets' backup catcher behind Francisco Alvarez.

The Pirates signed McCutchen to a one-year, $5 million contract Monday, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

It's the same contract terms that McCutchen inked last offseason. The 38-year-old collected a .739 OPS with 20 home runs in 2024 as the Pirates' full-time designated hitter. He should have the same role for Pittsburgh in 2025.

Atlanta signed Capel to a minor-league contract Dec. 7.

Capel, 27, saw some spot duty with the Reds in 2024 but spent most of the year at Triple-A Louisville, putting up a .774 OPS with 12 homers in 74 contests. The outfielder is likely to begin the 2025 season at Triple-A Gwinnett.

Manager Dave Roberts stated he's unlikely to deploy Ohtani (shoulder) as a pitcher during the team's opening series against the Cubs in Tokyo, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

The Dodgers are expected to exercise caution as the club brings him back to the mound following Tommy John surgery, so this report isn't a big surprise. Roberts also mentioned that once Ohtani is cleared to pitch, he expects to utilize the reigning MVP in the DH slot on the days he pitches.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Monday that the team views Vientos as its third baseman right now, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports.

"Right now" is key, of course, as the Mets seem virtually certain to acquire a corner infielder and that will help determine whether Vientos plays the hot or cold corner. Regardless of the position he plays, Vientos is going to occupy a spot in the middle of the Mets' lineup, perhaps batting third after Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto.