MLB Player News

Cespedes will be the Mets' designated hitter on Opening Day, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

The game will be Cespedes' first in over two years, as he's missed time first due to a pair of heel surgeries and then due to a fractured ankle. The delayed season bought him extra time to get healthy, and while he's been told by team trainers to run at just 80 percent, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, he's considered at least healthy enough to hit. Whether or not he plays much in the field this season remains to be seen, but he'll be quite a useful bat for the Mets if he's truly healthy, as he owns a career .274/.328/.498 slash line over seven big-league seasons.

Buxton (foot) went through a workout Monday and will face live pitching Tuesday, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Buxton was able to run but didn't go full speed. It sounds like Buxton has a chance to be in the Opening Day lineup. Buxton suffered a left mid-foot sprain during Monday's intrasquad game and was carted off the field. However, he was back running Saturday.

Ohtani threw 72 pitches over five innings in an intrasquad game Sunday, allowing one run on five hits and four walks while striking out six, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.

Ohtani's summer struggles with his command continued Sunday, but he was otherwise effective in his final tuneup before the regular season. According to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, Ohtani confirmed Sunday that he'll start the Angels' third game of the season, which will take place Sunday at Oakland.

Manager Gabe Kapler said Monday that Belt (heel) won't be ready for Opening Day, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Belt had been dealing with right heel pain throughout camp, and Kapler confirmed Monday that the 32-year-old will begin the season on the injured list as he continues to recover. While he'll miss the first several games of the regular season, it remains to be seen exactly how much time he'll miss as a result of the injury. With Belt and Evan Longoria (oblique) sidelined, Wilmer Flores and Pablo Sandoval (elbow) could see an uptick in playing time to begin the year.

Goins was released by the Athletics on Sunday.

He was in camp on a minor-league deal and clearly wasn't going to make the Opening Day roster, so perhaps the decision was mutual. Either way, Goins will now look to offer infield depth to a different big-league club.

Buxton (foot) ran in the outfield Saturday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "He looks good. The swelling has not become a real issue. I'm encouraged we're going to see him out there sometime soon," said manager Rocco Baldelli.

Buxton suffered a left mid-foot sprain during Monday's intrasquad game and was carted off the field. It's encouraging that he's running and he has said he plans to be ready on Opening Day. However, he didn't participate in the team's live batting practice, so we'll need to see if he can increase his activities in the next few days.

Miller (heel/ankle) remains hopeful he'll be ready for Opening Day and feels he'll be able to ramp up quickly once he's given a green light to run again, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. "I think really just kind of taking it day to day," Miller said. "I think we've got it figured out, what we think's going on and got a way to kind of tame the inflammation and build it back up smart. I'm able to hit still and throw and all that, so I think when I get the thumbs up, I'll be able to go pretty quick."

Miller has been besieged by right heel and ankle soreness for the majority of summer camp, although he's been able to work back to participating in fielding drills and limited live batting practice while nursing the injuries. However, Miller has not been a part of any intrasquad games for precautionary reasons, and despite his optimism that he'd have a short preparation curve once given full clearance, the Cardinals are planning on exercising patience with the veteran since Edmundo Sosa and Max Schrock are both capable of providing infield depth.

Carpenter, who slugged a two-run homer during Friday's intrasquad game, was actually most satisfied with a long out he made because of the quality of his improved swing, Matt Rogers of MLB.com reports. "For me, 100 percent, it was the swing on the backdoor cutter from Miles [Mikolas]," Carpenter said. "For me to be able to take that swing on that pitch is right where I want to be. That pitch, to be able to stay on that pitch and be able to hit in the gap and get a chance for an extra-base hit -- I was way happier with that swing."

The veteran is considered a strong candidate to handle designated-hitter duties during the coming season, and he operated in that role Friday while hitting fifth. Carpenter spent considerable time this offseason working on his swing and looking to find his "hitting identity" after a pair of uneven seasons at the plate in 2018 and 2019 that have featured the two highest strikeout rates (23.4 and 26.2 percent) of his career. Specifically, Carpenter has been looking to hit to all fields more consistently in a manner akin to prior seasons, and he was encouragingly able to accomplish that both Friday and earlier in summer camp as well. The 34-year-old is also embracing the idea of primarily slotting in at DH, remarking Friday he's "more than willing to do it and learn it and adapt to it."

Cespedes is set to appear in both exhibition games against the Yankees this weekend, once as the designated hitter and once in left field, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

It's unlikely the veteran slugger will play the whole game in either case, but it's still an excellent sign that Cespedes is on track to be in the Opening Day lineup. Expect him to get most of his at-bats as the Mets' DH, but if Cespedes demonstrates he can handle a defensive assignment as well, it would only boost his playing time.

O'Keefe is benefiting from plenty of instructional time during summer camp, and the possibility exists he could see some action at the big-league level in 2020, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. "He's super excited to be a part of the organization, and a lot of the things that we've thrown at him on the defensive side he's really taken to," manager Scott Servais said. "He's got things to work on, but he's got power and a lot of arm strength. We're trying to focus on his receiving and getting that up to speed."

O'Keefe has yet to play above Double-A despite the fact he's 26 years old, although he does have a trio of double-digit home-run tallies on his minors resume. The Rule 5 pick out of the Cardinals organization appeared in 10 Cactus League games but logged only nine at-bats, hitting .222 with two RBI, two walks and two runs. While Tom Murphy and Austin Nola are set to handle most of the catching reps this season, Johns points out both may need reinforcement at some point -- Murphy has already missed time during summer camp twice due to fouling a ball off his foot and has started a relatively modest 110 games across his first five big-league seasons, while Nola has only four games of experience behind the dish.