MLB Player News

Ohtani (elbow) has continued to play catch on flat ground and may throw off a mound in a couple weeks, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani had thrown off a mound nearly a month ago, though that session was described as low-effort work. Presumably, he's now ramping up the intensity of his throwing program as the team's goal remains for him to retake the mound in mid-May for game action.

Reyes went 12-for-27 with five home runs, 11 RBI and a stolen base across 10 games in spring training.

Reyes lost 18 pounds over the offseason, and it was clear from the start that he was feeling good at the dish. He clubbed 37 home runs and drove in 81 runs across 150 contests in 2019 and is expected to spend the majority of his time in the designated hitter slot for Cleveland once the 2020 campaign gets underway.

Stanton (calf) would be playing in spring training games if they were being played, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Stanton's calf strain that he suffered back in February was expected to keep him out until sometime in April. The delayed start to the season means he should have no trouble making it back for whenever Opening Day ends up being, but he's apparently doing well enough that he's already healthy enough for exhibition game action. The slugger's stock should be rising again based on the fact that he won't be opening the season on the injured list, though whether or not he can remain injury-free remains an open question.

The Astros hope to have Alvarez (knee) play left field more frequently this season than he did as a rookie, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Heading into the 2020 season, Alvarez will likely only be eligible as a utility player in most fantasy leagues after logging 74 appearances as a designated hitter in 2019 and only 10 in the outfield. The slugging 22-year-old is still expected to slot in as the Astros' primary DH in his sophomore campaign, but Alvarez could still see a boost in his field work on the occasions manager Dusty Baker wants to give veteran corner outfielders MIchael Brantley and/or Josh Reddick a breather. Before MLB suspended its season March 12, Alvarez had been sidelined with soreness in both knees, but he's expected to be healthy once baseball resumes in mid-May or later.

Brantley hit .316 (6-for-19) with a home run, a double, three walks, four RBI and three runs scored over eight Grapefruit League games.

The health concerns of 2016 and 2017, when Brantley played a combined 101 games, have been mostly put to rest as he recorded a second straight season of more than 600 plate appearances in 2019. The 32-year-old outfielder picked up this spring where he left off last season, when he hit .311/.372/.503 while launching a career-high 22 home runs. He'll be the Astros' starting left fielder in 2020 while slotting into the top half of the batting order where the potent Houston lineup gives him ample opportunity to score and drive in runs.

Detroit manager Ron Gardenhire said he has been impressed by Cabrera's bat speed this spring and thinks the veteran can be an "impact" player this season, Will Burchfield of 97.1 The Ticket reports.

Gardenhire said Cabrera's body "wouldn't let him do his thing" last season but added that the 36-year-old looked much better before spring training was suspended. "He's moving well, he looks great, you can tell he feels great," Gardenhire said. "He's eating great. And he's got bat speed he didn't have last year." The veteran Cabrera hit a solid .282/.346/.398 in 2019, but he was only able to provide 12 home runs and 59 RBI in 136 games. He hasn't topped 20 home runs or 100 RBI since 2016, so a huge surge in production this year seems unlikely.

The Diamondbacks have reassigned Beer to their minor-league camp, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Beer, the Diamondbacks' seventh-ranked prospect according to RotoWire, batted .176 (3-for-17) with three walks, an RBI and a run scored over 10 Cactus League games. A first-round pick of the Astros in 2018, Beer joined the Diamondbacks in 2019, when Arizona traded Zack Greinke to Houston. He seems like an odd fit for a National League team, as his defensive limitations may make designated hitter his best position. Plus, even if he shows promise at first base, the Diamondbacks have several first baseman ahead of Beer. The change in organizations led to a drastic decline in production, as Beer slashed .205/.388/.318 with one home run over 24 games at Double-A Jackson. This, after he bashed 25 homers in 98 games while in the Astros' system. Let's chalk that up to poor transitional adjustment and see what happens to Beer in his first full year with the new organization.

Choi was hitting .273 (6-for-22) with a home run, three RBI, seven walks and three runs across 10 Grapefruit League games before spring training was suspended.

Choi's first full Rays season in 2019 was a success, as the 28-year-old posted career highs in doubles (20), home runs (19), RBI (63), walks (64) and runs (54). Choi also generated an impressive and career-best .363 on-base percentage last season, and although Jose Martinez was brought in this offseason as a possible platoon mate at first base, the latter's defensive deficiencies may ultimately limit his opportunities. However, Choi's career-long struggles versus left-handed pitching still project to cap his opportunities versus southpaws, with Yandy Diaz also available to fill in when a left-hander is on the hill.

Ozuna was having a rough spring at the plate when MLB was put on pause, hitting .083 (2-for-24) with no extra-base hits and a 1:12 BB:K.

If he were a kid trying to crack the roster for the first time that kind of performance would be worrisome, but Ozuna's track record suggests it was just a matter of time before he found his rhythm, although the interruption in the schedule could reset that clock back to zero. After slugging at least 23 homers in four straight years, the 29-year-old is set to hold down a spot in the heart of Atlanta's batting order once the regular season finally begins.

Vogelbach, who was hitting .321 (9-for-28) prior to the suspension of spring training, focused on being more aggressive early in counts and improving against left-handed pitching this offseason, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. "I feel really good," the Florida native reaffirmed. "I'm swinging at strikes. I feel really good off lefties, and that was my goal coming into Spring Training -- to try to dominate lefties. Every time a lefty is on the mound, really lock in and try to dominate them. It's something I needed to get better from last year and is a goal of mine, and it starts in Spring Training."

Vogelbach is expected to primarily operate at designated hitter this season with rookie Evan White taking over at first base, so he should have plenty of time to remain focused on the improvements he attempted to make this offseason. The burly slugger's motivation was a poor second half of last season -- one in which he slashed an anemic .162/.286/.341 -- and he also generated an unsightly .161/.288/.315 line versus southpaws in 2019. Both Vogelbach and manager Scott Servais also came to the conclusion the 27-year-old was too passive in the post-All-Star-break portion of the campaign, as he posted a .926 OPS when putting the first pitch in play and a .587 figure when getting behind in the count. With Tom Murphy and Aaron Nola both poised to see some time at designated hitter as well this season, Vogelbach will still sit against some left-handers, but his production prior to the pause in play offered reason for optimism.