MLB Player News

Ohtani is considering adding a leg kick to his swing, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

While Ohtani has yet to commit to implementing the leg kick in his hitting approach, he believes that doing so could improve his timing at the plate. That could potentially help him improve upon the subpar 25.9 percent strikeout rate he posted in 2019.

Brantely went 1-for-2 with a walk, a home run and two runs scored in Friday's game against the Marlins.

This was Brantley's second spring appearance, and he's reached base safely in four of five plate appearances. Brantley loved life in the potent Houston lineup last season, and he'll be in a similar environment in 2020. The 32-year-old outfielder batted second Friday but is presumed to be the No. 3 hitter in the regular season, safely tucked in between Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman.

Mercedes went 1-for-2 with a grand slam home in Friday's spring game against Cleveland.

Mercedes has made an early splash in the Cactus League, going 4-for-9 with a pair of home runs. Friday's homer was a 400-foot-plus shot to go along with an even longer blast against the Dodgers on Monday. He still has a ways to go defensively, but the White Sox added him to the 40-man roster during the offseason and are clearly intrigued by his bat. The stockily built catcher has 83 home runs across 617 career minor league games.

McCutchen (knee) will open the season on the injured list, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

McCutchen is still working his way back from the ACL tear he suffered last June. At the start of February, he said that he expected to be ready to go by the start of the regular season, but things have evidently not progressed as he'd hoped. The Phillies hope he'll be back sometime in April. In his absence, Jay Bruce, Nick Williams and Roman Quinn could play larger roles.

Pederson (side/hip) swung in a batting cage Friday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Pederson has been out with a strained side and a sore hip for over a week, but he both played catch and took some swings Friday, so he's seemingly on the mend. Assuming he gets back into game action soon and doesn't suffer any setbacks, he should have enough time to be ready for Opening Day.

Pederson (side/hip) played catch Friday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Pederson was sidelined by the issue for a week, but the fact that he's resuming baseball activities nearly a month before Opening Day bodes well for his chances of avoiding a trip to the injured list. It remains to be seen when he'll get back into game action.

Manager Mike Shildt said he expects Carpenter (back) to rejoin the lineup "Sunday-ish," Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The veteran infielder was previously expected to return to action Saturday, but the team will continue to take a conservative approach with his recovery. Carpenter hasn't suffered any setbacks and is expected to take batting practice Friday, which figures to be one of the final hurdles before he's officially cleared.

Winker (wrist) is in the lineup for Friday's spring game against the A's, according to MLB.com.

Winker has not played since being hit by a pitch on the wrist Sunday, but he is ready to get back on the field after a few days of rest and recovery. Winker will be limited to DH duty Friday, but his presence in the lineup confirms he is not dealing with any sort of serious injury.

Carpenter (back) completed a full-body workout and ran sprints Thursday, Jeff Jones of MLB.com reports.

Carpenter was scratched from the lineup ahead of Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins after experiencing back tightness, but his removal looks to have been strictly precautionary. The Cardinals' training staff was satisfied with how he looked after re-evaluating him Thursday, leaving Carpenter optimistic that he'll be ready to play Saturday against the Nationals. He's expected to take batting practice Friday as a final test of his health before drawing back into the spring lineup.

Carpenter (back) called his removal from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins "super preventative" and expects to be back in the lineup Saturday, Mark Saxon of The Athletic reports.

Carpenter's absence appears to be little more than early spring caution. The veteran did make a trip to the injured list last July with a lower-back strain, however, so it's somewhat worrisome that he's already dealing with back issues again.