MLB Player News

Martinez (back) got a couple at-bats in a minor-league game Thursday and he expects to return to big-league action Friday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

He said his back is feeling better and the fact that he got at-bats against minor leaguers supports that notion. Look for him to get back in the lineup Friday against the Yankees.

Martinez (back) is not in the lineup for Thursday's spring game against the Tigers, according to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic.

Martinez was scratched from the lineup Wednesday with tightness in his back, and the soreness will cost him at least one more game. The Red Sox have not expressed any concern about Martinez's status publicly, so he figures to return to action in short order.

Buxton went 2-for-3 with a home run in Wednesday's win over the Red Sox. He's hitting .400 (10-for-25) with four home runs this spring.

Buxton also has just four strikeouts after a 29 percent or worse strikeout rate each season in the majors. It's small sample, but Buxton is healthy and comfortable at the plate. He's looking like the player who seemed set for a breakout 2018 season before his campaign was derailed by injuries.

Blackmon went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Colorado's 5-3 Cactus League win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

The lefty slugger was just 3-for-19 this spring coming into the contest, but he checked in with his first long ball with his third-inning solo shot. The 32-year-old slashed .291/.358/.502 over 626 at-bats last season and should remain a threat to rack up lofty run totals hitting atop a talented Rockies lineup.

Jimenez was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte.

This move was unfortunately inevitable. If he stays healthy, the expectation is that Jimenez will join the big-league club shortly after the White Sox have secured a seventh year of control by keeping him in the minors until at least April 12. Chicago starts a home series against the Royals on April 15, which seems like the most likely date for him to get the call.

The Mariners have informed Vogelbach that he'll be included on the roster next week for the team's two-game, season-opening series with the Athletics in Tokyo, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The Mariners and Athletics will both be allotted 28-man rosters in Japan as they kick off their seasons a week before the league's other 28 teams. That extra roster flexibility will make it easier for the Mariners to keep Vogelbach around temporarily, but the 26-year-old may have already earned his spot with the big club once they resume play in North America. Heading into Wednesday, Vogelbach has reached base at a .613 clip in Cactus League play, largely owing to his 12 walks in 31 plate appearances. With no minor-league options remaining and the Mariners down a corner-infield bat in Kyle Seager (hand) through at least the beginning of May, Vogelbach looks poised to fill at least a part-time role at first base or designated hitter for Seattle early in the season.

Martinez was scratched from the Red Sox's lineup for Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins due to back tightness, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Martinez can be viewed as day-to-day at this juncture unless the Red Sox indicate otherwise. The slugger is off to a poor start to the spring with a 1-for-16 mark from the plate, but his stellar track record over the past five seasons continues to make him a worthy first-round selection in just about any fantasy format.

Reyes batted fourth in Tuesday's lineup against Oakland, a lineup which Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune calls "a fair representation of what the Padres figure to roll out in the regular season."

The game was called due to rain just a handful of batters into the exhibition, but the lineup had Ian Kinsler leading off, Eric Hosmer in the two hole followed by Manny Machado and Reyes. Wil Myers was batting fifth, in center field. If that sticks into the regular season, it would likely afford both Reyes and Hunter Renfroe regular playing time. Machado, who homered before the game was called, seems happy with his protection in the lineup, saying, "With Franmil behind me, I'm going to get pitches too. In that situation today, you don't want to load the bases to face Franmil. I think our lineup is pretty deep."

Ford was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Yankees on Tuesday.

Ford received an invite to major-league spring training and had his struggles at the plate, going 3-for-21 with six strikeouts. The 26-year-old should return to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he slashed .253/.327/.433 with 15 home runs in 102 games last season.

Stanton is hitting .333 with a home run, two RBI and three walks over his last 15 spring training at-bats.

Stanton went hitless in his first four at-bats of the spring, but he's found his groove since March 1, launching a mammoth home run for his first long ball Friday. He's now sporting an excellent .417 on-base percentage in Grapefruit League play. For Stanton, the objective will be parlaying that into a stronger start to the regular season than he had last year, when he limped out of the gate to the tune of a .230/.313/.425 slash line in March and April.