MLB Player News

Rooker went 1-for-1 with a two-run homer in Wednesday's win over the Phillies.

Rooker homered in his only at-bat Wednesday, taking Cole Irvin deep in the seventh inning to put the Twins up for good. The power has always been there for the 24-year-old, as evidenced by his 40 homers across three levels over the past two seasons, but he'll need to cut down on his strikeouts -- he has three in six at-bats this spring -- if he wants to make it to the majors anytime soon.

Soler was scratched from the lineup for Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Giants.

No specific reason for Soler's removal was revealed. He missed the second half of 2018 with a fractured toe but was said to be fully healthy heading into spring training. Samir Duenez takes his spot in the lineup as the designated hitter.

Choi isn't available to play in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox due to a back injury, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays had planned on starting Choi at first base in the exhibition, but those duties will now fall to Nate Lowe after manager Kevin Cash said Choi tweaked his back while taking a swing Tuesday. Per Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE, the injury isn't considered serious and Choi plans to test out his back by taking batting practice Thursday. If that goes well, Choi could rejoin the lineup over the weekend.

Winker played in his first spring training game Tuesday, going 0-for-2 against the Giants.

The results aren't what matters for now -- it was just good that Winker was able to play. "He was really happy to be out there," manager David Bell said to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. "He's worked so hard to get out there, and he said it just felt great. It was great to see him."

Interim manager Mike Shildt suggested Monday that Ozuna may not play the outfield in Grapefruit League games until around mid-March, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

Shildt didn't provide a definitive date for Ozuna to log his first outfield action of the spring, but he noted the slugger was on a "similar-ish" timetable to Yadier Molina (knee), who is penciled in to make his first start at catcher March 14. The Cardinals are simply exercising precaution with Ozuna as he works to regain strength in his surgically repaired shoulder, so he should be ready to play the field on an everyday basis once Opening Day arrives. In the meantime, Ozuna has already served as a DH on two occasions during the Grapefruit League slate, putting him on track to get in a full share of at-bats prior to the regular season.

Ohtani (elbow) took 35 swings off a tee Tuesday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Ohtani continues to slowly ramp up his activity as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery. The 35 swings he took mark the most since he's resumed tee work, while the 23-year-old also stood in and tracked pitches during bullpen sessions Tuesday. Ohtani appears to be progressing on schedule, though he's still expected to open the season on the shelf.

Buxton went 3-for-3 with his second home run of the spring in Monday's win over Baltimore. He's 5-for-5 in two games this spring.

Buxton hit a home run in his first spring game Sunday. While it's just two games, Buxton is fully healthy and looking like the player who seemed set for a breakout 2018 season -- before he was derailed by an injury-plagued campaign. The jury is out on if he'll make enough contact to be reliably productive at the plate and he still needs to prove he can stay relatively healthy over a full MLB season, but his ceiling is undeniably high, given his power and elite speed.

Harper is expected to decide which team he'll sign with by the end of the week, two team executives told Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

The Phillies and Giants have been most closely linked with Harper in recent weeks, though the Dodgers have since been added to the mix after meeting with the star outfielder and his agent in Las Vegas on Sunday. Assuming no other late suitors emerge, Harper's fantasy outlook likely would remain fairly stable in Philadelphia and Los Angeles, while a move to San Francisco would represent a significant downgrade in terms of both park factors and his supporting cast. Any contract Harper signs will likely match or exceed the 10-year, $300 million contract Manny Machado signed with San Diego last week, at least in average annual salary.

Lewis (finger) will start in right field and bat seventh Monday against the Reds in his Cactus League debut, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Lewis jammed his finger in a baserunning drill in the first week of camp, resulting in the Mariners holding him out for the initial three games of the exhibition slate. Aside from a brief shutdown from swinging, Lewis wasn't withheld from most other baseball activities and shouldn't be too far behind the rest of the Seattle position players heading into 2019. The 2016 first-round pick could be booked for a return trip to Double-A Arkansas to begin the upcoming campaign after struggling in his first exposure to the Texas League last season with a .220/.309/.371 batting line in 152 plate appearances.

Cabrera is healthy and has been cleared to play in games, but he felt some discomfort in Sunday's Grapefruit League action against the Phillies. He went 1-for-1 with a walk.

Cabrera admitted to feeling some stiffness and discomfort while running the bases and playing the field in Sunday's matchup. "It was a little weird," stated Cabrera. "On the field and base-running, I felt uncomfortable." The Tigers remain confident that Cabrera will be in game shape in time for Opening Day, however. "He hasn't been out there. It's been a long time," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He's just uncomfortable with his footwork and things like that because it's been a pretty good while."