MLB Player News

Winker will make his spring training debut Tuesday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Winker and Nick Senzel have sat out the first couple of spring training games. Reds manager David Bell said that there's no injury to Senzel or Winker to explain their respective delayed spring training debuts, only that he wanted them to get more live batting practice first.

Buxton went 2-for-2 with a home run and five RBI in his first spring training game in Saturday's win over Tampa Bay.

While it's just one exhibition game, it's a great sign to see Buxton healthy and off to a good start. He began last season by missing time with recurring migraines and played through a hairline fracture in his left big toe, which resulted in him being sent to the minors after hitting just .122 in 17 games. Then he missed several weeks with a wrist injury. When finally healthy, he hit .311 with three homers and a .901 OPS over 23 games at Triple-A Rochester, but Minnesota manipulated his service time and did not call him up in September. However, the Twins said after the season he'll be the starter in center field.

Ohtani (elbow) took 25 max-effort swings off a tee Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani batted off the tee for the second straight day and reported no discomfort, perhaps opening the door for him to hit soft-toss pitching when he resumes activity next week. While Ohtani appears to be progressing as anticipated early on during spring training, he's still likely to open the 2019 campaign on the injured list.

Jimenez (quadriceps) will start in left field and bat cleanup in the White Sox's Cactus League opener Saturday against the Dodgers, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Jimenez strained his quad playing winter ball, but there has been no talk about it still being a hindrance so far in camp. There's little doubt that Jimenez, one of the game's top prospects, will begin the season back in the minor leagues, but he could get the call as soon as -- or shortly after -- the team successfully delays his service clock and gains an extra year of control. He hit .337/.384/.577 with 22 homers and 75 RBI in 108 games between Double-A and Triple-A as a 21-year-old last season.

Ohtani will hit off a tee Friday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The recovery timeline for Tommy John surgery is shorter for hitters than pitchers, so Ohtani expects to only miss the first month of the season before he's able to contribute with his bat. Barring setbacks, he's targeting a return sometime in May, though the Angels are unlikely to let him pitch at any point in 2019.

Soler (toe) is 100 percent healthy heading into Cactus League play, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Soler missed the final three and a half months of the 2018 campaign due to a fractured toe, but he's back to full health ahead of Saturday's spring opener. Prior to getting injured, the soon-to-be 27-year-old was enjoying a career-year, slashing .265/.354/.466 with nine homers and 28 RBI in 61 games. He's expected to open the season as the Royals' primary designated hitter.

X-rays on Lewis' injured finger came back negative, but he won't swing a bat for a few days as an extra precaution, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

The outfield prospect dislocated his pinky finger sliding into second base Wednesday, but there's little concern about the injury moving forward. The Mariners are simply being extra careful with Lewis given his injury history, so he figures to be full-go once he's allowed to swing again.

Turner did not practice Wednesday while resting his knee after an annual spring knee lubrication injection, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

The injection doesn't appear to be of any concern, as Turner undergoes the procedure every spring. He's expected to be back on the field Thursday.

Lewis' finger injury was nothing worse than a jammed finger, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Lewis hurt his finger while sliding head first into second base during baserunning drills. He initially left practice for an X-ray but evidently did not suffer any serious injury.

Lewis dislocated his finger during baserunning drills Wednesday, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

A team doctor pulled the finger back into place, and Lewis claims to be fine, but the Mariners will have him undergo X-rays just to be safe. The young outfielder hit an unimpressive .220/.309/.371 in 37 games for Double-A Arkansas last season but still has some prospect shine left after being taken 11th overall in the 2016 draft.