MLB Player News

Jimenez has agreed to a six-year extension with the White Sox that includes club options for a seventh and eighth year, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. The deal should pay him between $40 million and $80 million, when factoring in incentives and the two club options, Hector Gomez of Z101 Digital reports.

This extension, which is pending a physical, means the White Sox have nothing to lose by having Jimenez on the Opening Day roster, which now seems like a forgone conclusion. We already expected Jimenez to be up in mid April, but now prospective fantasy managers can bank on an extra two weeks worth of at-bats. He should slot into the middle of the order from day one.

Vogelbach is considered day-to-day after his left elbow stiffened up when he was hit by a pitch during his plate appearance in Wednesday's 9-7 win over the Athletics in Japan.

Vogelbach entered the game in the bottom of the fourth inning, checking in at first base while Ichiro Suzuki moved to the bench. The 26-year-old was then plunked in the next half inning, but took his base and resumed duties in the field until his next turn in the batting order came up in the bottom of the seventh. It doesn't sound like Vogelbach is in danger of missing meaningful time due to the injury, but the Mariners could opt to withhold him from action for their final game in Tokyo on Thursday as a precaution.

Manager Gabe Kapler said Wednesday that McCutchen will open the season as the Phillies' leadoff hitter, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Kapler cited McCutchen's combination of on-base skills and slugging as the main reasoning behind deploying the outfielder atop the order rather than Cesar Hernandez, who draws walks at a high clip and makes good contact but isn't as much of a power threat. While McCutchen will need to perform well to stick in the top slot on a permanent basis, the Phillies' early commitment to using him in the leadoff role is a major boon to his fantasy value. Assuming health prevails, McCutchen should have a good chance to reach double digits in steals again and surpass the 100-run plateau for just the second time in his career.

The Cardinals don't plan on having Carpenter (back) return to Grapefruit League action until at least Friday, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

Carpenter first experienced back problems Sunday, resulting in him being scratched ahead of the Cardinals' game against the Marlins. Manager Mike Shildt said Monday that he's not concerned about Carpenter's availability for the start of the season, but the team will nonetheless proceed cautiously with the 33-year-old so that the back tightness doesn't become a lingering issue throughout the campaign.

Alvarez was reassigned to minor-league camp Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez is one of the Astros' more interesting prospects but was never likely to break camp with the team. He'll head back to Triple-A Round Rock to begin 2019 after slashing .259/.349/.452 in 45 games in the Pacific Coast League last season.

Reyes (fatigue) is back in the lineup for Monday's game against Cleveland, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Reyes hadn't played since Thursday, but he apparently just needed a rest and wasn't carrying any specific injury. The outfielder has hit .286 with an .896 OPS so far this spring.

Harper will play four innings in right field in a minor-league game Monday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The original plan was to restrict Harper to designated hitter duties, but he felt confident enough to test his bruised ankle with some defensive work. Assuming that goes well, he'll be back with the big-league squad Wednesday. Barring setbacks, he should be unaffected by the start of the regular season.

Carpenter (back) isn't included in the Cardinals' lineup for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

Carpenter will get some more time to recover after he was surprisingly scratched from the lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the Marlins due to back tightness. The issue isn't believed to be a major concern or anything that will impact Carpenter's availability for Opening Day, but he could sit out a few more spring contests for precautionary reasons.

Harper went 0-for-3 with a walk in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

Harper, who didn't play Saturday after getting hit by a pitch in the foot the day before, went hitless in his return to action (as the designated hitter). The outfielder is now 0-for-8 with a stolen base and 4:5 BB:K through five games this spring. According to Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Harper is scheduled to play in a minor-league contest Monday before returning to the field Wednesday against the Tigers.

Reyes hasn't played since Thursday due to fatigue, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Manager Andy Green downplayed the issue, noting that he's just giving Reyes some rest because the outfielder is tired from playing a lot this spring. Reyes is apparently moving around fine and says he'll be back in the lineup soon. It sounds like his absence is mostly precautionary, though the situation will be worth monitoring with Opening Day less than two weeks away.