MLB Player News

Ozuna could play left field during Monday's spring game against the Nationals, Rob Rains of StLSportsPage.com reports.

Manager Mike Shildt previously indicated Ozuna wouldn't play the outfield in games until mid-March, so a return Monday would be fairly close to that suggestion. The 28-year-old was cleared for all baseball activities in mid-February, but the Cardinals have remained cautious as he returns from surgery on his right shoulder. Assuming he returns to outfield work with no setbacks, Ozuna should have no issue being ready for Opening Day.

Reyes went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's win over the Rangers.

Reyes cranked a two-run homer over the left-field wall to cap off a four-run fifth inning. The 23-year-old outfielder is now 7-for-23 with five RBI and two runs scored in spring training.

Belt went 2-for-3 in Wednesday's spring training loss to the Rangers.

Belt has now gone 4-for-13 with a home run in five spring appearances. The first baseman underwent a procedure on his right knee at the tail end of the 2018 season, so his early presence and production in camp are good indicators that he's 100 percent well ahead of Opening Day.

Canha went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run, three walks and two runs overall in a 7-4 Cactus League win over the Mariners on Wednesday.

The veteran is angling for a reserve outfield spot this spring. However, prior to Wednesday's outburst, he hadn't exactly acquitted himself well at the plate. Canha only had two hits in the 14 spring at-bats he'd logged prior to facing the Mariners, but his final line against Seattle was reminiscent of the contributions the 29-year-old made last season. Canha launched a career-high 17 round trippers in 2018, and he complemented the power with a career-best 8.3 percent walk rate. Given his ability to fill in at all three outfield spots as well as designated hitter, Canha's chances of sticking on the Opening Day roster appear solid for the time being.

Manager Brad Ausmus said Thursday that Ohtani (elbow) will begin a throwing program "on the soon side," Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ausmus' comments aren't all that specific, but at the very least, Ohtani looks poised to play catch before the Angels break camp. Once that happens, Ausmus noted that Ohtani will decrease his volume of swings, which could affect when he's ready to make his season debut as a designated hitter. Ohtani, who has been limited to hitting soft toss at this stage of his recovery, is said to be targeting a return from the injured list in early May.

Brantley went hitless in two at-bats Wednesday against the Marlins.

Manager AJ Hinch deployed what looked like an Opening Day lineup, which had Brantley, a left-handed batter, hitting fourth behind George Springer, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman (back) and ahead of Carlos Correa. "I do want him in the middle of all those righthanded hitters somewhere," Hinch told Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. "And whether that falls ahead or behind of any of these guys, that's what I'm looking at this spring. I just want him up to bat with some traffic and somebody behind him that's a threat that can keep the line moving." A left-handed presence was missing from the middle of Houston's order last season, which is a main reason the Astros signed Brantley during the offseason. His excellent contact rate (9.5 K%) is a bonus, though it should also enable him to pile up a lot of RBI if he sticks in the heart of the order.

Martinez has gone 0-for-7 with a walk and a run scored in three spring games.

Slow starts to spring training are nothing new for hitters and Martinez is no exception. "Everything's moving fast still," Martinez told Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald after facing the Nationals' Max Scherzer on Tuesday. "It's one of those things. I always say all the time I'm not a good spring training hitter, I don't know, it's that way for me, it takes me awhile to get right. Once I start slowing the ball down something clicks and I'm like 'Oh crap, OK wait, I've got something here.' " The slugging outfielder/DH is looking forward to the repetition of playing games on consecutive days, so that he can get his timing down. Once Martinez got his timing down last spring, there was no stopping him. He finished fourth in voting for AL MVP after posting a 1.031 OPS (3rd in MLB).

Jimenez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's game against the Padres.

Jimenez belted his first homer of the spring and made a nice diving catch in left field. The White Sox's top prospect is hitting just .176 (3-for-17), but his spring performance will not alter the organization's plans to have him up at some point in April to play every day in left.

The Padres assigned Dickerson (elbow) to their minor-league camp Monday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Dickerson hasn't appeared in a regular-season game at any level since 2016, with back surgery sidelining him in 2017 and Tommy John surgery keeping him out in 2018. The 28-year-old reported to spring training at full strength and went 1-for-4 while appearing in three Cactus League contests, but his dearth of action the past two seasons always made cracking the Padres' Opening Day roster an unlikely proposition. He'll need to stay healthy and perform effectively at Triple-A El Paso for an extended period before earning a look in San Diego at any point in 2019.

Harper will make his Grapefruit League debut for the Phillies on Saturday against Toronto, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Harper's protracted contract negotiations will wind up costing him a large chunk of spring training, but he'll still be able to return to game action nearly three weeks before Opening Day. It's possible that the loss of time will lead to a slow April for Harper, though different players need different amounts of time to get up to speed. Harper has historically started the season hot, with his .309/.436/.619 career line in March and April easily representing his best OPS (1.055) of any month over the course of his career.