MLB Player News

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."

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.