MLB Player News

Brantley went 1-for-4 with two RBI in Friday's 3-2 win over the Royals.

After being activated from the disabled list earlier in the day, Brantley got his campaign off to a quick start with a bases-loaded single in the first inning Friday. Cleveland may elect to ease the 30-year-old back into a starting role, but with right-handers on the mound for Kansas City in the final two games of the weekend series, Brantley could just as easily be in the lineup for both contests.

Ohtani will serve as the Angels' designated hitter for Friday's game against Oakland.

This marks the third straight game that Ohtani will be utilized in the DH role. Over three games in the lineup this season, Ohtani has collected six hits, two home runs and five RBI. Expect him to remain on the bench Saturday as he prepares to start on the mound for Sunday's series finale.

Winker will return to the top of the Reds' order and play right field against Pittsburgh on Friday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Winker will hit out of the leadoff position for the fourth time this season, which is where he will typically be located when the club faces a right-hander. Expect to see Billy Hamilton hitting first versus southpaws. Through the first week of the year, Winker has gone 2-for-11 with five walks and five strikeouts.

Vogelbach went 2-for-3 with an RBI single and a walk in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Twins.

Vogelbach drew a start for the second consecutive day and parlayed it into his second straight two-hit effort. The 25-year-old has an RBI hit in each outing as well, an encouraging carryover from a spring during which he hit a blistering .407 with seven home runs over 68 plate appearances. With Nelson Cruz (ankle) on the disabled list, Vogelbach projects to continue filling in at designated hitter in most of the remaining games Cruz will miss.

Brantley was activated from the 10-day disabled list Friday.

Brantley is back on the active roster after missing the Indians' opening six games with an ankle injury. The 30-year-old has produced when healthy, with a .299/.357/.444 line last year which was right in line with his career mark of .292/.349/.423. Unfortunately, he played just 90 games last year and 11 in 2016. If he stays healthy most of the season, he should provide a solid batting average with double-digit homers and steals, but fantasy owners shouldn't count on him remaining injury-free for the rest of the year. In a corresponding move, the Indians optioned Tyler Naquin to Triple-A Columbus.

Cabrera said that he feels fine after being removed from Thursday's game with hip tightness, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

The veteran was pulled from Thursday's game after taking a spill on the basepaths. Fortunately, Cabrera does not seem concerned about any lingering effects with his hip heading into the weekend. It's also worth noting that the Tigers have an off-day Friday, which will give Cabrera extra time to rest and recover before the club resumes its series with the White Sox on Saturday.

Cespedes went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and a walk in Thursday's win over the Nationals.

Cespedes' hot start to the season continues. The slugger has now connected on three homers and driven in seven through the first six games of the campaign. He should continue to produce while hitting in the middle of the Mets' lineup so long as he stays healthy.

Cabrera was removed from Thursday's game with hip flexor tightness, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Cabrera appeared to have suffered the injury when he slipped rounding first base on a single in the first inning. The slugger wound up falling to the ground and was checked out by team trainers before remaining in the game, but he wasn't able to take the field for the bottom of the second. Consider him day-to-day for the time being, though there will likely be a further update on his status following the conclusion of Thursday's game after he's been evaluated in the clubhouse. Fortunately, a scheduled off day comes at the right time, as the Tigers will not play Friday.

Jimenez (pectoral) has resumed hitting off a tee, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Jimenez suffered a mild strain of his left pectoral muscle in late March while lifting weights, but he should be able to participate in extended spring training games next week, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com. The 21-year-old will report to Double-A Birmingham once he's fully operational.

Carpenter went 0-for-2 with an RBI groundout and two walks in Wednesday's 6-0 win over the Brewers.

His grounder to first in the third inning brought home Dexter Fowler and moved Tommy Pham over to third, giving the Cardinals a 2-0 lead at the time and setting up a two-run homer by Marcell Ozuna in the very next at-bat. Carpenter has gone hitless over the last two games, but his patience at the plate often allows him to make an offensive impact even when the ball isn't dropping in. Carpenter has now drawn five free passes over the last three contests entering play Thursday.