MLB Player News

Vogelbach was informed Sunday that he will be included on the Mariners' Opening Day roster, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

The writing was on the wall for Vogelbach to break camp with the Mariners after the team returned Rule 5 pick Mike Ford to the Yankees on Saturday, thinning the competition at first base and designated hitter. With Ryon Healy and Nelson Cruz both ready to go for the start of the season after being limited by injuries for large portions of spring training, Vogelbach may only receive a couple starts per week to go along with occasional pinch-hitting opportunities.

Indians manager Terry Francona said Sunday that Brantley (ankle) will open the season on the 10-day disabled list, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Francona stressed that Brantley hasn't suffered any setbacks with his surgically repaired right ankle during spring training, but the club isn't confident that the outfielder is ready to handle a "full load" just yet. Brantley will likely remain at extended spring training to pick up extended at-bats in simulated games while the Tribe prepares for the start of the season. With Brantley out of the mix for Opening Day, Tyler Naquin has secured a spot on the 25-man roster.

Ford was returned to the Yankees on Saturday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Ford, who was a Rule 5 pick, will report to the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate after passing through waivers untouched. The 25-year-old hit .266/.383/.543 across 25 games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season, and he'll likely spend most -- if not all -- of the year with the RailRiders once again in 2018.

Vargas was claimed off waivers by the Twins on Saturday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Vargas's merry-go-round continues with the first baseman heading back to the Twins. The first baseman was designated for assignment by the team last weekend and then scooped up by the Reds on Thursday. It seems unlikely that he will be able to find much playing time with Joe Mauer and Logan Morrison ahead of him on the depth chart, but expect Vargas to secure a reserve role off the bench as a pinch hitter for the club's Opening Day roster.

Carpenter, who laced a two-run single, walked and scored in two plate appearances during Thursday's 8-2 Grapefruit League win over the Braves, adjusted his swing this offseason in an attempt to revert back to his prior level of efficiency, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports. "I'm not going to let myself hit .240 again," Carpenter said. "I look at my season as a huge disappointment. I wasn't happy about the kind of year I had at all."

A commitment to putting the ball in the air more often beginning in 2015 led to a progressive increase in Carpenter's launch angle, which was up to an average of 21 degrees during a 2017 campaign in which his average dipped to its lowest figure (.241) since his initial seven-game cup of coffee with the Cards in 2011. That number put him in the same class as sluggers like Mike Napoli and Joey Gallo, hitters whose style in the batter's box is the antithesis of what Carpenter's has been for the majority of his career. In all, Carpenter sacrificed a total of 77 points in his batting average from the career-high .318 he hit in 2013 with his revamped approach, and his offseason tweaks were done with the intention of returning to the potent all-fields hitter he used to be. The usual caveat about spring numbers aside, Carpenter's .500 average over 19 plate appearances serves as a cautiously optimistic endorsement of his old-is-new-again swing as the regular season approaches.

Ozuna, who went 1-for-2 with four RBI from a three-run home run and a sacrifice fly in Thursday's 8-2 Grapefruit League win over the Braves, is now 11-for-22 after notching only four hits and 13 strikeouts in his first 28 spring at-bats, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Manager Mike Matheny attributed the ragged start to his offseason acquisition trying too hard to make a solid first impression. He noted that Ozuna "wanted to come in here with a bang and bounce a ball over that roof", in reference to the administration building of his old Miami Marlins squad that sits behind the left-field wall of Roger Dean Stadium. Ozuna has subsequently relaxed at the plate and thrived as a result, acknowledging that he was trying hard to prove himself early on. Given his breakout 2017 in Miami last season and body of work in the latter half of spring, the 27-year-old could be primed for another 30-homer, 100-RBI campaign.

Pederson's increased recent usage suggests that the Dodgers plan to carry him on the 25-man roster over Andrew Toles to begin the season, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old went 0-for-2 with a walk while serving as the club's designated hitter against the Angels on Thursday. With center and right field settled and Matt Kemp leading the race for the Dodgers' left field job, manager Dave Roberts would likely use Pederson as a fourth outfielder and bench power bat if the current configuration holds true. A backup role hurts his fantasy value, but the slugger would likely be the first man up should an injury (or a slow start from Kemp) open up a starting spot.

Cespedes went 3-for-3 with a double, two home runs and four RBI in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

Despite wrist, shoulder and hamstring issues that have restricted Cespedes to only 11 games this spring, the 32-year-old has still pounded out five homers and a .323 (10-for-31) batting average. That offers a solid glimpse at the risk/reward scenario he presents in fantasy drafts -- Cespedes will give you excellent numbers when he's healthy, but his next DL stint could be just around the corner.

Vargas was claimed off waivers by the Reds on Thursday.

Vargas' power potential is undeniable, but his struggles in the majors ultimately forced the Twins to cast him off the 40-man roster earlier in the month. He'll now head to Cincinnati, where he'll likely be relegated to being a bench bat given the presence of star first baseman Joey Votto.

Choi (ribs) is back in the lineup in left field against the Royals on Thursday.

Choi has been battling rib soreness for the past couple days but should be fully operational heading into Thursday's Cactus League game. He was initially plugged into Wednesday's lineup as the designated hitter, but was removed since the DH spot was not in effect for that contest. Expect to see Choi at the Triple-A level at the start of the 2018 campaign.