MLB Player News

Cespedes' wrist X-ray came back negative Tuesday, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Cespedes was scratched from Tuesday's lineup against the Astros with what was reportedly wrist soreness. The X-ray didn't reveal any broken bones in his wrist, so it appears that there's nothing significantly wrong with Cespedes.

Ohtani will make his second start of the Cactus League on Friday against the Rockies, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reporrs.

Since giving up a run over 1.1 innings in his professional debut Feb. 24 against the Brewers, Ohtani has seen time at designated hitter for the Angels in the Cactus League while making two starts off the mound against minor-league batters. Friday's outing will mark Ohtani's toughest test to date, as he'll face higher-caliber competition and likely work up to 50 pitches.

Carpenter (back) is batting third and acting as the designated hitter for Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins.

As expected, the veteran will return to major-league action in a limited capacity. Carpenter still needs to prove his body can handle the rigors of fielding, but this is a big step forward. It remains to be seen if he'll be able to log enough innings to be ready immediately for the start of the regular season.

Ozuna has gone 4-for-28 with a home run and 13 strikeouts across 11 Grapefruit League contests.

Though the Cardinals' big offseason pickup is struggling to make contact during the spring, it's not expected to prevent Ozuna from settling into a spot in the heart of the order when Opening Day arrives. As the centerpiece of a quality lineup, Ozuna shouldn't notice too much of a downturn from the career-best marks of 37 home runs, 124 RBI and 93 runs he posted with Miami in 2017. Given that last year's .355 BABIP was almost 30 points above his career norm, however, there's a good chance Ozuna's .312 batting average falls more precipitously.

Cespedes was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with a sore right wrist, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

The injury isn't believed to be serious, and Cespedes is considered day-to-day. It's not great to see a player with his injury history removed from the lineup, and he's already battled shoulder issues this spring, but this particular injury seems unlikely to have a major impact on his readiness for Opening Day.

Cespedes was removed from the Mets' lineup for Tuesday's game against the Astros, Tim Britton of The Athletic New York reports.

No reason for the scratch has been given, and there haven't been any reports that Cespedes is injured in the past few days. He had been battling minor shoulder soreness earlier in camp, but has been back in the lineup since the start of March.

Stanton appears to be the Yankees' preferred choice at cleanup hitter, as he has primarily hit fourth this spring while Aaron Judge hits second and Greg Bird hits third.

When Bird has been out of the lineup, Stanton has moved up to the three hole with Gary Sanchez hitting cleanup, but Bird figures to start most games, particularly against righties, so Stanton's primary spot will likely be the four hole. He is hitting .333/.391/.667 with one home run, four strikeouts and one walk in 21 at-bats this spring. The only question with Stanton is how many games he will play, as he should provide elite counting stat production when healthy.

Carpenter (back) made three plate appearances in an intrasquad game Sunday and said he felt "perfect" afterward, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Carpenter grounded out, fouled out and drew a walk during his three turns at the plate and relayed that he experienced no discomfort with his back while rounding second base at one point during the game. The 32-year-old's next activity will come Tuesday against the Marlins, when he's slated to serve as the Cardinals' designated hitter in what will mark his Grapefruit League debut. If all goes well in that contest, Carpenter could return to the field later in the week, which would also serve as a good litmus test for the health of the right shoulder that often plagued him last season. Per Hummel, Cardinals infield coach Jose Oquendo has encouraged Carpenter to adjust his throwing motion when playing third base to make the veteran less susceptible to injury. If Carpenter is receptive to the change and his throwing checks out fine in the spring, he would likely see most of his action at the hot corner when the season starts, thereby opening up more at-bats at first base for Jose Martinez and Luke Voit.

Cespedes has been hitting in the No. 2 spot in the batting order this spring, Kevin Kernan of The New York Post reports.

The right-handed slugger has typically hit in the heart of the order, but new manager Mickey Callaway wants to get more on-base ability at the top of his lineup -- and Cespedes, who's posted a .350 OBP in 270 career games for the Mets, fits the bill. The move would get him a handful of extra plate appearances over the course of the season and trade a few RBI opportunities for runs, but the biggest key to his fantasy value will be simply staying healthy. The 32-year-old has already dealt with some shoulder soreness this spring, but it doesn't seem to be affecting him at the plate as he's launched three home runs in eight Grapefruit League games.

Jimenez had a home run and a triple in Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

After being slowed by a knee injury over the first few weeks of spring, Jimenez made a big splash over the weekend. He homered as a pinch-hitter Saturday, then followed up with two extra-base hits and a walk Sunday. While it looks like Jimenez is ready for the majors, the highly regarded prospect is expected to open the season at Double-A Birmingham.