MLB Player News

Jimenez (knee) said he hopes to be back on the field next week, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Jimenez is dealing with tendinitis in his left knee, but the 21-year-old said he's feeling better and remains unconcerned about the issue. "I don't think it's something serious," Jimenez said. "My concern is I want to be playing now." The White Sox will likely continue to play it safe with the highly regarded prospect, but barring any setbacks, it sounds like he should be back in Cactus League action sooner rather than later.

Vogelbach, who went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer and a walk in Friday's 4-2 Cactus League win over the Brewers, is 4-for-9 with a double, Friday's homer, three RBI, three walks and four runs across four spring training games.

The burly infielder is knocking the cover off the ball and has apparently recovered fully from a bruised foot caused by a foul ball Feb. 23. Vogelbach opened the 2017 season in a platoon at first with veteran Danny Valencia, but a rough go against major-league pitching earned him a trip down to Triple-A Tacoma. He then proceeded to put together a strong season with the Rainiers -- slashing .290/.388/.455 with 25 doubles, 17 home runs and 83 RBI -- before finding his way back up to the big-league club as part of September call-ups. He'll look to parlay another year of seasoning into an Opening Day roster spot in 2018, and his strong start to spring certainly has him trending in the right direction.

Ohtani struck out eight of the 12 batters he faced in a "B" game Friday against the Brewers, the Orange County Register reports.

The velocity on Ohtani's fastball sat between 92-96 mph on Friday, while he mixed an impressive array of secondary offerings including a curveball, slider and splitter. He threw a total of 52 pitches in his second spring start, and while Ohtani allowed four hits, only one -- a double from 2017 Brewers first-round pick Keston Hiura -- was well hit. If the Angels continue to start Ohtani on the schedule if a six-man rotation, he'll likely appear in his next game situation Thursday.

Cespedes (shoulder) played four innings in left field and went 1-for-3 at the plate Friday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Friday's game marked the first time that Cespedes has played in the outfield this spring. While he ended the 2017 season on the disabled list with a hamstring injury, a bout of shoulder soreness has bothered him this spring. Fortunately, Cespedes has downplayed the severity of his sore shoulder by saying that it's an issue he routinely experiences during the early stages of spring training.

Jimenez is being treated for tendinitis in his left knee and will be sidelined for a few days, Richard Justice of MLB.com reports.

Manager Rick Renteria is still hopeful that Jimenez will get into MLB games this spring, but the corner outfielder will be denied an opportunity to really steal headlines in March in the manner he would have been capable of prior to this injury. Considering Jimenez would not have been up in the big leagues until this summer at the earliest, and possibly not until 2019, the injury has little impact on his fantasy value.

Brantley (ankle) will begin defensive drills Friday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic Cleveland reports.

Brantley is working his way back from October ankle surgery. He has taken part in hitting, throwing and running drills this spring but hasn't yet done defensive work, which will be a greater test of his lateral mobility. The 30-year-old outfielder is questionable for Opening Day, but if reports are positive following his defensive work he has a decent chance to be ready to go by the start of the season.

Ozuna went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk in a 3-3 Grapefruit League tie with the Twins on Thursday.

Ozuna got a hold of a 2-0 fastball from Twins starter Adalberto Mejia in the second inning, getting it inside the left-field foul pole and placing it somewhere beyond his old Marlins spring training clubhouse at Roger Dean Stadium, as per Joe Trezza of MLB.com. The slugger had only one hit in his first seven spring at-bats coming into Thursday, but his mammoth connection was a tangible reminder of what the Cardinals hope he'll bring to the table on a consistent basis in the coming season. Ozuna's breakout 2017 in Miami included a .312/.376/.548 line with 37 home runs and 124 RBI, with all of those numbers representing career bests.

Cespedes (shoulder) will play the field for the first time this spring against the Astros in a split-squad game Thursday, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

Cespedes has been battling a case of right shoulder soreness over the past few days, but that didn't prohibit him from hitting out of the DH spot during Thursday's Grapefruit League affair versus Miami. Look for Cespedes to be eased into the outfield over the course of the spring as the Mets will want to make sure their star is ready for Opening Day after an injury-plagued 2017 campaign.

Harper underwent a minor procedure for his ingrown toenail but could be back on the field as soon as Saturday, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports.

Harper had a similar procedure in 2013 when he was dealing with an ingrown toenail as well, and that only caused him to miss one game. Manager Dave Martinez said that Harper wanted to get back on the field Friday, but the club doesn't want to push anything with there being no reason to rush him back.

Miller (toe) won't return to game action until Tuesday at the earliest, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

He has a broken right pinky toe, but could return next week. Miller is the favorite to open the year as the Rays' starting second baseman, but it's possible that three natural second basemen will make the Rays' bench (Ryan Schimpf, Joey Wendle, Daniel Robertson). Things will get even more muddled when the team is ready to promote top shortstop prospect Willy Adames and infielder Christian Arroyo. Miller hit 30 homers in 2016, but given the competition he'll face, a return to the 601 plate appearances he saw during his career year seems highly unlikely.