MLB Player News

Carpenter (back) filled the designated hitter role in his Grapefruit League debut Tuesday, drawing two walks and scoring twice in a pair of plate appearances during an 11-4 win over the Marlins.

He finally saw game action after dealing with a back issue since a mid-February weight lifting session brought about a sprain. Carpenter's exit after two at-bats was planned, according to Joe Trezza of MLB.com, as opposed to a sign of any setback. He's now slated to play first base on Wednesday versus the Astros. As far as his debut outing, Carpenter encouragingly took multiple swings and ran the bases without issue, leaving him highly satisfied with his long-awaited return to the field. "I felt great," Carpenter said of his brief return. "I saw the ball well. Now, it's just about building at-bats through the spring and I'll be ready to go."

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Tuesday that Miller (toe) would be sidelined for another 4-to-5 days before returning to Grapefruit League play, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Miller made his spring debut Feb. 23 but hasn't seen any action since while recovering from a broken right pinkie toe. Despite Miller's lack of at-bats to date, Cash suggested that the extended absence won't affect the 28-year-old's availability for Opening Day. Even if that proves to be the case, Miller will have some ground to make up against his competitors for the starting role at second base over the rest of spring training. Joey Wendle, Micah Johnson and Daniel Robertson have all impressed with on-base marks above .400 in exhibition play, though none of those players offer as much fantasy upside as Miller, who has a 30-homer campaign and a season of double-digit steals on his resume.

Harper went 2-for-2 with two walks, a double, two runs scored and a stolen base in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

He looks locked in this spring, rapping out 10 hits in 27 at-bats with three doubles and a homer. If Harper can avoid the injuries that dragged him down in 2016 and cut short his 2017 season, another MVP-caliber campaign should be in store, but that injury history makes him a riskier option than many other elite fantasy bats.

Jimenez was optioned to Double-A Birmingham on Wednesday.

This was an expected move. Over four appearances in the Cactus League this spring, he went 4-for-7 with two home runs, one triple and three RBI. Jimenez, one of the game's top prospects, battled a knee injury over the first few weeks of camp, but he's at full health heading into the regular season.

Cespedes received a cortisone injection in his right wrist Wednesday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Cespedes was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with a sore right wrist, and even though X-rays came back negative, the issue was serious enough to warrant an injection. The Mets are listing him as day-to-day but it's likely that he will be kept out of the lineup for the next few Grapefruit League games in order to see how the wrist reacts to the shot. Barring any setbacks, Cespedes is on track to enter Opening Day at full health, though fantasy owners should still track his status diligently over the next several days.

Torrens (oblique) went 1-for-1 and scored a run Tuesday against the Cubs.

Torrens entered the game in the seventh inning and caught the remainder of the game for the Padres. Now that he's back to full health, Torrens should appear in a few more spring games for San Diego, although it's expected that he'll return to the minors prior to the upcoming season.

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.