MLB Player News

Brantley (shoulder) is taking normal batting practice pitching at an indoor cage Friday after previously being restricted to a soft-toss program, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The outfielder's timetable remains up in the air, and a need to rehab into the season looks highly possible. Still, the fact he's taking cuts off live pitches offers a step in the right direction. In the waning rounds of a mixed fantasy draft, owners still can take a logical chance on at least a partial season from the 2014 AL MVP candidate.

Ozuna will not start in Saturday's Grapefruit League game due to mild shoulder discomfort, and manager Don Mattingly said he'll slowly work Ozuna into the lineup when he's ready, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Ozuna may be available sometime next week if he can heal quickly. The 26-year-old should deliver another 20-homer season in 2017 if he stays healthy, and perhaps a productive showing in RBI, but everything else about his game is up in the air, despite his youth and upside.

Sources say the Indians have no certainty for when Brantley (shoulder) will debut this season, despite the optimism offered by general manager Mike Chernoff and other officials, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.

Heyman suggests 2017 is a lot like 2016, in that Cleveland is hoping Brantley can make significant progress. His complex surgeries and recovery should force fantasy owners to express similar caution, though as his price craters, it'll be hard to pass on the talented bat, for whatever portion of the season he plays.

Dickerson (back) feels "substantial improvement" Thursday but remains on the sidelines, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

The nagging back stiffness will probably keep him out at least a few more days, though San Diego won't want to rush him back if it's more serious than initially thought. He'll probably undergo some tests to determine a more concrete timetable, so fantasy players can have a clearer picture on the sneaky power prospect in the coming weeks.

Dickerson (back) was held out of workouts for a third straight day Wednesday and will be examined by team doctors, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

What was initially thought to be a fairly minor ailment seems to be sticking around longer than expected, so the young outfielder will head to the trainer's table to see if there's a larger problem presenting itself. Back injuries are always a rough time given how much every baseball activity utilizes the back, but the severity of this particular issue is currently unclear. Once the results of the examination are revealed, a timetable for Dickerson's return to spring training should become clearer.

Martinez is a candidate to bat second this season, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Martinez batted second some last season, but he got most of his at-bats in the No. 5 hole. If he bats second, his RBI potential will go down, but he could score more runs in front of guys like Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Justin Upton and Nick Castellanos.

Vogelbach, who is likely to platoon with veteran Danny Valencia at first base, has impressed manager Scott Servais with the improved agility he's flashing as a result of offseason workouts, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. "He spent a lot of time on it this offseason. I think he looks great. He's certainly moving a lot better defensively around the bag. He's a lot more flexible. His hands are working better. I like what I see so far."

A 2011 draft pick of the Cubs, Vogelbach arrived in Seattle last July 20 and eventually logged his first 12 major league at-bats late in the season. A burly 6-foot, 250-pounder, Vogelbach worked diligently with his brother, a trainer, this offseason to improve his lateral mobility and first-step quickness. He also added yoga into his stretching routine in attempt to maximize the flexibility of his hips and hamstrings, all with the goal of ensuring himself a roster spot by proving he can be viable defensive option at first base. The 24-year-old's bat is a much more established commodity, as most recently evidenced by his .292/.417/.505 line with 25 doubles, two triples, 23 homers and 96 RBI over a combined 459 at-bats at Triple-A Iowa and Tacoma last season. If he can translate the improvement he's showing in workouts to spring training games, Vogelbach is likely to secure a spot on the 25-man roster and serve as yet another source of power in a potent Mariners lineup.

Brantley (shoulder) took part in fielding drills on Tuesday, Tom Withers reports.

The good news is that Brantley is increasing his activity level, but the bad news is that his status remains "week to week." Before working in the outfield on Tuesday, he stepped into the batter's box Monday, although he never took a swing as he just worked on tracking pitches. Seeing Brantley up his participation is encouraging, but the outfielder remains a high-risk pick until a timetable for his return is established.

Reed will need to hit his way onto the Astros Opening Day roster, according to manager A.J. HInch, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Reed's prospect status took a big hit last season when he batted just .164 with three home runs, three doubles and a .532 OPS in 141 plate appearances for the Astros. The bat is the skill that got him to the majors, so if he's not hitting, then Reed isn't "relevant on our team," in the words of Hinch. The big-bodied first baseman gained some weight over the course of last season and, in addition to finding his hitting stroke, will need to maintain mobility to stay on the field. At 23, it's a bit early in the career to be a one-dimensional, DH-only player -- especially in today's MLB where roster flexibility is paramount. We expect him to start the season at Triple-A Fresno.

Vargas enters spring training as the leading candidate to win the starting DH job, ESPN 1500 am Twin Cities reports.

Minnesota's DH spot is an open competition as Byungho Park and Robbie Grossman could also figure into the mix. Joe Mauer and Miguel Sano also figure to get time at DH as the Twins may regularly use the DH spot to give them days off from being in the field. Vargas had 10 home runs in 47 games last season, along with a .833 OPS and 13.6 percent walk rate. However, he'll need to make better contact (63 percent contact rate). It's also possible the switch hitter could platoon against lefties since he's shown sharp platoon splits (a MLB career 1.262 OPS vs. lefties, .654 OPS vs. righties).