MLB Player News

McCutchen (Achilles) took swings and participated in defensive drills Friday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

McCutchen is coming off a partial Achilles tear and has yet to see action in Grapefruit League games, but it appears he's closing in on his spring debut. The 37-year-old re-signed with the Pirates after he posted a .775 OPS in 112 games last season and is poised to serve as the club's primary designated hitter in 2024.

Pederson (personal) will start in left field and bat fifth in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Giants.

Pederson was scratched from the lineup Tuesday against the Rangers after he left the team to attend to a personal matter, but he missed just a couple of days before returning to camp. Though he'll be drawing the start in left field Thursday, Pederson is expected to primarily serve as a designated hitter versus right-handed pitching once the regular season gets underway.

Carpenter (wrist) is in the lineup for Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The veteran was hit by a pitch in his spring debut, but he escaped with only a contusion and is now ready to return after a few days off. While he made three All-Star appearances with the Cardinals earlier in his career, at this stage Carpenter is in the twilight of his playing days and hoping to stick around throughout the season as a bench bat.

The Padres reassigned Seagle to minor-league camp Wednesday.

Seagle got the chance to make his MLB debut for the Padres in the final week of the 2023 season, with the 27-year-old logging one plate appearance as a backup catcher. He was outrighted off the 40-man roster following the season but remained in the San Diego organization and attended big-league spring training, though he was never a serious threat to crack the Padres' Opening Day roster. He'll likely open the 2024 campaign at Triple-A El Paso.

Garver went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in the Mariners' Cactus League tie with the Giants on Tuesday.

The offseason addition belted a Jordan Hicks offering in the first inning into the left field seats with Dylan Moore aboard to give Seattle an early 2-0 lead. The hit marked Garver's first in what was his second Cactus League game, and making it all the more impressive was it came off one of Hicks' signature triple-digit sinkers, per Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle. Garver drew the start at designated hitter, where he's expected to log nearly all his playing time in 2024.

Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 9-6 Cactus League win against the White Sox.

Ohtani logged his first appearance as a Dodger and his first game action since undergoing elbow surgery last September. The two-way star's first at-bat was anticlimactic, as he struck out looking on three pitches, and he subsequently grounded into a double play in his second trip to the plate. However, Ohtani didn't disappoint in his final plate appearance, lofting an opposite-field homer off Dominic Leone in the fifth frame. With Ohtani now taking part in Cactus League contests, there should be no doubt that he'll be ready to play when the Dodgers kick off the regular season in South Korea on March 20 versus the Padres.

Pederson was scratched from the lineup for Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Rangers due to personal reasons and will be away from the team for a couple days, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

The specifics of the situation remain unclear, but Pederson isn't expected to be away for long. At this point, there's no reason to expect his availability to begin the season will be affected by the absence.

Belt said he isn't retiring and will "definitely" play in 2024, Alex Pavlovic of The Athletic reports.

The 35-year-old spent last season in Toronto and served as the club's primary designated hitter, and he enjoyed a resurgence in 103 games with an .859 OPS and 19 home runs. Belt made just 29 appearances at first base and isn't likely to play the field much more than that going forward given his age and injury history. There's still some competition in the free-agent DH market with veteran J.D. Martinez also unsigned early in spring training.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said that Harper is expected to make his Grapefruit League debut Wednesday versus Atlanta, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Thomson didn't specify whether Harper would be deployed at designated hitter Wednesday or if he would make his first start at first base, the position that he's slated to play on a full-time basis during the 2024 season. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in November 2022, Harper never made enough progress in his throwing program for the Phillies to feel comfortable returning him to his familiar spot in right field this past season, with the 31-year-old instead serving as a DH upon being cleared to debut in May before he got some exposure to first base following the All-Star break. Since he ultimately made 36 starts at first base, Harper should already carry eligibility at the position in most fantasy leagues in 2024, but he's no longer outfield-eligible and doesn't look poised to regain outfield eligibility even though his surgically repaired elbow is no longer a concern.

Martinez was being pursued by the Giants before the club signed Jorge Soler in mid-February, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The Giants offered a one-year, $14 million contract, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, but Martinez is apparently looking for closer to $20 million. The 36-year-old slugger's 33 homers with the Dodgers last season was the first time he topped 30 since 2019, but his .271/.321/.572 slash line was also accompanied by a career-worst 31.2 percent strikeout rate.