MLB Player News

Lewis is working on strengthening his legs and will be a non-participant in early spring games, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. "We have a plan and a process for him to just continue making sure that he's as game ready as possible," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said.

Lewis' absence from game action was predetermined. Acquired from Seattle during the offseason, Lewis has dealt with knee problems throughout his career and managed to play in just 100 combined games over the last two years, including minor-league activity.

Solak (foot) is starting in left field and batting seventh in Sunday's spring game against the Giants, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Solak ended last season on the injured list with a fractured right foot but is good to go early in spring training. The 28-year-old was acquired by the Reds from the Rangers in November and will compete for a utility role in camp.

Belt has yet to participate in a full workout with the rest of the Blue Jays as he gets eased into spring training, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

The veteran first baseman is fully healthy after undergoing knee surgery in September, but the organization isn't in a rush to get him up to speed. Instead, Belt has been hitting in the batting cage and doing some running and fielding work on his own through the early part of camp. "My goal is to be ready for day one of the regular season and not day one of games in spring training," Belt said Friday. "We thought that the best thing to do was just to get here, make sure I'm ready to get in games. Once I get in games, I don't need that long to get ready. Maybe just a couple of weeks." The 34-year-old is expected to be Toronto's primary DH this season while occasionally spelling Vladimir Guerrero at first base, and if he can stay mostly healthy, Belt could rebound in a big way from last season's career-low .676 OPS.

Alvarez (hand) is still not going through any on-field drills with the Astros, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez is experiencing renewed soreness in his left hand, similar to what he dealt with last season in both hands. Manager Dusty Baker said Friday that there was no update on the slugger's progress or prognosis. It seems as if Alvarez could be back in action any day, but obviously this isn't the way he or the Astros envisioned the start of his camp going.

Reyes is in the designated hitter spot and batting cleanup for the Royals in Friday's Cactus League debut against the Rangers.

It's a lineup which features many of the team's regulars, so it can't be a bad thing for Reyes' outlook that he's being thrown right into the middle of it. Still, MJ Melendez is likely to see most of the playing time in the DH spot for the Royals this season, so don't necessarily read too much into it. Reyes could also see a little playing time in the outfield as he looks to bounce back from a dreadful 2022 campaign.

Encarnacion-Strand (back) was a full participant Thursday at Reds camp, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Encarnacion-Strand came into spring training with a bit of back discomfort, but it doesn't seem to be an issue at this point. He was moving well at third base Thursday at the Reds' complex and also took part in live batting practice. The 23-year-old could feasibly push to make his MLB debut in the second half of the 2023 season after delivering a stellar .304/.368/.587 slash line with 32 home runs and 114 RBI in 122 games last summer between the High-A and Double-A levels.

Harper (elbow) progressed to taking dry swings Thursday as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Harper's rehab is going "great" and expects the slugger to join the team in camp by March 8 or 9. He's obviously got a long way to go and many hoops to jump through in his recovery, but the hope is that Harper can return as a designated hitter before the All-Star break and as an outfielder at some point in the second half.

Canha revealed Wednesday that he had trouble maintaining his weight last season because of gastritis, Pat Ragazzo of SI.com reports.

Gastritis is inflammation of the stomach lining, a condition which made it "hard for me to get calories and be comfortable, so a lot of times I wouldn't eat very much because I was afraid of getting a stomachache," Canha said. The good news is the gastritis has subsided, allowing Canha to put some muscle back on during offseason workouts. The outfielder is hoping that the added bulk will lead to more power, with Canha having a goal of hitting 10 more home runs than the 13 he clubbed in 2022.

Jimenez said Wednesday that he dropped 25-30 pounds over the offseason, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports.

Jimenez slimmed down in an effort to become more of an everyday outfielder for the White Sox, as he has stated many times that he dislikes filling the designated hitter role. He also noted to reporters Wednesday that his swing has less effort to it now as a result of the leaner physical build. The 26-year-old slugger sure seems primed for a healthier and more productive overall showing in 2023.

The Pirates announced Wednesday that Choi will be on a modified program for spring training while he ramps up from the surgery he underwent in November to remove a bone fragment from his right elbow, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Though Choi has experienced no unexpected setbacks in his recovery from the elbow procedure, the Pirates seem content to slowly integrate him into drills to ensure he's in optimal health by the time Opening Day arrives. Because of his elbow surgery, however, the Korea Baseball Organization chose to remove Choi from its 30-man roster for the World Baseball Classic earlier this month, despite the 31-year-old expressing confidence that he was healthy enough to play. Choi should still be able to get in plenty of at-bats during the Pirates' Grapefruit League schedule, though he may not be ready to make his spring debut during the first week of games.