MLB Player News

Lewis will get his surgically repaired knee checked out before he's cleared to go through full workouts during spring training, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Lewis didn't appear in a game after the end of May last season while recovering from a torn meniscus. While it initially appeared as though he had a chance to return late in the season, a setback wound up sidelining him for the rest of the campaign. It doesn't appear as though the reports of the Mariners' caution are linked to any specific setback, but it makes sense for the team not to push him. Assuming that the careful approach, which may include frequent starts at designated hitter, is able to keep him in the lineup on a regular basis this season, he could be a good late-round value, as he posted a 14.0 percent barrel rate alongside a career-best 25.2 percent walk rate in his 36-game stint last season.

Cabrera may see more time as the designated hitter in 2022 if the team wants to play Spencer Torkelson at first base, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Torkelson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 first-year player draft, will be competing for an Opening Day roster spot in camp. Whenever Torkelson arrives in the majors, he'll likely see time at first, with the veteran Cabrera working as the DH and Jonathan Schoop shifting over to second. After a few injury-plagued seasons, the 38-year-old Cabrera appeared in 130 games for the Tigers last year, recording a .702 OPS, 15 home runs and 75 RBI.

Arizona general manager Mike Hazen did not have an update on Beer (shoulder) this weekend but said he should in a few days, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Beer's five-game entree into MLB last September was a success before he dislocated his shoulder. Team personnel were barred from communicating with 40-man roster players during the lockout, so the Diamondbacks are still in the process of acquiring information on players' health. Now that MLB has adopted the designated hitter for the NL, Beer is considered a leader to become the team's primary DH or at least the left-handed component in a platoon. Beer has consistently posted a slugging percentage above .500 and an OPS over .900 in the minors.

Colon is planning to retire, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

Colon has been in professional baseball since 2010, and he first reached the majors in 2014. He spent the majority of his career as organizational depth, including 2021 when he played at Triple-A Buffalo. For his career, he logged a .249/.312/.310 line across 418 major-league plate appearances.

General manager Jerry Dipoto said Wednesday the team is counting on Lewis to produce as a hitter in 2022, but is unsure if he will play center field, left field or designated hitter, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Considering Lewis has missed so much time in recent seasons with lower-body injuries -- he finished the 2021 season on the 60-day injured list with a bone bruise in his right knee -- it makes sense for Lewis to get more starts at designated hitter going forward. The Mariners may add other players still this offseason, but for now Lewis should be able to play pretty regularly as long as he's healthy.

Ford was non-tendered by the Nationals on Tuesday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Ford was claimed off waivers by the Nationals in August, and he'll depart the organization without making a big-league appearance. He struggled with the Yankees earlier in the year and hit .133/.278/.283 in 72 plate appearances.

Vogelbach was non-tendered by the Brewers on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old was overtaken as the Brewers' primary first baseman by Rowdy Tellez, so the team opted not to tender him a contract for 2022. Vogelbach hit .219/.349/.381 with nine home runs, 24 RBI and 30 runs scored in 258 plate appearances last season.

Choi agreed to a one-year, $3.2 million deal with the Rays on Tuesday to avoid arbitration, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Choi appeared in 83 games during 2021 and hit .229/.348/.411 with 11 homers, 14 doubles, 45 RBI and 36 runs in 305 plate appearances. He should see plenty of time at first base next season, especially with Yandy Diaz likely to see more time at third base following the departure of Joey Wendle.

Ozuna was handed a retroactive 20-game suspension Monday for a violation of the league's Join Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy which has already been completed, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Ozuna landed on the injured list with broken fingers in late May and was arrested for aggravated assault and family violence soon after. He didn't return for the rest of the season while the case played out in court but was placed on administrative leave in mid-September after agreeing to enter a diversion program which could see his charges dropped. The league evidently felt that the time he already missed constituted a sufficient punishment, as his time on administrative league counted for the purposes of the suspension.

The Twins signed Buxton to a seven-year, $100 million contract extension Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The contract includes a full no-trade clause. Injuries have plagued Buxton throughout his career, but he's proven to be an immensely impactful player both offensively and defensively when available. At about $14 million per year, the contract will be a bargain for Minnesota if the center fielder manages to stay healthy. Despite being limited to 61 games in 2021, Buxton hit 19 home runs and stole nine bases while slashing .306/.358/.647 in 254 plate appearances.