MLB Player News

Ohtani (shoulder/elbow) will make his Cactus League debut at designated hitter Friday versus the Angels, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ohtani has been brought along slowly in camp after November surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder. It's not clear when he might be ready to pitch in a game, but he's ready to hit and is fully expected to serve as the Dodgers' DH for their season-opening set in Tokyo versus the Cubs on March 18 and 19.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Smith (ankle) will make his Cactus League debut Friday versus the Angels, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Per Vassegh, Shohei Ohtani (elbow/shoulder) will be making his spring debut Friday as the Dodgers' designated hitter, so Smith looks poised to handle his normal catching duties in his first start of the spring rather than being eased back in a non-defensive role. The Dodgers have been proceeding cautiously with Smith during camp due to a minor ankle injury, but assuming he experiences no setbacks Friday and in his subsequent Cactus League appearances, he'll be available to catch in the team's season-opening two-game series in Tokyo versus the Cubs on March 18 and 19.

Manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Freeman (ankle) will make his Cactus League debut Thursday against the Rockies as the Dodgers' designated hitter, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Since he's working his way back from December surgery to remove loose bodies in his right ankle, Freeman will be eased into the spring lineup in a non-defensive role, but he should be ready for a full-time role at first base once the Dodgers open their season with a two-game set in Tokyo versus the Cubs on March 18 and 19. Roberts confirmed last week that he plans to have the reigning World Series MVP slot in as the Dodgers' primary No. 3 batter in 2025, with Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts hitting in front of him and Teoscar Hernandez occupying the cleanup spot.

Mervis went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

Starting at DH and batting sixth, Mervis drove a Trevor Williams offering over the right-field fence in the second inning for his first homer of the spring. Assuming he has at least a decent camp, Mervis is expected to open the season on the strong side of a platoon with Jonah Bride at first base while also mixing in at DH. While Mervis struggled in limited big-league opportunities with the Cubs, he sports a career .269/.371/.511 slash line over 242 games at Triple-A with 52 home runs.

Cabrera gave up three runs on four hits in just one inning during Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

While the right-hander didn't walk anyone and tossed 15 of 21 pitches for strikes, he failed to record a strikeout and uncorked a wild pitch. Cabrera also had trouble hitting his spots, leaving too many pitches over the heart of the plate. The Marlins are counting on Cabrera to take a step forward in 2025 and become a reliable rotation arm, but over parts of four big-league seasons he's never finished with a walk rate below 11.3 percent, and without better control and command his impressive raw stuff isn't going to translate into consistent results.

Sasaki threw three simulated innings against White Sox hitters Tuesday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Sasaki only induced four swings and misses on 38 pitches, per Plunkett. The right-hander also gave up a homer to prospect Kyle Teel on the second pitch he threw, but regardless manager Dave Roberts seems pleased with where Sasaki is in his buildup process, saying that the 23-year-old's fastball velocity is "right where we'd expect it to be." It remains to be seen when exactly Sasaki will make his Cactus League debut, but the expectation is still that he will toe the rubber March 19 in the second game of the Dodgers' season-opening series against the Cubs in Tokyo.

Tatis (illness) was back at Padres camp Wednesday and is expected to take part in a light workout, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Though Tatis' return to camp is an encouraging sign, manager Mike Shildt said that the star outfielder will likely need a little time to ramp back up after a bout with the flu kept him off the field for a few days. Expect Tatis to gradually intensify his workouts as the week rolls along before potentially making his Cactus League debut this weekend or early next week.

Snell threw one scoreless inning, allowing one hit and striking out one batter in a Cactus League contest against Seattle on Tuesday.

Snell threw at least eight pitches to three of the four batters he faced, so he racked up a hearty pitch count of 30 despite allowing just one baserunner. Per Statcast, the lefty's fastball sat at 95-to-96 mph, which is right in line with where it's been over the past several seasons. After signing a five-year contract in November, Snell is slated to be part of a revamped Dodgers rotation that, on paper, looks to be one of the best in the big leagues.

Fairchild (thumb) has gone 0-for-5 with a strikeout through his first two Cactus League games.

He'll be in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels, with all three of his starts having come in center field. Though he missed the final month of the 2024 season while recovering from a right thumb sprain that required surgery, Fairchild appears to have had a normal offseason and will be looking to compete for a short-side platoon role in the Cincinnati outfield throughout the spring. He has no minor-league options remaining, which may work in his favor in his bid for a spot on the Opening Day roster.

Ozuna went 1-for-2 with a walk and a two-run home run in Tuesday's split-squad game against the Red Sox.

The veteran slugger took Noah Davis deep in the fourth inning for his first long ball of the spring. Ozuna is heading into the final year of his current contract after Atlanta picked up his $16 million option for 2025 in November, and the 34-year-old could be in line for a big payday next winter despite his age if he puts together another strong campaign -- over the last two seasons, he boasts a .289/.364/.552 slash line with 79 homers and 204 RBI.