MLB Player News

Lamb will be shut down until at least Tuesday after being diagnosed with a left quad strain, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Lamb will be re-evaluated Tuesday for a potential return to baseball activities. The veteran infielder is in camp as a non-roster invitee and is likely to begin the season at Triple-A Sacramento.

Steer (shoulder) still feels discomfort and had a scheduled throwing program put on hold this week, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. He had been set to begin throwing Monday. "He's just not quite where we want him to be," manager Terry Francona said Thursday. "We'll get him examined one more time and figure out what path we're going."

Steer is still able to DH -- he went 1-for-2 in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks -- because it doesn't hurt him to swing a bat. Multiple MRIs have confirmed no structural damage, but as Steer indicated, "shoulders are tricky." He's scheduled to be examined this weekend by the team's orthopedist before any decisions are made or timelines established.

Freeman (ankle) is hoping to play first base in a Cactus League game Sunday, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.

Freeman took a significant step in his recovery from offseason ankle surgery Thursday, as he made his spring training debut and went 1-for-3 as a designated hitter. He plans to serve as the DH again Saturday before taking the field at first base Sunday. Freeman is expected to be ready for the team's opening series of the regular season on March 18 and 19, though he did acknowledge he'll need to wrap his ankle and isn't likely to feel fully healthy for the first half of the season.

Lamb was removed from Thursday's Cactus League game against the Mariners due to left quad tightness, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Lamb suffered the injury while trying to field a ball at first base in the seventh inning and had to come out of the game immediately afterward. Manager Bob Melvin said after the game that the team will know more about the severity of Lamb's injury Friday.

Encarnacion-Strand started at first base and went 1-for-3 with a home run in Wednesday's spring game against the Angels.

Encarnacion-Strand has appeared in three games -- two at first base and one at third -- as the corner infield spots are not yet set. He and Jeimer Candelario have seen action at each corner thus far in Cactus League action, but C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic observed that Encarnacion-Strand has spent most of his time at first base during workouts while Candelario's logged plenty of time at third.

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.

Horwitz (wrist) will begin taking two-handed dry swings later this week, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Horwitz has been taking one-handed dry swings and is nearly ready to take the next step in his hitting progression as he works his way back from right wrist surgery. He's expected to miss roughly the first month of the season.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Monday that the club is looking at Canha primarily as an option at first base, designated hitter and pinch hitter, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Most of Canha's experience at the major-league level is as an outfielder, but it sounds like the Brewers would use him there only in a pinch. The 36-year-old is in camp as a non-roster invitee, but he should have a good chance to make Milwaukee's Opening Day roster. Canha struggled in 2024, slashing .242/.344/.346 in 125 games between the Tigers and Giants.

Freeman (ankle) could make his Cactus League debut Thursday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Freeman has been brought along slowly in Dodgers camp following December surgery to remove loose bodies in his right ankle, but he's progressing well. The veteran first baseman will get some at-bats in a minor-league game Monday and is tracking toward his first official spring training action later this week. Freeman is expected to be ready to go for the Dodgers' season-opening two-game series against the Cubs in Tokyo on March 18-19.