MLB Player News

Lewis (oblique) appeared in Wednesday's minor-league spring game and hit a linedrive double in his first at-bat, Seth Stohs of TwinsDaily.com reports.

He had been sidelined with an oblique injury, but is back to full health. Lewis appears to have added good weight this offseason and could be in for a power breakout. He should open the year at High-A, but could quickly earn a promotion to Double-A, where he figures to spend the bulk of the season.

Duffy (hamstring) is progressing in his return from a hamstring issue but remains without a return date, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Duffy has played in just one game so far this spring and has suffered multiple setbacks. His progress Tuesday consisted of running on a treadmill in a pool, so he doesn't appear to be particularly close to a return. An extended absence would open up playing time for Daniel Robertson or Brandon Lowe.

Devers has slowly accepted the direction of teammates and coaches about being a more patient hitter, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

When Devers made his MLB debut before his 21st birthday, he was a raw, free swinger that got by on natural talent. The next step was for the free-spirited Devers to avoid swinging at bad pitches. The now 22-year-old third baseman has listened and adopted the coaching, and it's important that he doesn't fall back into old habits. "There's a two-way conversation now," hitting coach Tim Hyers said. "It's not just us feeding information to him. So now, as a hitting coach, I'm seeing the progression that we're onto something. That's a really good sign when he came in the other day and said, 'I want to work on this. I expanded in and want to make sure my sights are in this spot.' So he just worked on that for a while. For a young guy to use his time wisely like that. It was really neat to see." Manager Alex Cora has challenged Devers this spring, slotting him third in the batting order. If he's to become the primary three hitter, he knows he needs to control the strike zone and avoid getting himself out. "It would be an honor to hit third, but I have to keep working and show that I deserve to be there," he said. Judging from his spring numbers, Devers appears to have fully accepted what he's being told. He's batting .478 (11-for-23) with a 1.261 OPS.

Moncada went 1-for-2 with a walk, a home run and two runs scored in Sunday's game against Oakland.

Moncada had a good day in the field, executing all three of his chances, and continued to rake in the Cactus League. The 23-year-old third baseman is 10-for-27 (.370) with five walks, four extra-base hits and four RBI. The strikeouts are still an issue -- 10 in 32 plate appearances -- but not when he's posting a 1.098 spring OPS.

The Twins assigned Lewis (oblique) to minor-league camp Sunday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Lewis' oblique injury has prevented him from seeing any spring action with the Twins this year, but he was able to take swings Saturday, and if all goes well over the rest of March, he could get into a game before March comes to a close and be ready to go when minor-league games begin in early April.

Bregman (back) will serve as the Astros' designated hitter and will bat third in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Astros had held Bregman out of action the past two days after he experienced back stiffness during his appearance in Wednesday's exhibition versus the Marlins. He'll be eased back into the starting nine in a non-defensive role but should reprise his normal duties at third base within the next few days.

Lewis (oblique) took batting practice Saturday, noting afterward that he felt no lingering soreness, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Lewis backed up his optimism about his own health by hitting off a tee in the cage after the BP session. With Lewis having resumed swinging a day after taking fielding drills, he looks to have just about moved past the strained oblique that surfaced just over two weeks earlier. It's possible that he'll re-enter the Twins' Grapefruit League lineup at some point within the next week, though an assignment to minor-league camp may come beforehand.

Duffy was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles after he experienced renewed soreness in his hamstring while running the bases Friday, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

The Rays have now scratched Duffy on two occasions this spring on account of the persistent hamstring issue, delaying the infielder's Grapefruit League debut. Per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Duffy said Saturday that he didn't feel his latest setback was a significant one, but he nonetheless acknowledged the possibility that he might not be ready to go for Opening Day. The Rays should have a better read on that front based on how Duffy progresses during the upcoming week, but if he's forced to open the campaign on the injured list, more starts could open up for the likes of Daniel Robertson and Brandon Lowe.

Chapman hit his first home run of spring, a fifth-inning solo shot off Mark Melancon, in a 5-1 Cactus League win over the Giants on Thursday. He finished 2-for-3 with a walk overall.

Chapman also started at third base in the contest as he continues to work all the way back from December shoulder surgery. The 25-year-old complemented his elite defense with considerably improved offensive numbers last season, slashing .278/.356/.508 with 24 home runs and a whopping 72 extra-base hits overall. Seemingly on his way to stardom with both the bat and glove, Chapman remains a coveted fantasy asset across all formats entering 2019.

Lewis (oblique) has started to take balls in the infield, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Lewis suffered an oblique strain in late February. He's still technically in big-league camp, but he's unlikely to appear in a major-league spring game. He still has plenty of time before the minor-league season begins to get over this issue, but it's worth monitoring since a setback could sidetrack his season.