MLB Player News

The Mariners reassigned Ravelo to minor-league camp Saturday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

After signing an NRI deal with Seattle in the offseason, Ravelo appeared in just two games and logged one hit in four trips to the plate. Ravelo slashed .310/.428/.473 with 35 RBI with the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate last year, and he may see time in the big leagues this season if his bat stays hot in the minors.

Kjerstad has gone 2-for-14 over his first five Grapefruit League games.

That's not a good sign for Kjerstad, who is in the midst of a tough battle for a roster spot. The Orioles' starting outfield is set with Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins and Anthony Santander, and while the team could carry two extra outfielders, Jorge Mateo includes outfield in his portfolio as a utility player. Kjerstad will need to get his bat going to separate himself from competition like Colton Cowser and Kyle Stowers.

Buxton started in center field and went 0-for-2 with a walk in Friday's Grapefruit League win over Boston.

Buxton played center field for the second time in four days without issue, which is a sign the Twins are confident he's healthy as the regular season approaches. The plan is for the talented 30-year-old to be the team's primary center fielder in 2024 after he was a full-time designated hitter in 2023. Buxton underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee in October in order to limit the chances of future flareups of the patella tendinitis that has kept him from playing in the field.

Jimenez is entering the 2024 season healthy and could occasionally play in right field, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Jimenez played 120 games in 2023, his highest mark since the 2019 season. However, he posted a career-worst .169 ISO while swatting only 18 home runs. Jimenez is set to hit free agency at the close of the season, so adding some defensive value back into his profile could help his cause on the open market.

Garver went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in the Mariners' Cactus League tie with the Giants on Tuesday.

The offseason addition belted a Jordan Hicks offering in the first inning into the left field seats with Dylan Moore aboard to give Seattle an early 2-0 lead. The hit marked Garver's first in what was his second Cactus League game, and making it all the more impressive was it came off one of Hicks' signature triple-digit sinkers, per Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle. Garver drew the start at designated hitter, where he's expected to log nearly all his playing time in 2024.

Buxton is starting in center field and batting second for the Twins in Tuesday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Phillies, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

It's Buxton's first start this spring and the first time he'll play center field since August 2022. The plan is for the talented 30-year-old to be the Twins' primary center fielder in 2024 after he was a full-time designated hitter in 2023. Buxton had knee surgery in October but reported to camp fully healthy.

Manager Joe Espada said Sunday that he plans to bat Alvarez second this season, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Alvarez mostly hit out of the No. 3 hole last season and also has plenty of experience as Houston's cleanup hitter, but the new skipper wants to move him up the lineup. The change shouldn't significantly alter the slugger's run production but should benefit fantasy managers as it will lead to more plate appearances over the course of a full season.

Stanton entered spring training noticeably slimmer after adding more movement and running to his offseason workouts, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Stanton indicated that he isn't certain how much weight he lost, but pictures from camp show that he is slimmer than in past campaigns. Manager Aaron Boone suggested that both the player and the team feel the lost weight can help Stanton "with some of the things that he's dealt with from an injury standpoint," per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Stanton has missed 113 games combined over the past two campaigns, so it would be a significant boon to his fantasy value if he could avoid the injured list this season.

Buxton told reporters Monday that he thinks he can steal 30 bases this season, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Buxton has never stolen 30 bases in a major-league season, with the closest coming back in 2017 when he pilfered 29 bags. That was also the only time he's played 100-plus games in a season. Since 2020, Buxton has stolen a total of 26 bases across 277 contests. The odds that he is able to stay healthy enough to reach the 30-steal plateau in 2024 aren't high, but it's nonetheless encouraging that he's feeling good enough to make such a proclamation. Buxton is slated to return to center field this season after spending all of 2023 at designated hitter.

Buxton (knee) said Saturday that he is "100 percent" healthy and expects to have a normal buildup during spring training, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Buxton underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee in October in order to limit the chances of future flareups of the patella tendinitis that caused him to miss the final month of the 2023 season. Now fully recovered from surgery, Buxton will prepare for a return to center field after exclusively operating as Minnesota's designated hitter last year.