MLB Player News

Jimenez was removed from Monday's Cactus League game versus the Diamondbacks with an apparent injury, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

It's not clear what happened to Jimenez, but he was spotted walking back to the White Sox' complex with the trainer after the second inning. Injuries have hampered Jimenez throughout his major-league career to this point.

After Texas manager Bruce Bochy named Robbie Grossman's the team's primary left fielder, Miller appears destined for a platoon at designated hitter, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The lefty-hitting Miller, who had an .831 OPS against right-handed pitching from 2018-21, looks like an ideal complement to the right-handed hitting Grossman (career .698 OPS against righties), but that will not materialize early on. That leaves Miller to pick up any spare at-bats in left field when Grossman isn't in the lineup or sharing DH with catchers Mitch Garver and Jonah Heim. Miller battled a hip injury in 2022, posting a career-worst .590 OPS in 81 games. He could also get squeezed for playing time from Josh Smith, who offers similar positional versatility.

Turner (face) will serve as the Red Sox's designated hitter and No. 3 batter in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, Mac Cerullo of The North Andover Eagle-Tribune reports.

Turner is checking back into the Red Sox's starting nine for the first time since taking a pitch to the face in a March 6 game. Fortunately for Turner, he able to avoid any facial fractures, though he sustained a laceration that required several stitches and caused him to pause baseball activities for a few days. He was able to resume activity just over a week ago and made it through batting practice Friday without incident, so the Red Sox will be comfortable easing him back into the lineup in a non-defensive role. Turner is expected to see the majority of his starts out of the DH spot this season so long as Rafael Devers is healthy.

Astros manager Dusty Baker told reporters Sunday that Alvarez (hand) could play in a Grapefruit League game next week, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Baker said that Alvarez is currently ahead of Michael Brantley (shoulder) in terms of getting into a game. The Astros have a day off Monday before playing six games in the Grapefruit League, and Baker believes that the slugger could get into action in the middle of that stretch. There are still some obstacles to climb, but there's a very good chance that Alvarez will be ready for the start of the regular season.

Buxton went 3-for-3 with a double and a walk in a minor-league game Saturday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Buxton underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in late September, and the Twins are being very careful about easing him into action this spring. Twins management has said Buxton hasn't had any issues, but it's still encouraging to see him play in two games, even if they're just minor-league contests, in the past week. He'll likely play in a few major-league spring games before Opening Day.

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol told reporters that Jimenez will start Sunday in right field, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Jimenez is expected to primarily play as the designated hitter for the White Sox, but Grifol will give the slugger a chance to play in the outfield on occasion. The 26-year-old has gotten some reps in the field this spring even while away from the team, as he was able to play right field for Team Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic before they were eliminated.

Turner (face) is set to return to the lineup as the designated hitter Monday against the Pirates, Mike Monaco of ESPN reports.

He will take batting practice on the field Saturday in advance of his return to Grapefruit League play. It will end up being exactly two weeks in between when Turner first suffered the hit-by-pitch to his face and when he makes his return. As a veteran and Boston's presumptive designated hitter, Turner won't need much spring action to get tuned up before Opening Day.

Alvarez (hand) will take batting practice on the field Friday for the first time this spring, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez has been hitting in the batting cage without issue for several days and is ready to test his sore hand out on the field. Assuming things go well, he should be ready to play in games soon. There's been no indication from the Astros yet that Alvarez could be in danger of not being ready for Opening Day, but the window for the slugger to get ready is closing.

Turner (face) will take batting practice on the field Friday and could return to Grapefruit League action Monday if all goes well, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

It had been suggested Turner could return to games over the weekend, but it appears that timeline has been pushed back a tad. He'll have missed two weeks of action if he returns Monday following a hit-by-pitch to the face that required 16 stitches. Turner should be fine for Opening Day.

Buxton played in a minor-league game Thursday in Twins camp, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

It was the first live action of the spring for Buxton, who has been brought along slowly by design after yet another injury-plagued campaign in 2022. The dynamic 29-year-old outfielder currently carries a clean bill of health and is hoping to show improved durability in 2023. When healthy last year, he delivered a strong .833 OPS with 28 home runs and six stolen bases in 92 games.