MLB Player News

Ohtani is in Japan to prepare for the World Baseball Classic, Ben Verlander of Fox Sports reports.

Ohtani made his spring pitching debut for the Angels on Tuesday, hurling 2.1 scoreless innings against Oakland and allowing no hits and two walks while striking out two batters. He made his way back to his native country soon thereafter, and he'll now shift his focus to helping Japan vie for the WBC title. The tournament will take place from March 8 to March 21, so Ohtani will likely be away from the Angels for the next several weeks.

Alvarez (hand) "should definitely be back for Opening Day," Astros general manager Dana Brown told the ESPN broadcast Tuesday, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle.

"We feel totally confident that he'll be in games sometimes midway through (spring training)," Brown added. Alvarez is currently shut down from swinging a bat due to renewed soreness in his left hand similar to what he dealt with in both hands last season. While it sounds like he won't get into any Grapefruit League games for a couple weeks, it does not appear the nagging injury will prevent him from being available come Opening Day.

Horwitz (undisclosed) will start at first base and bat second in Monday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta.

Horwitz came off the bench and went 1-for-3 with a run scored in the Blue Jays' Grapefruit League opener Saturday, but he'll now get the chance to make his first start of the spring. The 25-year-old concluded the 2022 campaign on injured list at Triple-A Buffalo due to an unspecified injury, but he looks like he's back to full health following the offseason. Horwitz slashed .246/.361/.363 across 202 plate appearances in his first taste of Triple-A following his midseason call-up from Double-A New Hampshire in 2022.

Brantley (shoulder) will take batting practice on the field Sunday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

It's a significant step for the 35-year-old, as it will be his first session of batting practice since he underwent surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder back in August. Brantley still has some work to do in his rehab program before progressing to game action, but barring any setbacks he appears on track to be ready for Opening Day.

Manager Dusty Baker said Sunday that Alvarez (hand) has yet to start swinging a bat, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The 25-year-old was plagued by soreness in both his hands throughout last season and continues to have issues with his left hand early in spring training. It's unclear when Alvarez is expected to be cleared for swings, and he'll likely need at least a couple days of using a bat before being cleared for game action.

Belt has yet to participate in a full workout with the rest of the Blue Jays as he gets eased into spring training, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

The veteran first baseman is fully healthy after undergoing knee surgery in September, but the organization isn't in a rush to get him up to speed. Instead, Belt has been hitting in the batting cage and doing some running and fielding work on his own through the early part of camp. "My goal is to be ready for day one of the regular season and not day one of games in spring training," Belt said Friday. "We thought that the best thing to do was just to get here, make sure I'm ready to get in games. Once I get in games, I don't need that long to get ready. Maybe just a couple of weeks." The 34-year-old is expected to be Toronto's primary DH this season while occasionally spelling Vladimir Guerrero at first base, and if he can stay mostly healthy, Belt could rebound in a big way from last season's career-low .676 OPS.

Alvarez (hand) is still not going through any on-field drills with the Astros, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez is experiencing renewed soreness in his left hand, similar to what he dealt with last season in both hands. Manager Dusty Baker said Friday that there was no update on the slugger's progress or prognosis. It seems as if Alvarez could be back in action any day, but obviously this isn't the way he or the Astros envisioned the start of his camp going.

Reyes is in the designated hitter spot and batting cleanup for the Royals in Friday's Cactus League debut against the Rangers.

It's a lineup which features many of the team's regulars, so it can't be a bad thing for Reyes' outlook that he's being thrown right into the middle of it. Still, MJ Melendez is likely to see most of the playing time in the DH spot for the Royals this season, so don't necessarily read too much into it. Reyes could also see a little playing time in the outfield as he looks to bounce back from a dreadful 2022 campaign.

Jimenez said Wednesday that he dropped 25-30 pounds over the offseason, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports.

Jimenez slimmed down in an effort to become more of an everyday outfielder for the White Sox, as he has stated many times that he dislikes filling the designated hitter role. He also noted to reporters Wednesday that his swing has less effort to it now as a result of the leaner physical build. The 26-year-old slugger sure seems primed for a healthier and more productive overall showing in 2023.

Alvarez is not swinging a bat due to left hand soreness, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

You might recall that Alvarez dealt with lingering soreness in both hands off and on last season, even landing on the injured list at one point late in the year (that injury was deemed right hand inflammation). It's discouraging to hear that his hand is already bothering him again, although Alvarez expects to resume swinging a bat in a couple days.