MLB Player News

The Rays are hopeful Choi can resume playing in 4-to-5 weeks after he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Choi's procedure was a bit more extensive than the typical knee scope, with Topkin noting that the 29-year-old had loose bodies removed and his meniscus cleaned up as part of the surgery. Tampa Bay is optimistic that the scope will provide a permanent fix for Choi's persistent knee issues, which had been plaguing him since the beginning of camp in late February. With Choi likely out of commission until early-to-mid May, the Rays are likely to use a platoon of Yoshi Tsutsugo and Yandy Diaz at first base.

Mercedes will be on the White Sox's Opening Day roster, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

The White Sox will carry three nominal catchers to begin the season, though Mercedes' defense is poor enough that he's unlikely to be anything more than a designated hitter. Starts could be available at that spot if the team goes forward with its somewhat unexpected plan of having Andrew Vaughn fill in for the injured Eloy Jimenez (pectoral) in left field, but with fellow bat-first backstop Zack Collins and leading DH candidate Jake Lamb in the fold, at-bats could be hard to come by for Mercedes.

Ohtani (finger) will bat second as the designated hitter Tuesday against the Dodgers.

Ohtani left his Monday start on the mound with a blister, but the fact that he's able to hit just one day later is seemingly a good sign. Pitching presumably places more stress on the blistered finger than hitting does, so he'll still have to get through a bullpen session this week if he's to make his scheduled pitching debut against the White Sox on Sunday.

Jimenez underwent surgery on his ruptured left pectoral tendon Tuesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Jimenez suffered the injury while trying to rob a home run in a Cactus League contest. General manager Rick Hahn confirmed that his timeline to return remains five to six months, contradicting reports from Monday that indicated Jimenez could be back in as little as four months. That timeline means Jimenez won't be back in game action until late August at the earliest. The White Sox expect to update Jimenez's timeline in three months.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said that Cabrera will start at first base in Thursday's season opener versus Cleveland, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

After being bothered by knee issues early on during the 2019 campaign, Cabrera transitioned from first base to designated hitter in mid-July of that season. Cabrera returned to full health in 2020, but the Tigers still elected to use him exclusively as a designated hitter in an effort to keep him fresh for the entire season. Though that plan worked well, Cabrera expressed a desire this spring to see more work in the field this year, and Hinch seems prepared to honor that request. Woodbery speculates that Cabrera is unlikely to play the field more than once or twice per week, but that still could be enough for him to qualify at first base in many fantasy leagues by the end of April.

Cleveland announced Tuesday that Ramirez will be a part of its five-man taxi squad for its season-opening series in Detroit, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Though Ramirez was unable to win a spot on Cleveland's 26-man Opening Day roster, he looks like he'll be first in line for a promotion if the club requires an extra outfielder. He saw action in the majors with the Marlins the past two seasons, slashing a collective .274/.311/.411 in 456 plate appearances.

Angels manager Joe Maddon said that he expects Ohtani (finger) will be ready to pitch in his first scheduled start of the season Sunday against the White Sox, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ohtani made his fourth and final appearance on the mound this spring Monday against the Dodgers, working only 2.1 innings before bowing out of the contest after developing a blister on his right middle finger. He was lit up for seven runs before departing, inflating his spring ERA to 12.19 over 10.1 innings. Fortunately, the blister doesn't seem to be viewed as a major concern, as Maddon noted that the two-way standout would be able to serve at DH in Tuesday's spring finale against the Dodgers. Assuming Ohtani makes it through a bullpen session later this week without issue, he should be ready to pitch Sunday, though he likely won't be asked to work deep into the contest.

Choi is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic right knee surgery Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

An official timeline for his return likely won't be announced until surgery is completed, but the Rays are planning on Choi being sidelined for around 3-to-5 weeks, per Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network. Choi has been dealing with soreness and inflammation in his right knee since the beginning of camp, and after a pair of cortisone injections failed to fully resolve the discomfort, he'll now have to get a cleanup procedure. While Choi is on the mend, the Rays are expected to lean primarily on a platoon of Yoshi Tsutsugo and Yandy Diaz at first base, with Mike Brosseau also potentially factoring in at the position.

The Angels confirmed that Ohtani left Monday's start with a blister on his right hand, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

According to Ardaya, Ohtani's blister was caught early, which is promising news for the ballclub. General manager Perry Minasian stated that there's nothing else to report on Ohtani's status at this time, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.

Doctors confirmed Monday that Jimenez suffered a pectoral tear, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Jimenez will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair the damage following this confirmation. There is some good news for the White Sox, in that the recovery period is expected to last around four-to-five months, which is slightly better than the initial five-to-six month timeframe.