MLB Player News

Manager Scott Servais said Torrens (finger) could receive a couple at-bats at designated hitter in Saturday's spring game against the A's, Lauren Smith of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

The 24-year-old has yet to make his spring debut due to a finger laceration, but it appears he'll be on the field Saturday. If all goes well at the plate, Torrens is then expected to be worked into the catching rotation.

Cabrera played first base Thursday in a Grapefruit League game, his first appearance there since 2019, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Cabrera spent three innings in the field, and manager A.J. Hinch said afterward, "Miggy's a good first baseman. ... He was pretty active." The 37-year-old will now likely get a few days off, but he could return to the lineup this weekend and will likely continue to play first base occasionally into the regular season -- though it remains to be seen how frequently he'll be used defensively. Cabrera played in 57 games in 2020, all as the Tigers' DH.

Torrens has been dealing with a cut on his finger but will make his spring debut over the weekend, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Torrens is expected to back up Tom Murphy this season, but the Mariners have estimated that he'll receive up to 45 percent of the starts behind the plate with Murphy coming off a season missed to injury. The delayed start to Torrens' spring shouldn't hurt him too much in that pursuit, as he'll still have several weeks to prepare for Opening Day.

Ramirez has reported to Cleveland's big-league camp and cleared intake procedures.

He will be competing with a host of similarly talented outfielders for a spot on the Opening Day roster. Ramirez may lack the fantasy upside of players like Daniel Johnson and Bradley Zimmer, but he may be a steadier option early in the season.

Alvarez (knee) participated in on-field batting practice Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez has been increasing his workload over the past several days, and he participated in batting practice for the first time this spring. He could spend some time playing first base this spring if he's fully healthy, but the 23-year-old should serve as the primary designated hitter for the Astros during the regular season if he recovers from his knee injury.

Choi (knee) is starting at designated hitter and batting cleanup Wednesday against the Pirates, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

He has been eased into spring action after dealing with right knee soreness early in camp. Choi is starting at DH in this one, but appears to be on track to get starts at first base in the near future.

Houston manager Dusty Baker said Alvarez (knee) has increased his workload since joining the team last week for on-field practices, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez has not yet taken batting practice or fielding practice, although the Astros don't plan to use him in the field often. If he's healthy, Alvarez will be Houston's primary designated hitter.

Mercedes went 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored in Monday's spring game against the Angels.

The White Sox have used Zack Collins and Mercedes in the first two games of Cactus League play while Yasmani Grandal deals with right-knee inflammation. The club is not going to push Grandal, who began ramping up activity Sunday and is expected to get plenty of at-bats to be ready for Opening Day. Mercedes, whose power stroke during 2020 spring training made headlines, may get some opportunities early this spring, but he's expected to be in the minors when camp breaks.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Choi (knee) is expected to make his Grapefruit League debut Wednesday against the Pirates, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

With his sore right knee responding well to drills in recent days, Choi looks poised to make his first appearance of the spring in the middle of the week. According to Adam Berry of MLB.com, Choi will likely serve as the Rays' designated hitter Wednesday before getting some work at first base in Thursday's game against the Twins.

Reyes (ankle) will serve as Cleveland's designated hitter and will bat cleanup in Monday's Cactus League game against the Royals.

The sprained right ankle Reyes picked up shortly before reporting to spring training still may be limited him from a mobility standpoint, but that's not a major component of the slugger's game anyway. So long as Cleveland is comfortable enough deploying him as a DH in spring games, Reyes should be able to pick up the at-bats he needs to get himself ready for Opening Day.