MLB Player News

Ohtani (elbow) recently resumed throwing live batting practice and has advanced to the 55-pitch mark in those sessions, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Angels have indicated that Ohtani, who has thrown live BP three times, will stick to around 55 pitches in his subsequent throwing sessions before likely building up his count once teams are allowed to begin their second phase of preseason training. The league-wide shutdown has provided Ohtani with some extra time to complete the final stages of his rehab from October 2018 Tommy John surgery, leaving the possibility open for him to contribute both as a member of the rotation and as a designated hitter when Opening Day arrives.

Lewis, who has remained in the Arizona area while spring training has been suspended, is likely to be present at the Mariners' spring training facility in Peoria when it reopens with limited access early this week, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The Mariners are among many teams that will begin welcoming staggered groups of players back over the next several days for informal workouts at either their home or spring training complexes. Lewis' ongoing presence in the area makes him a natural candidate to join other teammates such as Evan White, Jake Fraley and J.P. Crawford, and with multiple practice fields and workout areas, the Peoria complex should afford the necessary space for proper social distancing procedures to be followed.

Ohtani (elbow) has been "ramping up intensity and volume," Jeff Fletcher of The Orange Country Register reports.

The update comes by way of Angels general manager Billy Eppler, who also noted that Ohtani has continued throwing off a mound. The two-way star was originally expected to be limited to hitting duties to begin the campaign, but with a potential Opening Day pushed back to no sooner than early July, Ohtani is now on track to be part of the starting rotation from the get-go.

Cabrera has gotten into better shape this offseason with the goal of being able to play some first base when the regular season is able to start, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Cabrera reported to camp lighter than he's been the past few seasons, and manager Ron Gardenhire said he was impressed by the veteran's conditioning. Cabrera made 107 appearances as DH in 2019 and played at first in 26 games. The Tigers are unlikely to allow the 37-year-old to play the field extensively this season given his knee issues in recent years.

Choi is working out consistently in his native South Korea and maintaining regular contact with manager Kevin Cash and other Rays staffers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Choi returned to his hometown of Incheon back on March 24 and self-quarantined for 14 days. Subsequent to that period, Choi has been working out with his older brother Jungwoo at the latter's With Baseball academy, which offers the 28-year-old access to regular batting practice as he demonstrated in a recent posting on his personal Instagram account. Choi is also using SMS technology to communicate every few days with Cash and head athletic trainer Joe Benge, and he is contemplating a possible mid-May return to the United States to continue preparing for the regular season.

Angels general manager Billy Eppler said Sunday during an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that Ohtani is throwing "roughly" two bullpen sessions per week at about "80 to 85 percent" intensity.

Since Ohtani is still completing the rehab process for his elbow following his October 2018 Tommy John surgery, he's been permitted to receive treatment and conduct his throwing program at the Angels' facility during the league-wide suspension of play. Eppler estimates that Ohtani is typically throwing around 35 pitches during the sessions and should increase the frequency of them before he's deemed ready to face hitters in May. Organizing live batting practice sessions in which Ohtani can test himself against hitters could prove to be more of a challenge if the MLB season remains suspended deep into May.

Vogelbach's improved contact rate stood out to hitting coach Tim Laker before spring training was suspended, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Vogelbach worked on several adjustments to his approach in the batter's box this offseason after posting an anemic .162/.286/.341 line following the All-Star break in 2019. Laker feels Vogelbach's results this spring -- a .321 average (9-for-28) across 12 Cactus League games -- speak to a keener eye at the plate on the part of the burly slugger. "He was frustrated a little bit in spring, just because he hadn't hit any home runs yet, but Daniel Vogelbach is not a guy that is going to have to worry about power," Laker said. "It's not like he lost his power. I felt like he was having better at-bats, wasn't striking out nearly at the clip he was in the second half. I did think it was headed in the right direction, for sure."

Ohtani (elbow) has started throwing bullpen sessions, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

In a Q&A session, Angels general manager Billy Eppler indicated that Ohtani tossed a bullpen Monday and another Friday morning. The Friday session consisted of "15 pitches...fastballs only," according to Eppler. The news is in line with reports earlier in April suggesting that Ohtani's return to the mound was imminent. It also bodes well for the possibility that the Angels' ace could be ready to pitch in games by the time the 2020 season gets underway.

Canha was starting to "hit his stride" at the plate when spring training was suspended, Shayna Rubin of The Mercury News reports.

The veteran outfielder hit .318 (7-for-22) with three doubles, six RBI, six walks and two runs over 11 Cactus League contests prior to the pause in play. Canha returned home shortly after spring training was suspended and has been engaging in body weight workouts in his backyard, a regimen that includes lunges, pushups and sit-ups. He's supplemented that work with some cardiovascular activity in the form of jumping jacks and an exercise bike and is also taking dry swings, attempting to address all aspects of personal fitness under unusual circumstances. Canha is slated to serve as the starting left fielder when the season does begin after a breakout 2019 during which he slashed .273/.396/.517 with 26 home runs and 58 RBI.

Lewis projects as the everyday right fielder this coming regular season despite having hit just .172 (5-for-29) over 11 Cactus League games before spring training was suspended, Brent Stecker of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Stecker notes that general manager Jerry Dipoto identifies the slugger's occasional "empty swings" as a byproduct of an opposite-field approach to hitting which requires Lewis to often allow the ball to go deeper into the zone than a pull hitter does. The Mariners are willing to accept such a tradeoff so long as Lewis is able to generate a similar caliber of long-ball production to that of his first big-league cup of coffee in 2019. Following his September promotion, the 24-year-old became the second player in MLB history to homer in each of his first three games and ultimately left the yard once every 12.5 plate appearances across 18 contests overall. Signs of his prodigious power were evident once again this spring despite the overall lack of success, as three of Lewis' five hits during Cactus League play were home runs.