MLB Player News

The Astros hope to have Alvarez (knee) play left field more frequently this season than he did as a rookie, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Heading into the 2020 season, Alvarez will likely only be eligible as a utility player in most fantasy leagues after logging 74 appearances as a designated hitter in 2019 and only 10 in the outfield. The slugging 22-year-old is still expected to slot in as the Astros' primary DH in his sophomore campaign, but Alvarez could still see a boost in his field work on the occasions manager Dusty Baker wants to give veteran corner outfielders MIchael Brantley and/or Josh Reddick a breather. Before MLB suspended its season March 12, Alvarez had been sidelined with soreness in both knees, but he's expected to be healthy once baseball resumes in mid-May or later.

Brantley hit .316 (6-for-19) with a home run, a double, three walks, four RBI and three runs scored over eight Grapefruit League games.

The health concerns of 2016 and 2017, when Brantley played a combined 101 games, have been mostly put to rest as he recorded a second straight season of more than 600 plate appearances in 2019. The 32-year-old outfielder picked up this spring where he left off last season, when he hit .311/.372/.503 while launching a career-high 22 home runs. He'll be the Astros' starting left fielder in 2020 while slotting into the top half of the batting order where the potent Houston lineup gives him ample opportunity to score and drive in runs.

Detroit manager Ron Gardenhire said he has been impressed by Cabrera's bat speed this spring and thinks the veteran can be an "impact" player this season, Will Burchfield of 97.1 The Ticket reports.

Gardenhire said Cabrera's body "wouldn't let him do his thing" last season but added that the 36-year-old looked much better before spring training was suspended. "He's moving well, he looks great, you can tell he feels great," Gardenhire said. "He's eating great. And he's got bat speed he didn't have last year." The veteran Cabrera hit a solid .282/.346/.398 in 2019, but he was only able to provide 12 home runs and 59 RBI in 136 games. He hasn't topped 20 home runs or 100 RBI since 2016, so a huge surge in production this year seems unlikely.

Choi was hitting .273 (6-for-22) with a home run, three RBI, seven walks and three runs across 10 Grapefruit League games before spring training was suspended.

Choi's first full Rays season in 2019 was a success, as the 28-year-old posted career highs in doubles (20), home runs (19), RBI (63), walks (64) and runs (54). Choi also generated an impressive and career-best .363 on-base percentage last season, and although Jose Martinez was brought in this offseason as a possible platoon mate at first base, the latter's defensive deficiencies may ultimately limit his opportunities. However, Choi's career-long struggles versus left-handed pitching still project to cap his opportunities versus southpaws, with Yandy Diaz also available to fill in when a left-hander is on the hill.

Vogelbach, who was hitting .321 (9-for-28) prior to the suspension of spring training, focused on being more aggressive early in counts and improving against left-handed pitching this offseason, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. "I feel really good," the Florida native reaffirmed. "I'm swinging at strikes. I feel really good off lefties, and that was my goal coming into Spring Training -- to try to dominate lefties. Every time a lefty is on the mound, really lock in and try to dominate them. It's something I needed to get better from last year and is a goal of mine, and it starts in Spring Training."

Vogelbach is expected to primarily operate at designated hitter this season with rookie Evan White taking over at first base, so he should have plenty of time to remain focused on the improvements he attempted to make this offseason. The burly slugger's motivation was a poor second half of last season -- one in which he slashed an anemic .162/.286/.341 -- and he also generated an unsightly .161/.288/.315 line versus southpaws in 2019. Both Vogelbach and manager Scott Servais also came to the conclusion the 27-year-old was too passive in the post-All-Star-break portion of the campaign, as he posted a .926 OPS when putting the first pitch in play and a .587 figure when getting behind in the count. With Tom Murphy and Aaron Nola both poised to see some time at designated hitter as well this season, Vogelbach will still sit against some left-handers, but his production prior to the pause in play offered reason for optimism.

Buxton (shoulder) figures to be fully healthy by the time play resumes, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

The Twins had planned on breaking camp with multiple reserve outfielders (Jake Cave and LaMonte Wade) in order to either manage Buxton's usage early in the season or to perhaps cover him if he opened on the injured list. However, it now seems likely that Buxton will be considered fully healthy at the start of the season, assuming he avoids any setbacks.

Rooker hit .286/.400/.333 with zero home runs and a 6:3 K:BB in 25 plate appearances with the big club this spring.

While Rooker may be able to hold his own at the plate against big-league pitching, albeit with plenty of strikeouts (34.7 percent strikeout rate at Triple-A), his defensive limitations and the Twins' impressive depth make it tough to envision a path to significant playing time. He is a poor defender, already confined to first base, left field and designated hitter, and the Twins are not lacking for quality options at those positions. For instance, Alex Kirilloff is a quality defender at first base and the outfield corners and his bat is close to ready, while Trevor Larnach's bat is not far behind and he is also confined to left field and DH. Rooker will not have to be added to the 40-man roster until next offseason.

Stanton (calf) took swings on the field at the Yankees' spring-training complex Wednesday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Stanton was among a group of Yankees taking part in informal workouts at the George M. Steinbrenner Field complex in an effort to stay in shape during MLB's hiatus. Though he was originally expected to miss Opening Day, Stanton should be fully recovered from his right calf strain by the time the regular season gets underway.

Ohtani may be available to pitch from the start of the season, given that Opening Day has been delayed indefinitely, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani's value has always been heavily dependent on how various leagues allow him to be used. Previously, fantasy owners could count on him to hit all season, but he wasn't expected to pitch before mid-May as he's still working his way back from Tommy John surgery. With mid-May now seeming like the earliest play is likely to resume, Ohtani could now be a full two-way player for the entirety of the campaign. Manager Joe Maddon did note, however, that the Angels won't be wanting to give Ohtani a full workload in his first season back from injury, so whether he pitches right away could depend in part on how long the adjusted regular-season schedule ends up being.

Soler hit .172/.250/.448 with two home runs and a 14:3 K:BB in 32 plate appearances this spring.

Soler's 43.8 percent strikeout rate is pretty alarming, but this was a small sample and his strikeout rate has been below 27 percent in each of the last two big-league seasons. His place in the middle of Kansas City's lineup will be safe whenever the 2020 season gets underway.