MLB Player News

Martinez was scratched from the Red Sox's lineup for Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins due to back tightness, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Martinez can be viewed as day-to-day at this juncture unless the Red Sox indicate otherwise. The slugger is off to a poor start to the spring with a 1-for-16 mark from the plate, but his stellar track record over the past five seasons continues to make him a worthy first-round selection in just about any fantasy format.

Ford was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Yankees on Tuesday.

Ford received an invite to major-league spring training and had his struggles at the plate, going 3-for-21 with six strikeouts. The 26-year-old should return to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he slashed .253/.327/.433 with 15 home runs in 102 games last season.

Stanton is hitting .333 with a home run, two RBI and three walks over his last 15 spring training at-bats.

Stanton went hitless in his first four at-bats of the spring, but he's found his groove since March 1, launching a mammoth home run for his first long ball Friday. He's now sporting an excellent .417 on-base percentage in Grapefruit League play. For Stanton, the objective will be parlaying that into a stronger start to the regular season than he had last year, when he limped out of the gate to the tune of a .230/.313/.425 slash line in March and April.

Lewis was reassigned to minor-league camp Monday, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Lewis had a solid run at the dish in big-league camp, hitting .389 with two home runs, four RBI, a stolen base and six runs scored. The former first-round pick slashed .220/.309/.371 over 37 games with Double-A Arkansas a season ago and could remain with the Travelers to open the 2019 campaign.

Alvarez went 2-for-2 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's game against the Nationals.

Alvarez's bat is not in question -- he slugged a combined 21 home runs with a .534 slugging percentage and .904 OPS at Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Fresno in 2018 -- but a spot on Houston's roster is. The 6-foot-5 Alvarez has the frame of a first baseman, but the Astros are exposing him to left field, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. "He's a little more athletic and a little bit better in left field than I had anticipated, just because there's so much attention and talk about his bat," manager AJ Hinch said of Alvarez. If the 21-year-old can handle the added responsibility of another position, Alvarez improves the chances of bringing his impressive bat to the majors.

Cabrera went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

Cabrera now has two home runs this spring to go along with a 1.270 OPS. The veteran had his 2018 season cut short due to a ruptured biceps, but the early returns in 2019 indicate he could be back to full health, and he could be a nice discount option in fantasy leagues.

Manager Brad Ausmus said Saturday that Ohtani (elbow) won't be activated from the Angels' injured list before May, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani, who began his throwing program this week while he works back from Tommy John surgery, isn't scheduled to pitch this season but remains on track to serve as a designated hitter for the club. Earlier in the offseason, there was some optimism that Ohtani might receive clearance to enter the lineup at some point during the first month of 2019, but Ausmus has dismissed that possibility in recognition of where the two-way phenom currently stands in his rehab. Ohtani is merely hitting soft toss at this point, so he'll need to advance to live batting practice before the Angels even clear him to get at-bats in simulated games or minor-league rehab games. It will likely take at least a few weeks for Ohtani to take enough swings against live pitching before the Angels consider activating him, a reality that may make it difficult to justify rostering him in leagues with limited bench spots.

Ohtani (elbow) will throw Wednesday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery in October, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani's rehab process will be an unusually complex one. He won't pitch all season but will still have to spend a considerable amount of time getting his arm in shape for 2020, even as he works his way back toward a return as a hitter in May. Setbacks on the pitching side could impact his hitting timeline, though up to now everything seems to have moved smoothly.

Canha went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run, three walks and two runs overall in a 7-4 Cactus League win over the Mariners on Wednesday.

The veteran is angling for a reserve outfield spot this spring. However, prior to Wednesday's outburst, he hadn't exactly acquitted himself well at the plate. Canha only had two hits in the 14 spring at-bats he'd logged prior to facing the Mariners, but his final line against Seattle was reminiscent of the contributions the 29-year-old made last season. Canha launched a career-high 17 round trippers in 2018, and he complemented the power with a career-best 8.3 percent walk rate. Given his ability to fill in at all three outfield spots as well as designated hitter, Canha's chances of sticking on the Opening Day roster appear solid for the time being.

Manager Brad Ausmus said Thursday that Ohtani (elbow) will begin a throwing program "on the soon side," Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ausmus' comments aren't all that specific, but at the very least, Ohtani looks poised to play catch before the Angels break camp. Once that happens, Ausmus noted that Ohtani will decrease his volume of swings, which could affect when he's ready to make his season debut as a designated hitter. Ohtani, who has been limited to hitting soft toss at this stage of his recovery, is said to be targeting a return from the injured list in early May.