MLB Player News

Brantley went hitless in two at-bats Wednesday against the Marlins.

Manager AJ Hinch deployed what looked like an Opening Day lineup, which had Brantley, a left-handed batter, hitting fourth behind George Springer, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman (back) and ahead of Carlos Correa. "I do want him in the middle of all those righthanded hitters somewhere," Hinch told Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. "And whether that falls ahead or behind of any of these guys, that's what I'm looking at this spring. I just want him up to bat with some traffic and somebody behind him that's a threat that can keep the line moving." A left-handed presence was missing from the middle of Houston's order last season, which is a main reason the Astros signed Brantley during the offseason. His excellent contact rate (9.5 K%) is a bonus, though it should also enable him to pile up a lot of RBI if he sticks in the heart of the order.

Martinez has gone 0-for-7 with a walk and a run scored in three spring games.

Slow starts to spring training are nothing new for hitters and Martinez is no exception. "Everything's moving fast still," Martinez told Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald after facing the Nationals' Max Scherzer on Tuesday. "It's one of those things. I always say all the time I'm not a good spring training hitter, I don't know, it's that way for me, it takes me awhile to get right. Once I start slowing the ball down something clicks and I'm like 'Oh crap, OK wait, I've got something here.' " The slugging outfielder/DH is looking forward to the repetition of playing games on consecutive days, so that he can get his timing down. Once Martinez got his timing down last spring, there was no stopping him. He finished fourth in voting for AL MVP after posting a 1.031 OPS (3rd in MLB).

Jimenez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's game against the Padres.

Jimenez belted his first homer of the spring and made a nice diving catch in left field. The White Sox's top prospect is hitting just .176 (3-for-17), but his spring performance will not alter the organization's plans to have him up at some point in April to play every day in left.

Choi, who walked twice and scored two runs over three plate appearances in Sunday's 10-4 Grapefruit League win over the Pirates, is one of three players expected to see time at first base during the regular season, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe are also capable of manning first, and the expectation is that manager Kevin Cash will make his playing time decisions based on matchups. Choi will also log time at designated hitter, a role in which he slashed .253/.350/.483 with nine home runs and 27 RBI last season. Choi's 24.9 percent strikeout rate and 71 percent contact rate in 2018 both left plenty of room for improvement, but his .242 ISO across 221 plate appearances represented an encouraging spike, especially when considering the relatively substantial sample size.

Cabrera went 2-for-2 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Braves.

Cabrera did plenty of damage before getting replaced defensively in the sixth inning, as he clubbed his first home run of the spring, a two-run shot off Atlanta reliever Jacob Webb. The veteran slugger is coming off an injury-shortened 2018, so it will be interesting to watch him in the early going to see if he's fully recovered from his ruptured biceps. The Tigers may choose to slowly ramp up the 35-year-old.

Martinez will make his spring debut Saturday, according to Sean McAdam of BostonSportsJournal.com.

The Red Sox have taken it easy with Martinez thus far this spring, but he is ready to see his first action of 2019. Martinez will serve as Boston's designated hitter and hit cleanup Saturday.

Ohtani (elbow) is hitting soft toss for the first time this spring Friday, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Ohtani continues to make incremental progress in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Barring setbacks, he remains on target to return to the lineup as a hitter in May.

Soler (undisclosed) will start in right field and bat cleanup in Friday's spring game against the Angels, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Soler was scratched from Wednesday's lineup for undisclosed reasons but he's apparently healthy given his quick return, especially with him starting in the outfield. The 27-year-old is expected to begin 2019 as the primary designated hitter for the Royals.

Choi (back) is in the lineup for Friday's spring game against the Orioles, Rays broadcaster Neil Solondz reports.

Choi missed a couple days of spring action because of his setback, but he will return to action Friday as expected. Choi will play first base and occupy the third spot in the batting order for the Rays.

Choi (back) is expected to play Friday against the Orioles, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

Choi tweaked his back while taking a swing earlier in the week, but he's been cleared to rejoin the lineup after taking a couple of days to rest and recover. Through three games this spring, Choi is 1-for-5 with a 1:2 K:BB.