MLB Player News

Collins was invited to the White Sox's major-league camp, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Collins was the White Sox's first-round pick (10th overall) in 2016 and is the organization's top-ranked catching prospect. He's known more for his bat, so developing defensively has been his biggest challenge, as it is for most bat-first catchers. Another challenge for Collins has been his patience. He has impressive on-base skills, which can mitigate his power potential. His manager last year at Double-A Birmingham, Ryan Newman, said Collins can be too selective and let drive-able pitches pass by.

Alvarez was invited to the Astros' major-league camp Tuesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

After impressing in the upper minors in 2018, Alvarez will get a chance to show off his skills in front of the Astros' brass during spring training. The 21-year-old split time between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Fresno last season, hitting a combined .293/.369/.534 with 20 homers and six stolen bases. Alvarez appeared in just 45 games at Triple-A and is blocked at the major-league level, so he'll likely open the year back in the minors. That said, he could force a promotion this summer if he continues to excel on the farm.

General manager Billy Eppler said Monday that Ohtani (elbow) will have a follow-up appointment soon, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani is slowly working his way back from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in October of 2018. The Angels are hoping a timetable for Ohtani to resume hitting will emerge following his upcoming visit with doctors. At this point, the 24-year-old is not expected to be ready for Opening Day.

Canha avoided arbitration with the Athletics by signing a one-year, $2.05 million contract, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports.

Canha had a breakout season in Oakland during 2018 with a .249/.328/.778 slash line with 17 home runs in 411 plate appearances. The 29-year-old receives a sizable pay raise for 2019, but he was largely relegated to a reserve role down the stretch last season following the emergence of Nick Martini and Ramon Laureano in the outfield.

Buxton signed a one-year deal worth $1.75 million Friday, avoiding arbitration, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports.

Buxton's relationship with the team was potentially on rocky ground after the Twins did not call him up in September, a move which secured the team an extra year of control. Avoiding arbitration will at least remove an opportunity to damage that partnership further. Injuries limited the center fielder to just 28 games last season. He hit very poorly in those games, finishing with an ugly .156/.183/.200 line.

Brantley has agreed to a two-year, $32 million deal with the Astros, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sport reports.

Brantley spent his entire big-league career with the Indians prior to becoming a free agent this offseason (2009-18). Although the deal hasn't been made official quite yet, both sides have agreed in principle and are working out the details. He put up stellar numbers at the dish a season ago, posting a .309/.364/.468 batting line, and he showed some pop by hammering 17 home runs and driving in 76 over 143 games. Houston already has a number of solid outfielders (George Springer and Josh Reddick to name a few), though Brantley figures to slot in as the starting left fielder, especially considering he made 134 starts in left field during the 2018 season. However, he may also see time at first base and as the designated hitter, per Passan.

Jimenez (quadriceps) will be shut down until the start of spring training, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

This doesn't come as a huge surprise, as the outfield prospect was already scheduled to complete his stint in winter ball at the end of next week. Jimenez will now work on rehabbing the issue ahead of spring training, though nothing suggests his availability will be in jeopardy due to this injury. Prior to getting hurt, he produced a stellar .448/.500/.759 slash line for Gigantes in the Dominican Winter League.

Jimenez is day-to-day with a quad strain in the Dominican Winter League, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Jimenez was expected to be shut down soon for the holidays anyway, so the injury likely won't cost him too much time. It doesn't appear to be serious enough to threaten his availability at the start of spring training. The young outfielder had been on a tear in eight games for Gigantes in the Dominican Winter League, hitting .448/.500/.759.

Manager Brad Ausmus said Wednesday that he doesn't expect Ohtani (elbow) to be ready for the beginning of spring training, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery in early October and has continued to progress on the right track, though the Angels have refrained from putting any sort of timetable on the 24-year-old. It's abundantly clear that the organization is not going to rush him back. Ohtani will exclusively serve as a DH for the club in 2019 following his elbow procedure. Expect updates on Ohtani's status throughout the winter.

Even though Buxton was not called up from Triple-A in September, the Twins don't envision an open competition for the starting center field job this spring, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "We don't view it that way. He's our starting center fielder. That's who Byron Buxton is. That's clear to us moving forward," said Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey.

Buxton looked like a budding superstar after a breakout 2017 season only to endure basically a lost season in 2018. Buxton went on the DL in early April due to a recurring migraine issue and then broke his toe while on a rehab assignment. He tried to play through a hairline fracture in his left big toe but hit just .188 in 17 games and was sent to the minors. He then missed several weeks with a wrist injury. When finally healthy he hit .313 with three homers and an .897 OPS over 27 games at Triple-A. However, he wasn't called up in September despite being fully healthy in a thinly-veiled move by the Twins to gain an extra year of service time. It looks like the Twins will re-establish him as the starter next spring. The jury is out on if he'll become a star at the plate or if he can stay healthy given his injury history, but he may also have as much upside for fantasy baseball as any player in the game.