MLB Player News

Canha is expected to see time at first base with Matt Olson out 6-to-8 weeks with a broken hamate bone, Martin Gallegos of the Mercury News reports.

Canha replaced Olson at first after Olson suffered the injury in the fifth inning of Thursday's loss to the Mariners in Tokyo. The expectations is that Canha and Chad Pinder will split time at the position in Olson's absence. They both hit right-handed and thus do not form a natural platoon. Canha struggled against same-handed pitching last season, slashing .227/.323/.343 (88 wRC+), compared to .233/.302/.411 (97 wRC+) for Pinder. Both were well above average against lefties.

Reed was optioned to Triple-A on Friday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Reed was always a long shot to break camp with the Astros, and he didn't help his case by hitting .167/.250/.333 with 14 strikeouts in 30 at-bats this spring. The 25-year-old has no clear path to playing time in Houston, so he'll continue to toil away in the minors for the time being.

Buxton exited Friday's spring game with a facial contusion, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Buxton suffered the injury after colliding with Xander Bogaerts during a rundown. The Twins are listing the outfielder as day-to-day, so he appears to have avoided a potentially more serious injury. That said, his status will still be one to monitor over the coming days with Opening Day less than a week away.

Buxton was removed from Friday's spring game with an apparent injury, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Buxton collided with Xander Bogaerts during a rundown and was subsequently removed from the game after a lengthy conversation with manager Rocco Baldelli. Jake Cave replaced him in the outfield. Specifics regarding the injury remain unclear at the moment; it will be worth keeping an eye on Buxton's status with Opening Day right around the corner.

Alvarez was scratched from Thursday's game against the Tigers due to a miscommunication, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez was recently reassigned to minor-league camp and it apparently wasn't communicated to him that he would be making the trip to Lakeland on Thursday. The 21-year-old should resume his usual spring routine following the mishap.

Jimenez (illness) is in a minor-league lineup Friday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Jimenez was scratched from a minor-league game Thursday due to a head cold but his quick return confirms it was a minor issue. The 22-year-old remains at minor-league camp but his recent six-year extension likely has him ticketed for the majors fairly shortly.

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

Cabrera keeps rolling along this spring, as he now has a strong .324/.422/.622 slash line along with three home runs and 10 RBI across 37 at-bats. The 35-year-old looks like he's fully recovered from the ruptured biceps that cut his 2018 campaign short, and while it'd be unfair to expect Cabrera to return to his MVP-level production from a few years ago, he could still be a solid fantasy asset in 2019 if he stays healthy.

Alvarez was scratched from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Tigers for unknown reasons, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Astros did not disclose why Alvarez didn't make the trip to Lakeland, though they did say the issue was neither disciplinary nor injury-related. It's unknown how long he'll be out.

Jimenez was scratched from a minor-league game Thursday due to a cold, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Jimenez's six-year contract he signed Wednesday raised speculation that he'd be called up for Opening Day, though the team has yet to formally call him up after optioning him in mid-March. The young outfielder's cold is unlikely to affect Chicago's decision.

Brantley batted fourth Wednesday in a lineup manager AJ Hinch said was a "pretty good example" of the batting order against right-handed starters, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Brantley could knock in 100 runs hitting fourth with on-base machines Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman hitting in front of him. Hitting behind Brantley will be Carlos Correa, which is pretty good protection. This could be a big year for the 32-year-old outfielder.