MLB Player News

Ford was returned to the Yankees on Saturday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Ford, who was a Rule 5 pick, will report to the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate after passing through waivers untouched. The 25-year-old hit .266/.383/.543 across 25 games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season, and he'll likely spend most -- if not all -- of the year with the RailRiders once again in 2018.

Vargas was claimed off waivers by the Twins on Saturday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Vargas's merry-go-round continues with the first baseman heading back to the Twins. The first baseman was designated for assignment by the team last weekend and then scooped up by the Reds on Thursday. It seems unlikely that he will be able to find much playing time with Joe Mauer and Logan Morrison ahead of him on the depth chart, but expect Vargas to secure a reserve role off the bench as a pinch hitter for the club's Opening Day roster.

Martinez went 2-for-3 with three RBI in Wednesday's game against the Rays, but admitted his timing at the plate is still behind schedule, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Martinez had a late start to camp, signing with Boston in late February and making his spring debut one week into March. "It's getting there," Martinez said. "The results were there [Wednesday] but that's kind of not me. When I'm getting hits to the left side of the field and those top-spin liners, for me I know I'm not there yet. When I'm hitting balls in the air, up the middle or the other way is when I'm feeling good." Martinez is hitting .276 with a .714 OPS in just 29 spring at-bats.

Brantley (ankle) was noncommittal when asked about his status for Opening Day, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports. "We shall see," the outfielder said. "I'm going to take it one day at a time like I always say."

Brantley made his Cactus League debut Wednesday, playing five innings in left field and going 1-for-3 at the plate, swatting a solo homer in his first plate appearance of the night. His status for the start of the season should clear up as he continues to ramp things up over the next week. Even if Brantley isn't ready to go by Opening Day, it doesn't sound like he'll be out for an extended period.

Brantley (ankle) is batting fifth and playing left field in Wednesday's spring game against the Royals, T.J. Zuppe of The Athletic Cleveland reports.

As anticipated, Brantley will make his Cactus League debut Wednesday. The oft-injured outfielder underwent ankle surgery in October, and although his status for Opening Day is still in question, it doesn't appear that he'll be out for an extended period of time.

Reed was optioned to Triple-A Fresno on Monday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic Houston reports.

Reed was in the mix for one of the final roster spots after Yulieski Gurriel (hand) was ruled out for the start of the season. The 24-year-old put up a good fight for the role, batting .298 with two homers, four RBI and eight runs scored, but it ultimately wasn't enough to earn the spot. Reed will now turn his focus to getting ready for the Triple-A season while J.D. Davis and Tyler White duke it out for the final roster spot.

Brantley (ankle) is expected to make his Cactus League debut Wednesday, T.J. Zuppe of The Athletic Cleveland reports.

Brantley is recovering from October ankle surgery. He appeared as a designated hitter in a minor-league game last Wednesday and is set to play in the outfield in another minor-league game Monday. While his Opening Day status remains up in the air, he isn't expected to miss much time once the season begins, barring setbacks.

Martinez will get a decent amount of time in the outfield, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Martinez is primarily expected to be Boston's designated hitter, but the team intends to play him occasionally in the outfield in order to open up at-bats for Hanley Ramirez and Mitch Moreland. Boston also hopes that more rotation will keep players fresh deeper into the season. Martinez's poor outfield defense won't hurt his fantasy value, and owners in dynasty leagues will be happy to see him keep his outfield eligibility for at least one more season.

The Angels still plan to keep Ohtani in the major leagues to begin the season despite the rookie's poor results in spring training, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports. "Pitching wise, absent a couple pitches each outing completely getting away from him, losing grip or feel, [Ohtani has] been around the strike zone with the majority of his pitches," general manager Billy Eppler said Saturday. "We look at walk rate and strike throwing and the ability to get hitters to swing and miss. As we look at those things, those are the foundation of our evaluative methodologies, and those things are in place."

Ohtani was shelled for seven hits in 1.1 innings in his last start Friday against the Rockies and has surrendered 15 runs against 8.1 total frames this spring, but the Angels remain encouraged by his velocity readings and the 19:3 K:BB he has posted during that span. According to Fletcher, Ohtani is scheduled to take the mound Saturday in what will most likely be a minor-league game, which would make it easier for the Angels to ensure he gets 90-plus pitches. With Ohtani inducing plenty of strikeouts this spring and the Angels seemingly committed to keeping him in the majors as a member of the rotation and part-time designated hitter, he could be worth buying at a discount while his spring ERA has deflated his draft stock.

Miller (toe) started at first base Saturday in the Rays' 4-3 loss to the Red Sox in Grapefruit League play. He finished 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a run.

It was just Miller's second appearance of the spring and his first since Feb. 23 while he remained sidelined with a fractured right pinkie toe. Due to the three-week absence, Miller will be held out of the lineup Sunday against the Tigers, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, but the 28-year-old remains on track to open the season in a strong-side platoon role at either first base, second base or designated hitter.