MLB Player News

General manager Billy Eppler said Ohtani (ankle, elbow) is scheduled to throw off a mound in the next two weeks, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani is steadily ramping up his throwing program as he continues to work his way back from a grade one sprain of his ulnar collateral ligament. The two-way superstar also underwent ankle surgery in October, though the team remains unconcerned about both issues and expect him to be fully ready to go by the start of spring training.

Ford was selected by the Mariners with the 11th overall pick in the Rule 5 draft Thursday.

Rule 5 picks rarely end up contributing in fantasy, but Ford might have the best chance of this year's class. He is a 25-year-old first baseman who has never played in the majors, but his numbers last year were awfully impressive. Ford had a .270/.404/.471 slash line with 20 home runs and a 72:94 K:BB in 126 games between Double-A and Triple-A. Entering the season, Ryon Healy and Daniel Vogelbach are ahead of Ford on the organizational depth chart, but they are not imposing figures, relative to the rest of the league's first basemen. Ford will need to be kept on the active roster all season, otherwise he will be exposed to waivers and offered back to the Yankees.

Ohtani has a first-degree sprain of his right ulnar collateral ligament and underwent a platelet-rich plasma shot in October to treat elbow pain, Yahoo Sports reports. Ohtani is also returning from ankle surgery in October.

A physical obtained by Yahoo Sports also notes that Ohtani will be able to start throwing about a month after receiving the PRP injection. While it sounds like this injury won't keep him from throwing in spring training, it does increase some risk that he could have a setback and further tear his UCL. And while many pitchers play through ligament tears, the PRP may indicate this injury could be more than minor.

General manager Jerry Dipoto said he expects Lewis (knee) to be fully ready for spring training, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Lewis is continuing to rehab the knee issue that forced him out of the Arizona Fall League at the end of October. Barring any setbacks, he should be fully healthy heading into next season. The highly touted 22-year-old will look to bounce back in 2018 after appearing in just 38 games and hitting .255/.323/.403 with High-A Modesto last season.

The Indians are encouraged by Brantley's (ankle) progress in his rehab from right ankle surgery, Zack Meisel of The Athletic Cleveland reports.

Brantley underwent right ankle surgery in the middle of October and was initially given a recovery timetable of 4-5 months, leaving his status for the start spring training up in the air. While he's apparently making solid progress, the Indians won't know more until he's able to resume agility and running drills.

The Yankees officially announced Monday that they acquired Stanton and cash from the Marlins in exchange for Starlin Castro, Jorge Guzman and Jose Devers.

As expected, Stanton approved the move to New York and the deal was made official Monday morning. The 2017 NL MVP, who hit .281/.376/.631 with 59 homers and 132 RBI in 159 games last season, will join an already potent lineup that led the majors in homers and was second in runs scored and RBI last year.

Ohtani (ankle) will not play the outfield in 2018, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

While the Angels confirmed that Ohtani will play both ways, GM Billy Eppler said definitively that Ohtani will not play the outfield this upcoming season. It doesn't come as a huge surprise given that Ohtani hasn't played the outfield regularly in several years. He figures to DH a couple times per week, likely pushing Albert Pujols to first base on occasion, while perhaps operating as part of a six-man starting rotation.

Ohtani (ankle) agreed to sign with the Angels on Friday, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

His agent, Nez Balelo, said Ohtani felt a "true bond" with the Angels and saw it as the best environment to develop and attain his career goals. It seems Ohtani will be in line to get some starts at DH when he is not pitching, even with Albert Pujols on the team, as the Angels are pretty well set in the outfield, although he could theoretically get occasional starts over Kole Calhoun in right field. We should get a better idea about how his playing time will shake out once the team begins to comment. As a pitcher, he has SP1 potential right away, and has drawn comparisons to Noah Syndergaard, due to his power fastball/slider combination. As a hitter, Ohtani has monster power and has been clocked as an 80-grade runner, so if he hits, he has legitimate five-category potential. Various websites are handling the two-way star's eligibility differently, so make sure to investigate where he will qualify and how he can be deployed before drafts begin. He had ankle surgery in October but will be ready when pitchers and catchers report.

Ramirez was outrighted off the Blue Jays' 40-man roster Monday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Ramirez garnered a bit of buzz after his strong showing at Double-A in 2016, but flopped in a repeat of that level in 2017 (.266/.320/.358). He doesn't have any real standout offensive skills, which is a big negative for a player who is limited to the outfield corners, defensively. The 23-year-old seems destined to play out most of his career as organizational depth in the minors.

Jimenez was added to the White Sox's 40-man roster on Monday to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

One of the top prospects in the game, Jimenez was perhaps the best hitter in all the minors after getting traded from the Cubs in the Jose Quintana trade this past summer. He has monstrous raw power and an excellent hit tool, profiling very nicely as a future cleanup-hitting right fielder. The White Sox will face a difficult decision with Jimenez this season, as he could be forcing the issue for a promotion to the majors at some point this summer, but if they are disciplined enough to hold him down until April 2019, they would gain an extra year of control.