MLB Player News

Cabrera hit a mammoth go-ahead home run in Venezuela's World Baseball Classic win Monday over Italy, his only hit in a 1-for-4 game.

Cabrera has not been the dominant force you would expect in the weaker talent pool of international play. He was hitting just .273/.273/.429 in the first round of pools entering Monday's play-in contest, as pitchers from Italy, Israel and Venezuela proved shockingly effective at stifling one of the world's best hitters. He'll need to ride the momentum of this ninth-inning home run if Venezuela wants to keep advancing in the WBC.

Buxton went 2-for-4 with his first home run of the spring in Sunday's win over Baltimore. He's hitting .273 (6-for-22) during spring training.

Buxton has struck out just five times in 24 plate appearances. It's an extremely small sample size, but a 20.8 percent strikeout rate would be a significant improvement from the problematic 34.8 percent he's posted in the majors to this point. Buxton appears set to begin the season as the starter in center field, but it's not clear where he'll bat in the order. He hit leadoff Sunday, but may be a better fit lower in the order if the 10 home runs he hit in September indicate that he'll add more power than on-base ability.

Ramirez went 0-for-2 in his spring debut Saturday versus the Phillies.

Ramirez, a career .306/.364/.411 hitter over five minor league seasons, came over from the Pirates at last year's trade deadline in the same transaction that brought Francisco Liriano north. The Jays haven't had much of a look at Ramirez, whose bat they loved while he was in the Pirates' system. He only played one game with Triple-A New Hampshire before suffering a knee injury that knocked him out for the rest of the season and, after aggravating it early in camp this year, kept him on the shelf until Saturday. The 22-year-old Colombian is an intriguing (and under-the-radar) prospect that dynasty owners should pay attention to throughout the remaining Grapefruit League schedule.

Reed started at first base and went 1-for-3 with his third home run of the spring in Friday's game against the Mets.

Reed is having himself a nice spring, similar to last year, when he was the subject of chatter among fantasy owners preparing for drafts and auctions. The left-handed hitter went on to post a .164 average in 122 at-bats at the major league level in 2016. He's in a different situation this spring, as the Astros have a projected starter at first base in Yulieski Gurriel and DH will be shared by Carlos Beltran and Evan Gattis. The 23-year-old Reed will likely start the season at Triple-A Fresno, but he's put himself back on the radar after last season's poor first impression.

Miller went 1-for-2 with three RBI from a sacrifice fly, a run-scoring groundout and a solo home run in Thursday's 10-8 Grapefruit League loss to the Pirates.

Miller was in desperate need of some success at the plate, as he'd entered Thursday's game mired in a 2-for-17 slump. The homer was the first of the spring for the Rays' second baseman, who's also fanned on five occasions over his 19 at-bats. Factoring in Thursday's production, Miller is slashing .158/.190/.368 over seven games, with one double, Thursday's round-tripper and trio of RBI, one walk and four runs.

Reed is 6-for-19 with two home runs and five RBI through 11 spring games, but is considered a long shot to break camp with Houston, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Reed showed he wasn't quite ready for the majors last season after wowing spring onlookers in 2016. The good swings he's putting on balls in March are encouraging in that the first baseman is rebounding from adversity, but until he's doing it for real in the regular season, Reed's nothing more than a speculative play. Yulieski Gurriel is slated to start the season at first base while the Astros probably don't want to use up a roster spot on a 1B/DH type like Reed -- Marwin Gonzalez and Tyler White are utility guys that can back up at first. That said, given his ceiling, Reed's a left-handed power bat that could be useful.

Brantley (shoulder) feels good Thursday after taking swings Wednesday, and he should participate in a five-inning simulated game Friday, Andre Knott of WTAM 1100 reports.

These are small steps of optimism for the former MVP candidate, though his timetable remains undefined. He recently faced live pitching, though, and if he can work something close to a week of spring games, his regular-season prognosis would improve dramatically. Though caution is recommended, Brantley could help mixed league fantasy drafters in the late rounds and/or as a fifth outfielder.

Canha will receive playing time in center field Friday, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

The surprise 2015 breakout star wilted in 2016 but will scrape together platoon at-bats at least to start 2017, and throwing him into the center field fire may be a way to expand his contributions, including those for fantasy players in AL-only leagues.

Goins hit leadoff and went 1-for-3 in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles.

After going hitless through his first 12 at-bats of the spring season, the utility infielder has now managed a hit in his last three games. With Darwin Barney ahead of him on the depth chart, Goins -- who is out of minor-league options -- entered camp seemingly destined to be designated for assignment. However, with the Jays' starting second baseman, Devon Travis (knee), possibly beginning the season on the disabled list, Goins has a legitimate shot of being added to the 25-man Opening Day roster, thus avoiding being exposed to waivers.

Martinez is focused on improving his defense in 2017 after a down year in the field last season, MLB.com reports.

While defense doesn't immediately impact Martinez's fantasy value, it could affect his value in free agency next offseason. His defensive metrics all went down in 2016, but if he looks good in the field and at the plate in 2017, he could be in for a significant payday. Confidence also counts for something, so if Martinez is excelling in the field, it could carry over to his at-bats.