MLB Player News

Steer (shoulder) was included in the lineup at designated hitter for Tuesday's exhibition game.

The Reds played against a group of their own prospects, and Steer played with the minor leaguers, who operated with a 10-player batting order to accommodate the 27-year-old. Steer missed most of the Cactus League season due to shoulder discomfort and he's tentatively expected to open the season on the injured list. Without Steer, the Reds will get by with a mix of Jeimer Candelario, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Gavin Lux at DH and the corner infield positions.

Ohtani is set to throw a bullpen session Saturday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani will throw off the mound for the first time since Feb. 25 as he gears up to make his return to the Dodgers' rotation at some point this season. The 30-year-old last pitched in 2023 with the Angels, posting a 3.14 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 167 strikeouts over 132 innings in 23 starts. It's unclear if the team has a timeline for Ohtani's official return to the mound, but the expectation remains that it'll be during the 2025 campaign.

The Padres informed Gurriel on Sunday that he's made the Opening Day roster, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

The veteran slugger still needs to be officially added to the 26-man and 40-man rosters, but he's set to begin the campaign with the big club. Gurriel had a .241/.338/.296 slash line in 18 regular-season games with Kansas City last season, but he carried a hot bat during spring training with an .828 OPS in 14 contests.

Ozuna went 1-for-2 with a walk, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

The veteran slugger took Kyle Tyler deep in the fifth inning, giving Ozuna his third long ball of the spring. While his .229 batting average (8-for-35) in Grapefruit League play isn't impressive, Ozuna seems to have his timing down at the plate -- five of those hits have gone for extra bases, and he sports a sharp 4:4 BB:K.

Winker (calf) will serve as the designated hitter and bat fourth in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

Winker has been sidelined since exiting Monday's game early due to calf cramps, but the issue seems to have subsided ahead of Thursday's contest. The 31-year-old slashed .253/.360/.405 with 14 homers and 58 RBI in 508 regular-season plate appearances last year and has shown no signs of slowing down this spring, maintaining an .805 OPS through 13 Grapefruit League games.

Ohtani went 1-for-3 with solo home run and two walks during Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Cubs in Tokyo.

After hitting a career-high 54 homers during the regular season in his first year as a Dodger in 2024, Ohtani didn't take long to deliver his first long ball of this season. The three-time MVP reached multiple times in each of the first two games of the season and has gone 3-for-8 with two walks, a double, a homer and three runs scored.

Ohtani went 2-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and a strikeout in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Cubs in Tokyo.

The Japanese superstar was unable to deliver a home run in the first official game back in his home country, but he still produced as a leadoff man in the season opener. Ohtani recently slowed his pitching progression in order to ramp up his preparations as a hitter for Opening Day, but he's still expected to join the starting rotation sometime in May. For now, the 30-year-old will continue to serve as the Dodgers' designated hitter as he works his way back from November shoulder surgery.

Winker exited Monday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Rays due to a calf cramp, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza indicated that Winker's removal was precautionary, adding that the 31-year-old "should be OK." Winker -- who was retired in his lone plate appearance Monday -- is sporting an .805 OPS this spring and projects to open the season as the Mets' primary designated hitter against right-handed pitching.

The Cardinals reassigned Pozo to minor-league camp Monday.

Pozo received a late invitation to big-league camp but never made much of a push for a spot on the Opening Day roster with the Cardinals likely to begin the season with Pedro Pages and Ivan Herrera as their catching tandem. The 27-year-old Pozo hasn't seen MLB action since 2021 with the Rangers and will likely spend the majority of the 2025 campaign at Triple-A Memphis.

The Mets reassigned Meneses to minor-league camp Monday.

Meneses has produced at a near-league-average level at the plate over parts of three seasons in the majors with the Nationals, slashing .274/.322/.408 with a 101 wRC+ across 1,210 plate appearances. The 32-year-old's power production dropped considerably in 2024, however, with Meneses slugging just three home runs in 313 plate appearances before the Nationals demoted him to Triple-A last July and kept him in the minors for the remainder of the season. He caught on with the Mets on a minor-league deal in the offseason, but Meneses' declining production and lack of defensive flexibility made it unlikely that he would win a bench role on the Opening Day roster. Meneses will likely open the season at Triple-A Syracuse, and it may take a Pete Alonso injury in order for him to get a look with the big club.